Chinese Smartphone Exports To US Crashed In April

New customs data from China shows that smartphone shipments to the U.S. collapsed 72% in April to below $700 million—the lowest level since 2011. The plunge coincided with the peak of the U.S.-China trade war, as the Trump administration imposed up to 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, disrupting tech supply chains. However, those levies have since been significantly scaled back to 30% as of May.

Using data from China’s General Administration of Customs, Bloomberg reported that the 72% plunge in smartphone shipments to the U.S. far outpaced the 21% decline in overall exports to the U.S.

China’s export data showed that handsets and laptops suffered the largest shipping declines in April.

April marked the peak of the trade war, with President Trump imposing tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods and Beijing retaliating with 125% tariffs on U.S. products. By mid-May, trade tensions had eased, with U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods reduced to 30% and China’s tariffs on U.S. goods lowered to 10%.

However, the so-called “breakthrough” trade deal between the U.S. and China last week has Goldman analyst Philip Sun forecasting a surge in imports for U.S. ports. This has abruptly reversed the “empty ports” and “empty shelves” narratives; now, U.S. importers expect to pull forward.

Goldman’s Sun explained: “China’s exports will be RED HOT in the next 90 days. Frontrunning would be the keyword.”

Meanwhile, Apple accelerated a shift of iPhone production to India in anticipation of the trade war. 

Last week, President Trump, on his Gulf States tour, publicly called out Apple CEO Tim Cook for the massive expansion of iPhone production in India. Trump said after his conversation about ‘Made in America’, the CEO would be “upping their production in the United States.” 

Wedbush Securities recently estimated that a fully American-made iPhone could cost as much as $3,500, compared to the current average price of around $1,000. There are reports the next model could see the first price hike since the 2017 debut of the iPhone X.

Next lineup of iPhone…

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