There’s no telling exactly what the new year and new administration in the US will bring. But there are likely big changes afoot in the world of tech, especially if President-elect Donald Trump enacts all the tariffs he threatened on the campaign trail. We don’t have a crystal ball that tells us exactly what may get pricier or by how much, but there are several categories of big-ticket products that are at serious risk of being priced out of reach for many folks.
Trump said on Monday that he’d put “an additional 10 percent tariff above any additional tariffs” on all products coming in from China, after campaigning on the pledge to implement 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. A lot of tech products are imported from China, including components used in products assembled elsewhere.
If you’re already in the market for tech and gadgets like TVs, laptops, or phones, the good news is many great options are currently on sale for Black Friday. So it may be smart to make a move on that big purchase now if you’re concerned about mitigating any regret in the new year if prices do, indeed, go up.
Let me be very candid with you here: The idea for this article stemmed from many of us at The Verge getting asked directly by friends and family, “What should I buy now before the tariffs come?” There’s no telling what companies will do if US tariffs against countries like China and Mexico really are enacted — they could eat the cost, or pass along some or all of it to us consumers. But if I had to guess, gadgets are going to get more expensive in the new year, not less.
We’re not saying you should go crazy and panic-buy stuff or go into debt over something you’re not even certain you’ll use. Trump has a long history of failing to follow through on campaign promises, business contracts, and policy announcements; the same thing could happen here. But if you’re trying to game out which products to buy this year instead of in 2025, hopefully this list can be of help.
Victoria Song, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Allison Johnson, Sheena Vasani, Quentyn Kennemer, and Brandon Widder also contributed to this post.
