Lenovo warns of potential price rises

Chinese vendor says PC, laptop and smartphone prices could rise if further US tariffs come into effect

Lenovo has warned that it will hike the prices of PCs, laptops and smartphones if further US tariffs are implemented.

Earlier this week Donald Trump announced that he would be delaying further 10 per cent tariffs on certain electronic devices - some until September and some until December.

Tablets and laptop computers fall into the December bracket, but desktops will take the hit on 1 September.

Speaking on an earnings call as Lenovo published its quarterly results, CEO Yang Yuanqing confirmed that the Chinese vendor will be forced to raise its prices if the tariffs come in as planned.

"Retail prices for products like PCs and smartphones will increase if (US) tariffs increase," he said, according to Reuters.

The world's biggest PC manufacturer also said that shifting manufacturing from China to avoid tariffs would trigger price rises.

The news dampened Lenovo's positive quarterly numbers, which saw revenue increase five per cent year on year to $12.5bn (£10.3bn) during the three months ending 30 June 2019.

However, the chief exec said that Lenovo's dispersed manufacturing set-up gives it an advantage over its rivals.

"Lenovo has a globally diverse manufacturing footprint," he said.

"We reside in multiple locations around the world, which give us a lot of flexibility compared with our key competitors in that atmosphere."