Introduction to the Price Hike

U.S.-based consumers should expect one thing for the future: their tech will become more expensive. The most obvious reason for this is Trump’s tariffs, and already, prices for various products such as TVs, wearables, PC gear, gaming devices, and chargers have increased, demanding more from consumers’ wallets than they did a month ago. Companies have made significant changes in their pricing structures without notifying customers or even mentioning the word "tariffs." While big tech tries to maintain a good relationship with President Donald Trump, the rest of the U.S. will have to bear the cost—literally.

The Impact of Tariffs on Tech Prices

Some tech brands, such as Acer, have explicitly blamed tariffs for the 10% price increase across all their products. Nintendo initially pulled preorders of its Switch 2, citing tariffs, and later raised the price of multiple controllers and accessories after offering a new preorder date. There are many more examples of stealth price gouging. This year’s slate of TVs, such as Sony’s Bravia 8 II, now costs $4,000 at 65 inches, which is $500 more than the previous A95L OLED display from 2023. Samsung’s latest 8K TV, the QN990F, will sell for $6,500 at 75 inches, which is $200 more than last year’s QN900D for the same size.

The Effect on Consumers and Companies

Even when companies are caught raising prices, few will use the "T" word out loud, whether due to concern about consumer reaction or avoiding the ire of America’s chief executive. Retail giant Amazon was recently caught in a political firestorm after it was suggested that the company would display the tariff markup on each impacted product. However, Amazon denied this, stating that the idea was only considered for its Temu and Shein clone, Amazon Haul. The company’s reaction, along with Trump’s, points to one simple fact: products are getting more expensive, and few are willing to say how and why.

Examples of Price Increases

As compiled by YouTuber Cameron Dougherty, PC accessory maker Logitech increased costs on nearly half of its most popular gear, such as the MX Vertical ergonomic mouse and MX Keys S, whose prices both went up by $20. MSI increased the cost of its gaming handhelds, the Claw 7 AI+ and Claw 8 AI+, by $100 to $900 and $1,000, respectively. The price of Logitech’s ergonomic mice, like the Lift, and the MX Vertical, have gone up by 14% and 20%, respectively.

Conclusion

In some cases, prices have gone up by closer to 50%. OnePlus shocked fans of its wearables when it took its OnePlus Watch 3 from the expected $330 to $450. Companies may be waiting to learn if Trump eventually backs down from his trade war, but the damage has already been done. Companies are far less likely to decrease prices to rates before Trump introduced tariffs. Many tech companies, like Apple, have already started to reorganize supply chains, moving manufacturing to India and away from countries harder hit by Trump tariffs. That costs money, and if every company is raising prices in tandem, we can only expect today’s inflated costs to be our new normal.