If you\u2019ve been following the escapades of Donald Turmp \u2013 hard to do given just how much the 47th President of the United States does and says on a weekly basis \u2013 you may remember that The Trump Organisation announced a new mobile phone called the Trump Mobile T1 <\/b>last June.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Originally slated to release in Q3 2025, it faced multiple delays across the end of last year. But according to Trump Mobile\u2019s X account (which was only just resurrected), shipping began this week, 9 months after schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As with so many products branded with the President\u2019s name, the T1 is characterised by unabashed \u2018America First\u2019 marketing. That the phone is \u201cMade in the USA\u201d, however, is no longer being claimed by Trump Mobile, with that phrasing being expunged from the Trump Mobile website.<\/p>\n
Instead, the language has pivoted to the more abstract \u201cdesigned with American values in mind\u201d and \u201cshaped by American innovation\u201d phrases.<\/p>\n The Trump Mobile T1 looks suspiciously like 2024\u2019s HTC U24 Pro.<\/p>\n Image: HTC<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n That \u201cAmerican innovation\u201d apparently takes the form of a re-badged HTC U24 Pro<\/b>, according to separate reports by The Verge and NBC News.\u00a0<\/p>\n In our previous coverage of the T1, we noted that, purely based on the provided renders and the specs given, there were not enough clues to guess which OEM manufacturer the phone came from. With physical units surfacing since then, some key changes, including an updated design and the addition of an ultrawide camera, has made the resemblance uncanny.<\/p>\n The rest of the main specs \u2013 a 6.8-inch 1290Hz AMOLED screen, 5000mAh battery, 50MP main camera and, 3.5mm headphone jack \u2013 remain unchanged.<\/p>\n We shouldn\u2019t have to tell you that HTC is a Taiwanese company, as readers will surely be familiar with the fallen giant. It\u2019s important to note, though, that the U24 Pro is approaching two years in age, having been released in June 2024.<\/p>\n As pointed out by The Verge, the number of stripes on the American flag on the T1\u2019s back is also erroneous; 11 instead of 13.<\/p>\n Screenshot: Trump Mobile X account.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n NBC\u2019s report did state that the T1\u2019s box had an \u201cAssembled in USA\u201d label, which is legally distinct from being \u201cMade in USA\u201d in the eyes of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While the latter requires parts to have been sourced from, and assembly to have occurred, in America, an \u201cassembled in\u201d label implies that the product can contain foreign parts, but assembly must have substantially taken place in the USA.<\/p>\n Legal semantics aside, time will tell if consumers actually get their hands on these. Certain members of the media have already gotten their hands on review units, so there have been at least a few T1s manufactured so far, wherever that manufacturing took place.<\/p>\n The Trump Mobile T1 has a promotional price of US$499 <\/b>(~S$639), and was announced alongside The 47 Plan, a US$47.45\/month<\/b> (~S$61\/month) 5G plan, with variants meant for families, as well as veterans and active-duty members of the US military.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re morbidly curious about whether you can get your hands on a T1 in Singapore, don\u2019t even bother. Despite the fact that it\u2019s already shipping, you\u2019ll have to join a waitlist to get the phone. Even then, the website requires IMEI verification before it lets you get to the next step. It\u2019s quite obvious, anyway, that the phone was only designed for Americans, despite questions surrounding whether it\u2019s being made in the USA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n