Everything We Know About Trump Mobile and the ‘Impossible’ T1 Phone

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What is Trump Mobile service?

According to the press release, it’s “a transformational, new cellular service designed to deliver top-tier connectivity, unbeatable value and all-American service for our nation’s hardest-working people.”

What does that actually mean? Trump Mobile is a mobile virtual-network operator, or MVNO. As Tom’s Guide explains:

MVNOs are carriers that don’t have their own wireless network; instead, they piggyback off another carrier’s platform for coverage through their cell phone plans. That translates to benefits for you such as lower costs, though you might experience slower traffic when parent networks prioritize their own customers over MVNO subscribers.

While you might not have heard the term, millions of Americans already get their cell service through MVNOs such as Mint Mobile or Cricket Wireless.

The Trump Mobile website says it’s the “same coverage as the 3 nationwide phone service carriers.” Presumably this refers to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, the three main carriers that run their own networks in the U.S. It’s unclear if this line is meant to express that nearly all MVNOs run off these three networks, or that Trump Mobile has struck deals with these providers.

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So the Trump Organization is creating a phone service that piggybacks off other networks?

It’s unclear if they’re even doing that. They’re probably just licensing the Trump name to an existing MVNO, the same way they collect a fee for slapping “Trump” on various other products, from Bibles to sneakers.

The press release ends with this disclaimer:

Trump Mobile, its products and services are not designed, developed, manufactured, distributed or sold by The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. T1 Mobile LLC uses the “Trump” name and trademark pursuant to the terms of a limited license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.

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What is Liberty Mobile Wireless?

That might be the MVNO that’s being rebranded as Trump Mobile. The terms-of-use page on the Trump Mobile website says it’s “powered by Liberty Mobile Wireless LLC.” Wired noticed the entire Trump Mobile “Unauthorized Use of Plans With Unlimited Services” section is copied verbatim from Liberty Mobile’s terms of use.

However, as Wired explained, it’s possible that Trump Mobile just “borrowed” website content from Liberty and another MVNO, Ultra Mobile:

It’s all extremely unclear right now what you’ll actually be getting from Trump Mobile. Liberty Mobile appears to only offer 4G LTE connectivity at best, so if that is Trump Mobile’s sole provider, as stated in its terms of use, it’s unclear whether it can live up to its claims of 5G speeds. It’s also possible that Liberty Mobile is an innocent bystander here, and Trump Mobile just borrowed its terms-of-use section.

Confusing things even further, Trump Mobile’s coverage map appears to be an embed of the coverage map created by Ultra Mobile, an MVNO that’s owned by T-Mobile and runs on T-Mobile’s 5G network.

Liberty Mobile did not respond to a request for comment, and the company’s FAQ page comprises only placeholder text. Ultra Mobile did not respond to a request for comment.

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How much does Trump Mobile cost?

It costs $47.45 per month. As NBC News noted, this may not be a very good deal:

By comparison, Boost Mobile and Verizon’s Visible offer similar unlimited service for $25 per month. T-Mobile and Spectrum offer unlimited plans for $30.

Though Trump Mobile does come with additional benefits.

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What other services come with Trump Mobile?

The mobile service comes with three perks — which, naturally, are operated by third-party providers, not the Trump Organization. There’s device protection from Omega Mobile Care, roadside assistance from Driven Solutions Inc., and telehealth from Doctegrity.

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What is the T1 phone?

Trump Mobile is “Bring Your Own Phone,” as the website puts it. You can use the cell service with any device.

But for those who want to prove their devotion to the MAGA cause, or perhaps experience the thrill of throwing away $499 on a mystery device, the Trump Organization is also releasing a gold-colored smartphone called the “T1.”

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What does the T1 phone look like?

It seems no one knows, including the Trump Organization. The website shows this image, which clearly does not depict a real phone. The home button is a drawn-on circle with some random dots, the camera lenses are weirdly spaced, and the volume and power rockers are shown in the front view but not the rear.

Trump Mobile doesn’t even show this rendering on its social feeds. Instead, the service is advertised with what appears to be a white iPhone with the Apple logo digitally swapped for some Trump branding.

