Apple pressures Samsung and LG to help it combat tariffs by reducing their profits
To further complicate matters, Apple had to exclude Chinese display manufacturer BOE from this year's supply. The iPhone 17 series is seeing a long-awaited upgrade, with even the base model finally featuring a 120 Hz LTPO display: what Apple calls a 'ProMotion' display. BOE was apparently unable to meet the company's standards, though it has secured some orders for the Chinese stock very recently. President Trump has specifically targeted the iPhone with tariffs if Apple continues to manufacture its phones abroad and imports them Stateside. The tariff policies affect a lot of products, but the president has repeatedly named the iPhone personally, insisting that its production be shifted to the U.S.
iPhone 16e uses displays provided by BOE. | Video credit — Apple
This pressure from the president has been tough on CEO Tim Cook, but the company has deemed the tariffs to be more acceptable than shifting production to the U.S. That hasn't stopped Apple from trying to reduce manufacturing costs wherever it can, however.
The iPhone 17 series, with its upgrade to 12 GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence and the aforementioned 120 Hz displays, will almost certainly be more expensive. This price is only going to keep going up as Apple shifts to 2 nm chipsets next year with the A20 processors. Samsung — Apple's largest smartphone rival in the States — also manufactures its phones outside the U.S. However, it hasn't been the direct target of Trump's insistence for smartphones made in America, and is quietly coasting by.Samsung Display, in my opinion, will likely succumb to Apple's demands this year, or at least reach a compromise. How that affects the final retail price of the iPhone 17 models is still unclear, though an increase is almost guaranteed.
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