A discernible gap has slowly taken hold in the bustling marketplaces in Karachi and Lahore, which boasted swanky stalls that were once displaying rows of the latest phones in bright light fixtures. The once popular iPhone, the device that was considered a symbol of high-tech prestige and aspired to the future, is now an unattainable goal for the vast majority of Pakistanis. This isn’t just a story of the economic struggles within the nation. This is a more complicated story, which is interspersed through the web of trade wars on international markets and political manoeuvrings, and the lasting consequences of the policies taken by the previous U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
In 2025, amid a broader plan to aggressively recalibrate America’s global trade relationships, the Trump administration slapped a sweeping 29% tariff on imports from Pakistan. It wasn’t exactly headline news in the U.S., overshadowed by bigger fights with China and Europe, but for Pakistan, it landed like a thunderclap. A nation heavily dependent on the export of textiles and struggling with deficits in its fiscal budget was squeezed further. The ripples of this change went beyond the borders of freight and factories – they trickled into daily living. Then, consumer things, including high-end products such as iPhones, began to become prohibitively pricey for the typical buyer.
Pakistan didn’t respond to the attack and smirked. In a swift retaliation, Islamabad introduced a 58 percent tax on U.S. goods, escalating the already tenuous relations between the two nations. Even though trade wars of this kind generally take place in far areas of power, the actual impact of trade wars is felt by the customers. And in Pakistan, that meant smartphones—especially iPhones—became even more unattainable.
These geopolitical chess moves didn’t exist in a vacuum. Domestically, Pakistan was under its economic microscope. In a bid to secure a $6 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government agreed to implement stringent fiscal reforms. Among them was the introduction of a flat 17% sales tax on a wide range of imported items, including mobile phones. Worse still, imported devices valued above $200 were slapped with hefty fixed duties. For instance, phones priced between $200 and $350 attracted a tax of Rs14,661 plus the sales tax, while models above $ 500—like many iPhones—were burdened with a whopping Rs37,007 duty, in addition to the 17% levy.
It doesn’t take an economist to predict what will happen next. Prices shot through the roof. An iPhone 11 Pro Max, which once retailed for around Rs165,000—a steep but still aspirational price for many upper-middle-class buyers—now hovered around Rs230,000 after taxes. The dream of holding an iPhone slipped further and further away from the average consumer, creating a divide between the few who could still afford it and the majority who turned to more budget-friendly alternatives.
It’s an interesting fact that this occurrence triggered a swift move towards the local production of mobiles. As import prices soared, Pakistan pivoted toward assembling phones locally. At the time of 2021, Pakistan had manufactured an unprecedented 24.66 million mobile phones in the country, exceeding imports for only the second time. Brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, and Vivo saw an opportunity and began setting up local assembly plants, capitalizing on government incentives aimed at promoting “Made in Pakistan” products.
Samsung, notably, took a leading role, producing nearly 80% of locally assembled phones. The company’s success proved that when policies match market demand, an emerging economy can create a thriving manufacturing industry. Smartphones made locally now grace the shelves, where iPhones were once the most popular, affordable, easily accessible, and proudly made in Pakistan.
Yet, Apple’s iconic iPhones remain conspicuously absent from this local success story. Industry insiders point to the relatively low volume of iPhone sales in Pakistan—estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 units monthly—as insufficient to justify the investment needed for local assembly. More critically, Pakistan lacks the sophisticated ecosystem required to support the manufacturing of premium, high-tech devices. Producing an iPhone isn’t just about assembling parts; it requires a highly specialized supply chain, precision engineering, and a massive logistical network—none of which currently exist at scale within Pakistan’s borders.
Meanwhile, Apple itself is adapting to the new realities of global trade. To sidestep the impact of U.S.-China trade tensions and the associated tariffs that once wiped out an estimated $700 billion in Apple’s market value, the tech giant has shifted significant chunks of its iPhone production to India. By the end of 2026, Apple plans to manufacture all iPhones destined for the U.S. market within India. It’s a strategic pivot that reconfigures global supply chains and makes countries like Pakistan peripheral to Apple’s broader strategy.
For Pakistani consumers, this convergence of events–Trump’s tariffs during the Trump era, national tax reforms, and the Apple manufacturing shift means that the iPhone continues to slide further away from access. It’s no longer just an expensive gadget; it’s an emblem of broader geopolitical and economic forces reshaping what global products are available and at what cost to everyday people in emerging economies.
The emotional resonance of this shift shouldn’t be underestimated. In Pakistan, owning an iPhone once carried significant social capital. It was a mark of accomplishment, a non-descript yet powerful symbol of modernity, aspiration, ambition, and global connectivity. In the present, this symbolism is as it was, but the device itself is something that people long to admire, by those who see it; however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.
The shortage of iPhones is a daily reminder of how intertwined the globe is as Pakistan struggles to manage its economic challenges, juggling IMF requirements with domestic demands and fostering local industry while maintaining connections to international markets. A policy decision made in Washington can have far-reaching effects, changing the options accessible to people in Karachi or Lahore daily.
At the end of the day, “iPhones Are Now a Distant Dream in Pakistan” isn’t only a headline that grabs attention, it’s also an indication of how the economy, politics, and the consumer experience are interwoven. The device may appear small enough to fit in one hand, but the truth is not easy.