Tech lovers: Bigger price tags may be on the horizon.
The incoming Trump administration has proposed a sweeping economic agenda that includes controversially high tariffs on imported goods, and while the plan has reportedly fluctuated over the last month, the President-elect argues increased tariffs on imports is the best way to pay for sweeping tax cuts and reduce the amount of drugs and immigrant workers coming into the U.S.
The more likely result? Higher prices for consumers and their favorite foreign-made goods.
Analysts and businesses themselves have warned about the potential price surge, and predict that Trump's current tariff plan would have disproportionate effects on consumer goods and electronics made in China, as the President-elect proposes blanket tariffs on all imports and a levy on Chinese goods that could be upwards of 60 percent.
According to reports from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), this policy path would have a net negative effect on purchasing power for U.S. consumers in the tech market, which could see a $90 to $143 billion decline over the next year.
Meanwhile, the consumer tech industry is still on track for multi-billion dollar revenues in 2025, with the Consumer Technology Association predicting a $537 billion market in 2025. This year may see a reverse of the previous, which recorded dismal sales in its first half. For now, the industry's innovators and sales-folk aren't slowing down.
The annual Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES), which is produced by the CTA, unveiled everything from stair-climbing robot vacuums (well, sort of) to a laptop that unrolls itself into a bigger display.
But Trump's tariff crackdown may affect the kinds of products that make up CES' bread and butter, including the non-automobile lithium-ion batteries powering portable electronics, televisions, computer accessories, PCs, laptops, tablets, and other connected devices, among others, writes Business Insider. Around a quarter of CES exhibitioners are made up of Chinese AI hardware and robotics firms this year, the Information reports, amid an ongoing tech and AI race between the U.S. and China. In a statement to the Global Times, China's display maker BOE explained it has doubled its exhibition area since 2024, with more than 1,000 registered Chinese companies in attendance.
Speaking in Las Vegas this week, CES organizers made an indirect jab at Trump's economic plan to the international crowd: "To keep our economies thriving and inflation in check, we need policies that enable startups, allow businesses to flourish, and create the next generation of tech leaders — policies that create rules of the road for tech companies and offer guardrails to protect safety, privacy, and fairness," said CES CEO Gary Shapiro. "Here in the U.S., that means finding a way to break through the gridlock and pass sensible immigration reforms to promote highly skilled immigration and recognizing that tariffs are taxes paid for by American businesses and the American people and the world.”
Companies and brands at the showcase are taking a much less vocal approach to the looming levies, either avoiding discussion of tariffs or taking a "wait and see" stance as they debut new products.
"We will keep monitoring global regulations and will take strategic actions that increase our operational resilience, which includes being closer to the markets with a shorter supply chain so that we can act faster," said Lisa Emard, Acer's Director of Media Relations, in a comment to Mashable. "We work with ODMs (original design manufacturers) for manufacturing of our computers and in some regions, we have our own final assembly lines to increase our flexibility to meet local customer needs. Currently we also have manufacturing and assembly capacity in Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, South Africa, and the United States."
Behind the scenes, some, like Apple, have tried to shift away from Chinese-dependent supply chains in recent years, with mixed results.
Consumers, on the other hand, are raring to go in a market full of shiny new products. Here's where some of CES' most anticipated showings fit into the country's potential economic future.
Vacuum cleaners
With Chinese companies quickly taking over the market for home cleaning electronics, consumers may first feel the tariff pinch as they shop for increasingly more expensive vacuum cleaners — including the robotic ones.
And CES exhibitors showcased a veritable army of new robotic vacuums this year. The Roborock Saros Z70 has an extendable arm that can help pick up obstacles in its path, while the Dreame X50 Ultra can breeze over thresholds that other vacuums balk at — as long as they're not taller than two inches.
Computers, tablets, and smartphones
In its most recent report, the CTA estimates that Trump's economic plan could bump up the average price of laptops and tablets as high as 47 percent — that's a $200 to $350 margin. Due to rising prices, laptop sales overall could take a 68 percent hit in 2025, according to the CTA.
Those in the market for their own Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable (a laptop that can enlarge itself) or Nvidia's personal AI supercomputer may be inclined to get in early, then. New products from brands like Alienware and Acer could also feel the pressure later on, and monitors, like LG's buzzy 5K2K bendable gaming monitor, aren't safe from price hikes.
Gaming consoles
The CTA estimates that gaming consoles will see an average $250 increase from their current sales price, which, at the extreme, could drop sales by as much as 58 percent.
Notable CES showings include the handheld hybrid Acer Nitro Blaze 11 and the third-party SteamOS powered Lenovo Legion Go S.
Smart TVs
With AI set to innovate the somewhat bloated market of smart TVs, the products themselves may see up to a nine percent price increase in prices under the new tariff plan.
At CES, Samsung's Neo QLED, OLED and QLED, and The Frame models, as well as LG's OLED evo lineup debuted with a new suite of AI features. Samsung and LG also announced partnerships with Microsoft's Copilot AI, and Google unveiled it would be bringing Gemini AI to TVs, too.
Battery-powered TVs, like LG's StanByMe 2, could also take a hit.
Tech-boosted vehicles
Trump's tariff plan could also bump up the price of vehicles in the U.S., including from American-made brands, with some experts estimating a $600 to $2,500 price increase per vehicle. And while Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese assembled vehicles would certainly be hit by a country-specific tariff plan, the fate of other foreign vehicles is up-in-the-air.
CES audiences were introduced to the AFEELA 1 Signature, a brainchild of Sony and Honda, that debuted at CES this year with LiDAR cameras, touchless doors, and a Sony PlayStation 5 controller that you can literally game with. It's already sitting pretty with a six figure price tag.
Haley Henschel contributed to this report.
Topics CES Donald Trump Politics
