US tariffs could hit Samsung phones, exempt China-made iPhones

Visitors at the Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event experience the Galaxy Z Fold7 smartphone at the Duggal Greenhouse in New York on July 9. - Photo: Samsung Electronics

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics could face higher US tariffs on its smartphones and other finished electronics as early as this week, even as Apple's iPhones made primarily in China may be granted exemptions, industry sources said Tuesday (Aug 12).

This would highlight a notable divergence in how major smartphone makers are treated under Washington’s trade measures aimed at protecting US manufacturing and reducing reliance on Chinese supply chains.