A new report shines some light on the Trump T1 Phone that supposedly has generated 590,000 pre-orders, each reserved with a $100 payment. This fresh look at the device comes not terribly long after Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and 10 other Democrats asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Trump Mobile for collecting $59 million in pre-order revenue starting last June. Originally scheduled to ship in August or September, the phone has been delayed and is now supposedly going to be released later this year.
The Verge had ordered a Trump T1 Phone and recently spoke with two Trump Mobile executives, Don Hendrickson and Eric Thomas, via a video call. During the video call, the executives showed off the Trump T1 Phone, which does look different than the picture of the phone on the Trump Mobile ordering page. The phone has a new rear camera design with a vertical camera array along the left side of the rear panel. Previous images of the phone, and the one on the Trump Mobile website, showed a handset sporting a rear camera setup that resembles the one on iPhone Pro models up to the iPhone 16.
Trump Mobile executive shows off the Trump T1 Phone in a video call
Those who previously paid $100 to pre-order the device will be charged a total of $499 for the phone ($100 pre-order plus $399). However, those pre-ordering the phone now will have to pay more for the handset. The amount of the price hike is unknown at this point, but the new price of the Trump T1 Phone will be under $1,000 according to the executives. That means that it could end up with a price tag as high as $999.
Trump Mobile executive holds up the Trump T1 Phone during a video call. | Image credit-The Verge
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The device now carries a larger 6.8-inch display and has a waterfall design with curved edges. It will be powered by an application processor in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7-series. The Trump T1 Phone will be equipped with 512GB of storage and a 50MP front-facing camera. While the final version of the phone will keep the image of the American flag, the T1 logo on the rear will be removed. The Trump Mobile executives added that the phone has been delayed because the company wanted to skip the "first initial entry-level phone that we were going to kind of introduce and be quick to the market."
The new report calls into question the current specs listed on the website, which still shows the older image of the phone and lists the old $499 price. Those specs called for the phone to feature a 6.25-inch punch-hole OLED display, a 50MP rear main camera with a 2MP Depth sensor and a 2MP Macro lens, a 16MP front-facing camera, both facial unlock and a fingerprint sensor, a 5000mAh battery, and 256MB of expandable storage. At this point, I'd wait for an official announcement from Trump Mobile before taking any specs at face value.
Only a small part of the phone's assembly will be handled in the United States
When first announced, one of the selling points of the Trump T1 Phone for certain buyers was the phone's assembly in the United States. However, the claim that the device will be "proudly designed and built in the United States" is not the case. Most of the phone's assembly will be handled overseas with the final assembly of the device to take place in Miami, Florida.
Did we see the real Trump T1 Phone today?
Putting politics aside, as a phone enthusiast (well, maybe 'phone nerd' is a better choice of words), it is always great to see a new phone brand hit the market (even if the phone itself is a rebranded Asian model, which seems likely). It's too bad that the team behind the phone couldn't stick to the original lower priced model. There are still some questions that we'd love to get answered about Android updates.
The Trump T1 Phone will launch with Android 15 installed. Trump Mobile executives Hendrickson and Thomas said that they will keep the phone secure, but they did not commit to monthly or quarterly updates. And in an era where a new Pixel or Galaxy phone can receive seven years of system and security updates, we have no idea what the game plan is for the Trump T1 Phone.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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