China’s smartphone exports to US crash to 14-year low amid trade war

China’s smartphone exports to the US have plunged to their lowest level since 2011, reflecting a dramatic fallout from escalating trade tensions and renewed tariff threats.

As global electronics supply chains recalibrate, India is fast emerging as the new pivot point in the tech manufacturing ecosystem.

China’s smartphone exports to US declines

In April 2025, China’s mobile phone shipments to the US plummeted 72 per cent year-on-year to $688.5 million, the lowest monthly figure since June 2011, according to China’s General Administration of Customs, as reported by Bloomberg and Trade Data Monitor.

This collapse outpaced the 21 per cent overall drop in Chinese exports to the US in the same period, underscoring how high-tech goods are being disproportionately impacted.

New data shows that smartphones led the decline in export value in April 2025, with a month-on-month drop of $1.8 billion. Other top tech categories saw steep falls as well:

Top 10 Product Export Drops from China to US (April 2025, MoM change):

(Source: China’s General Administration of Customs, Trade Data Monitor)

US-China trade war saga

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of up to 145 per cent on select Chinese goods, including mobile phones and electronics, aiming to “protect American industry” and correct trade imbalances. However, analysts argue the levies are disrupting global tech supply chains, raising costs for US consumers, and forcing companies to rethink manufacturing strategies.

According to Bloomberg, investors fear this new wave of tariffs could reignite a full-blown global trade war, decimating industries, and triggering inflation across key consumer markets.

In a tit-for-tat response, China has rolled out its own reciprocal tariffs, targeting US exports like liquid petroleum gas, soybeans, gas turbines, and semiconductor machinery.

These items were among the top American goods exported to China last year.

Meanwhile, high-level trade negotiations in Geneva have hit a wall, with Beijing accusing Washington of sabotaging progress by announcing fresh sanctions on Huawei Technologies Co.’s AI chip units, just as the talks were underway.

Both sides have agreed to a 90-day pause on new tariffs, but the underlying tensions remain unresolved. Analysts say the truce may only be “temporary relief, not a breakthrough.”

The stakes are massive. In 2024, US-China bilateral trade totaled $690 billion, with smartphones, laptops, and lithium-ion batteries topping the list of US imports from China, according to Trade Data Monitor. That flow is now under direct threat.

Tariff-led uncertainty is causing companies to hedge their bets—and China’s smartphone export data is one of the clearest signs yet.

India emerges as the big winner

As the US and China clash, India is emerging as a strategic alternative in global electronics manufacturing. Apple Inc. is accelerating its shift of iPhone production to India.

According to China’s General Administration of Customs, the value of smartphone component exports from China to India has roughly quadrupled over the past year.

India now hosts Apple’s largest iPhone production base outside of China, serving as a key assembly hub. More parts are being shipped from China to India, then exported to global markets including the US to bypass tariff penalties.

But Trump has pushed back on this workaround, publicly urging Apple to “bring iPhone manufacturing home.” However, experts point out that iPhones have never been made in the US, and the infrastructure needed for such a shift is still years away.

The 14-year low in smartphone exports signals more than just a trade slowdown, it represents a strategic decoupling in tech.

With tariffs rising, trust fading, and sanctions increasing, the smartphone war could be just the beginning of a broader economic cold war.