For years, Apple fans have fantasized about an iPhone proudly stamped with a “Made in USA” label. 
The idea is appealing-high-quality craftsmanship, local jobs, and less reliance on foreign manufacturing. But turning that dream into reality is far from simple.
Right now, around 80% of iPhones are assembled in China, with India and Vietnam sharing the remaining 20%. Their components come from all over the globe: chips from Taiwan, screens from South Korea, and camera modules from Japan. This worldwide supply chain has been in place since the very first iPhone rolled out of Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory in 2007.
The push for US production gained momentum during Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2024, echoing earlier political promises to bring manufacturing back home. His tariffs on Chinese imports, which climbed as high as 145%, fueled speculation about American-made iPhones. In August, Apple announced a $600 billion American Manufacturing Program, aiming to boost US-based production for chips, glass, magnets, and AI components. Sounds promising-but it’s not that simple.
Analysts warn that a fully US-made iPhone could cost up to $3,500. Labor alone would jump from $40 per unit in China to about $200 in the US, and there’s also a shortage of skilled assembly workers. Tim Cook once admitted the US couldn’t fill a football field with the necessary talent-while China easily could. On top of that, the entire global supply chain would have to be rebuilt to operate domestically, a slow and costly process.
Apple’s experiment with the Brazil-made iPhone 16e shows the challenges. While it reduced some tariffs, production still proved more expensive than in China, even with Brazil’s lower labor costs compared to the US.
With some US component factories in the works, like Corning’s glass plant in Kentucky and TSMC’s chip facility in Arizona, partial American production is becoming a reality. But a 100% US-made iPhone remains unlikely in the near future. Until labor costs fall, skills improve, and supply chains shift, the idea will stay more dream than reality.
So, would you pay $3,500 for an American-made iPhone-or are you fine with a globally assembled one, as long as it works flawlessly?