The tariff situation is very confusing right now, and there's no telling how things will change in the coming weeks and months. While the prospect of price rises following a "will they, won't they" philosophy isn't ideal for consumers, it's even less helpful for the companies setting the prices.
Anticipating change is hard, and to try to combat the threat of tariff-induced price hikes, various tech companies have started ramping up production. Samsung is reportedly doing the same with the Galaxy S25, presumably to try and get devices into the U.S. before tariffs come into effect.
According to The Elec, Samsung is increasing production volume for the month of May. Specifically, the company has told its component suppliers that it intends to manufacture 15.8 million smartphones during the month, including 3.3 million Galaxy S25-series devices — up from 2.5 million last month.
The Elec also notes that Samsung is planning on manufacturing fewer Galaxy S25 units in June, with the initial 1.9 million target being dropped to 1.4 million.
Beating the tariffs — what we know
The problem with the current tariff situation is that nobody knows what will happen. Severe tariffs were imposed on countries around the world, particularly parts of Asia with large manufacturing bases, with rates ranging from 10% to as high as 145% in the case of China.
Then the non-Chinese tariffs were all put on pause, followed by an announcement that consumer electronics like smartphones would be exempt from all tariffs. Then it was announced that this wouldn't be the case, and a still-unannounced "semiconductor tariff" would include smartphones and other devices.
While experts have said tariffs could be minimized by shipping products via low-tariff territories, this could still cause the cost of products to increase in the U.S. The only sure-fire way to avoid tariffs is to import stuff before the financial penalties actually take effect.
Apple reportedly "airlifted 600 tons" of iPhones to the U.S. from India to beat the tariffs — all while iPhone sales were surging as consumers attempted to beat the tariffs. So it makes perfect sense that other companies would follow that example. The only barrier would be the number of phones they have to sell, hence the boosted production.
Hopefully, the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is due to launch next week on May 12, will be able to sneak in ahead of any further changes to tariff rules. Considering the phone is rumored to be over $1,000, the last thing we need is for tariffs to push that price tag even higher.
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