Trump Mobile is real, official, and launching with a first-of-a-kind T1 Phone soon
The Trump Organization is making a phone and launching it on the Trump Mobile carrier soon, although it's not clear why.
What initially seemed like a joke even though it was clearly not is now already official and thus totally not a joke. As preposterous as it may still sound to the most tech-savvy ears (and even to many casual mobile industry followers), the President of the United States is putting his name on both a smartphone and a "bold new wireless service."
Oddly enough, the latter is called Trump Mobile and the former the T1 Phone instead of the other way around, as I originally assumed based on the trademark applications filed by DTTM Operations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last week.
More importantly, the official press release detailing these surprising new products on The Trump Organization website is currently down (as is the entire website), which highlights the immense (global) interest generated by the announcement while strongly suggesting maybe, just maybe the conglomerate behind such hits as Trump Steaks and The Trump Network will not be able to properly handle said interest.
Is the T1 Phone any good?
That's obviously impossible to say based on a single product image that most likely doesn't depict an actual working handset and a bunch of specs that have become quite commonplace in the sub-$300 and even sub-$200 market segments (some of which were hilariously misspelled in the original announcement according to The Verge).
We're talking 12GB RAM (hey, not bad!), 256 gigs of internal storage space, microSD support for easily boosting that number, 5,000mAh battery capacity, and a 6.78-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate technology. Before you get too excited and start throwing money at your current phone's screen, you might want to note that this thing will apparently cost $499... with a triple rear-facing camera system composed of a 50MP primary snapper, a 2MP secondary macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
That's definitely not a great value proposition, and it's also not very encouraging that we have no idea what processor the T1 Phone will use... if it ever actually ships to customers. In theory, you can secure yourself an early copy with a $100 deposit today... if the Trump.com website recovers. Be warned, though, that deliveries are only scheduled to begin in August or September (the conflicting information comes directly from the company), and your wireless service will be "powered" by Liberty Mobile.
Wait, what about Trump Mobile?
Oh, that. Well, you didn't really think that Trump had any intention to start a new carrier from scratch to compete against Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, now, did you?
Instead of that, what you're dealing with here is little else than a rebrand of an existing mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses the T-Mobile network. Of course, Liberty is a much smaller player in this landscape than the likes of Metro by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile, Boost, Xfinity, or Google Fi, but due to its name, I'm going to guess it was the Trump Organization's first choice for a partner in this unexpected enterprise.
Unfortunately, the only Trump Mobile plan that will be available to pair with your T1 Phone at launch is priced at a rather obscene $47.45 a month, although after spending $99 for a Trump NFT, $299 for some limited-edition Trump Sneakers, at least $499 for a Trump Watch, and god knows how much on the $TRUMP meme coin in the last few years alone, many of you might consider this an absolute bargain. Okay, some of you. A very small minority of you.
Oh, I almost forgot. The T1 Phone will be made in the USA. Allegedly. Maybe. Not likely.
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