According to a report by Caixin on February 19 (Editor: Ma Lan), US President Trump again escalated the tariff threat on Tuesday, stating that he would announce import tariffs on automobiles on April 2, with a rate of around 25%. In addition to automobiles, Semiconductors and Pharmaceuticals are also on the list of goods subjected to tariffs.

Despite the incessant warnings that tariff increases will exacerbate price pressures on US consumers, Trump has not given up on the tariff plans, insisting that this is the best solution for the US to reclaim trade fairness and justice.

However, the reality may not be so. In a recent interview, Acer's CEO Chen Junsheng stated that starting from March 2025, Acer laptops will increase by 10% in the US market, which is a direct consequence of the upcoming tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

Chen Junsheng pointed out that Acer has to adjust the final market price to reflect the results of the tariffs, and due to the increase in import taxes, a 10% price increase is an inevitable outcome.

Acer's most high-end laptop is the Predator Triton 17-inch gaming laptop, which sells for $3,799 in the US, meaning that the price of this laptop will rise to $4,178 next month. Acer did not specify whether the overall price increase includes products already on sale, but the market expects that with the arrival of another batch of goods, price increases for inventory products are almost unavoidable.

Price increase signals have sounded.

The Consumer Technology Association states that currently 80% of laptops imported into the US come from China, and Trump's new tariffs could cost US consumers $143 billion. Meanwhile, the probability of benefits for US industries is negligible, with domestic laptop production expected to only increase by 8%, while prices may rise by 45%.

Acer is the first large laptop manufacturer to announce a price increase due to Trump's tariffs, but the industry believes it will not be the last. Dell, HP Inc, ASUS, and Other computer manufacturers are also manufacturing globally, with most located in the China market.

Laptop suppliers may be able to avoid tariffs by manufacturing domestically in the USA, but this has already been tested during Trump's first term. It has been proven that transferring the entire production process is not so easy and is unlikely to have results in a short period, meaning USA consumers will bear higher prices for a considerable amount of time.

A senior supply chain Analyst further pointed out that the USA's proposal to impose a 100% tariff on Semiconductors may also mean that companies such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Apple will face pricing challenges.

He added that although the USA government is urging Taiwan Semiconductor and Intel to strengthen domestic manufacturing, the industry is influenced by the Global supply chain, and the lack of overseas manufacturing will impose additional cost burdens on the entire Industry.