In a major relief for U.S. consumers and tech giants, the Trump administration has announced exemptions for smartphones, laptops, and chips from its sweeping 125% reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods, as reported by Bloomberg. The exclusion comes as a welcome development for companies like Apple Inc., which had been scrambling to avoid cost escalations on their core products.

The exemption, confirmed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection late Friday, also includes hard drives and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, products that are heavily imported and rarely produced within the U.S.

For Apple, the timing couldn’t be better. Earlier this month, the company chartered cargo flights to ferry over 600 tons — around 1.5 million iPhones — from its India production facilities to the U.S. The aggressive move was designed to beat the tariff deadline, with insiders revealing that Apple even negotiated with Indian airport authorities to drastically reduce customs clearance times from 30 hours to just six.

Analysts had warned that iPhone prices in the U.S. could surge due to heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing. The Trump administration’s 125% tariff on Chinese imports was seen as a major threat to Apple’s pricing strategy. While India offered a lower 26% duty, Trump’s earlier tariff pause on 70+ countries excluded China — forcing Apple to rush shipments.

Now, with smartphones, laptops, and chips officially exempt, Apple may avoid immediate pricing disruption. However, experts caution that this may be a temporary breather, as Washington explores alternate, sector-specific levies in the near future.

The White House has not issued further details, but for now, the move signals a partial easing of the U.S.-China trade standoff’s most extreme implications.