The Nightmare of Trump’s Mobile T1 Phone

The Trump Phone T1 has finally started rolling out to customers in the United States. However, for a family with a reputation for high-profile business dealings, this release seems to be less than impressive.

After experiencing long delays and rumors of cancellations, the ‘Trump Mobile T1 Phone’ has become a reality. Yet, there is no concrete evidence that anyone outside of journalists and content creators has actually received the phone.

Repair experts at iFixit reached out to NBC to obtain their own unit and promptly disassembled it. The process confirmed what many had suspected: it is essentially a replica of the HTC U24 Pro.

The HTC U24 Pro, manufactured by a Taiwanese company using Chinese components, allegedly has the T1 “assembled” in the US, with its slightly larger battery purportedly made in the Philippines.

The only discernible differences are a slightly altered chipset, unlikely to provide a significant performance boost, and minor modifications to the speaker grille, flash, and design. Notably, the flag decal on the phone’s back is missing two of its 13 stripes, and it comes preloaded with the president’s Truth Social app.

At Tech Advisor, our focus is on reviewing mobile phones. Having previously reviewed the HTC U24 Pro upon its launch, it is evident that the Trump Phone T1 may not offer the value its supporters claim. Here’s why.

It’s already out of date

In the rapidly evolving world of mobile technology, the HTC U24 Pro appears outdated.

The foundation of the Trump Phone T1, the HTC U24 Pro, entered the market on June 12, 2024 – nearly two years ago.

Even accounting for the delayed release of the Trump Phone T1, the phone’s aging origins are clear.

It wasn’t a stellar performer, even at the time

Many two-year-old phones pale in comparison to current offerings. Notably, our review of the HTC U24 Pro at its launch was less than glowing, with a rating of 2.5 out of 5.

Contributor Martyn Casserly found the phone “hard to recommend” over its mid-range competitors. Equipped with a modest Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, the HTC U24 Pro fell short of flagship devices like the OnePlus Nord 4 and Google Pixel 8a.

While we appreciated the phone’s design, cameras, and storage capacity, the numerous launch bugs that affected the HTC U24 Pro shouldn’t necessarily be attributed to the Trump Phone T1 two years later.

It’s being sold at more or less the same price

Priced at $499, the Trump Phone T1 faces a challenge in terms of value, as the HTC U24 Pro was never officially released in the US market.

However, the HTC U24 Pro could be imported through various channels, with Walmart listing it at $549.99 for the 512GB variant.

It’s apparent that the Trump Phone T1 is being launched at a similar price point to what the HTC U24 Pro commanded in mid-2024.

Comparatively, Google faced criticism for re-releasing the previous year’s model as the Pixel 10a. By essentially repackaging the Pixel 9a at the same price, Google received mixed reviews. Similarly, the attempt to rebrand a two-year-old phone as a new release may not sit well with consumers.