President Donald Trump said Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has voiced concerns about chief competitor Samsung Electronics getting an edge because its products, unlike Apple’s, will not be subject to tariffs when imported by the US Cook and Trump had dinner on Friday night, while the president was at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump described the conversation to reporters as he prepared to travel back to Washington. Most of Apple’s products are due to be hit with 10 per cent tariffs in the next weeks or months. Levies on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple laptops have been pushed back to December 15, but the tariff hit on the Apple Watch, AirPods, and many accessories is still planned for September 1. Trump said Cook made a “good case” about the difficulty in competing with Samsung if Apple products are subject to import tariffs. “I thought he made a very compelling argument.” Apple will be hit by tariffs because it makes most its devices in China before importing them to the US and other parts of the world. Apple’s performance recovers in China as global iPhone sales fall Samsung, however, builds its products across several countries, including Vietnam and South Korea in addition to China. That means their tariff impact will be far less than the impact to Cupertino, California-based Apple. “It’s tough for Apple to pay tariffs if it’s competing with a very good company that is not,” Trump said. Apple needs to incorporate the cost of tariffs into the cost of goods, while Samsung currently will not, putting Apple at a competitive disadvantage. Samsung is launching its latest device, the Note 10, later this month, while Apple is planning upgrades to the Apple Watch, iPhone, and its computers for later this year. For more insights into China tech, join our Facebook group , subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast , and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report . Also roam China Tech City , an interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.