The Donald Trump administration's exclusion of smartphones, computers, and other items from reciprocal tariffs has led to a sigh of relief from companies such as Samsung Electronics, which exports smartphones to the North American market, and major parts suppliers to Apple, including Samsung and LG Group's electronics and components affiliates.
However, this tariff suspension may be temporary, and as forecasts suggest that other types of tariffs could be applied soon, there is a cautious atmosphere as the situation regarding President Trump’s stance is closely monitored.
On the 11th (local time), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a "notification of the exclusion of specific items from reciprocal tariffs," which exempts smartphones, laptop computers, hard disk drives, computer processors, memory chips, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment from reciprocal tariffs. This decision temporarily suspends the 125% reciprocal tariff imposed on China and the 10% reciprocal tariff on other countries for these items.
According to industry sources on the 13th, Samsung Electronics' mobile division (MX) has not released any official statement regarding this U.S. decision, but there is an atmosphere of encouragement regarding the resolution of uncertainty. A source familiar with Samsung noted, "We are relieved that the suspension of reciprocal tariffs has been decided for smartphones and laptops and PC components, but we must closely watch how the Trump administration's policies may change in the future."
Large component manufacturers such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung Display, LG Display, and LG Innotek, which have Apple as a major client, have been able to alleviate one of their major concerns. A source familiar with the industry commented, "The significant reduction of tariffs on parts supplied to Apple, like camera modules and displays for the iPhone, from 145% is a relief for the domestic component industry."
While Samsung smartphones, which do not have production plants in China, have been temporarily exempted from reciprocal tariffs, the situation is more ambiguous for Apple, which produces nearly 90% of its products in China. The New York Times (NYT) reported that President Trump sees the 10%+10% tariff imposed on China for reasons such as addressing fentanyl and other drugs as still in effect, while the Financial Times (FT) reported uncertainty regarding the 20% tariff on smartphones manufactured in China, leading to varying interpretations.
An industry source stated, "The difference in tariffs applied to Samsung Electronics and Apple of around 10% to 20% is not significantly meaningful," but added, "Given the unpredictability of the U.S. stance toward China, we must closely monitor the situation."
In fact, Reuters reported that the White House, in a statement from spokesperson Caroline Levitt, indicated that the U.S. cannot rely on China for producing core technologies like semiconductors, smartphones, and laptops. Accordingly, this recent suspension of tariffs on smartphones, laptops, and other items may be temporary, and other types of tariffs may be applied soon, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, the exclusion of semiconductor manufacturing equipment from the reciprocal tariff target appears to positively impact Samsung Electronics, which is currently building large-scale factories in the U.S. Additionally, the inclusion of smartphones and laptops in the reciprocal tariff exception list is expected to alleviate some concerns about the slow demand for general-purpose memory semiconductors.
However, reactions within the semiconductor industry indicate that it is too early to feel relieved, as President Trump has hinted at imposing specific tariffs on semiconductors. The uncertainty in the semiconductor industry remains.