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What are the T1 phone’s specs?

In a word, mysterious! This is what was originally listed under “key features”:

Model: T1 Phone 8002 (gold version)

6.8”(6.78”)Punch Hole AMOLED screen

120 Hz refresh rate

50MP Main Camera

5000mAh long life battery

Fingerprint sensor and AI Face Unlock

On launch, this section also said the phone comes with a “5000mAh long life camera,” which was apparently a typo.

By June 26, the specs had been tweak to this, with no explanation:

Model: T1TM Phone 8002 (gold version)

6.25 inch Punch Hole AMOLED screen

120 Hz refresh rate

50MP Main Camera

5000mAh battery / 20W PD

Fingerprint sensor and AI Face Unlock

The page still does not say anything about the phone’s processor, though that’s a tad more important than the fact that it comes with an old-school 3.5-mm. headphone jack.

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Is the T1 phone really made in America?

In any meaningful sense? Almost certainly not.

The press release said the phone is “proudly designed and built in the United States,” and both Eric and Don Jr. repeated this claim several times during the rollout.

“Making phones in America,” Eric said. “It’s about time we bring products back to our great country, and it’s about time we disrupt this space.”

But while Trump recently demanded that Apple start making iPhones in America to avoid his tariffs, that would be a lengthy and difficult process that would likely lead to $3,500 iPhones. As Apple Insider noted, the T1 includes several parts that aren’t currently manufactured in the U.S.:

Clad in a gold-colored casing, the T1 is said to have a 6.8-inch Punch-Hole AMOLED display, with an under-screen fingerprint sensor and an “AI Face Unlock.”

All of these parts will need to be imported for the phone. There are no domestic AMOLED display manufacturers, and the VCSEL used for face unlock technologies is also produced overseas.

Weeks after the announcement, the Trump Mobile site was quietly edited to remove promises that the phone would be made in America. The Verge was reported the change on June 25:

Instead, the Trump Mobile website now includes what can only be described as vague, pro-American gestures in the direction of smartphone manufacturing. The T1’s new tagline is “Premium Performance. Proudly American.” Its website says the device is “designed with American values in mind” and there are “American hands behind every device.” Under Key Features, the first thing listed is “American-Proud Design.” None of this indicates, well, anything. It certainly doesn’t say the device is made in the USA, or even designed in the USA. There are just… some hands. In America.

However, a day later, a Trump Mobile spokesperson insisted to CNN the phones will be “proudly” made in America:

Despite changed language on the site, a spokesperson for Trump Mobile told CNN that “the T1 phones are proudly being made in America.”

“Speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate,” the statement said.

Regardless of the current phrasing, this much is clear: Some steps in the T1’s production process might take place in the U.S., but the Trump boys certainly aren’t building an American factory that makes semiconductor laser diodes for use in their junky phone in the next few months.

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Is the T1 actually a REVVL 7 Pro 5G?

Maybe! Hours after the launch, the Verge’s David Pierce pronounced the device described by the Trump Organization “impossible,” noting that it lists a confusing combination of old and new features, all of which are made in China:

Where things get especially strange, though, is its supposed combination of Android 15, 5G, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. In many ways, these are opposing specs: Android 15 is generally only available on very recent devices, many cheap phones still don’t support 5G, and almost every phone maker has stopped including headphone jacks with their devices in the last few years. There are a few that have both, but modern phones with a headphone jack are few and far between. And pretty much all made in China.

Later, analyst Max Weinbach pointed out the T1 seemed to have similar specs to the Wingtech REVVL 7 Pro 5G (which, indeed, is made in China):

Apple Insider theorized the T1 will be a REVVL 7 Pro 5G in a new gold enclosure, with the price marked up:

The T1 appears to be a reskinned version of the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, in a new enclosure and with slightly moved around cameras. This smartphone normally costs $250 at full retail, and even goes down to $169 on sale like it is on Amazon right now.

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What is the release date for the T1 phone?

Like just about everything else involving Trump Mobile, this is unclear. The press release said, “Trump Mobile is also excited to announce it will release the ‘T1 Phone’ in August.” But the website initially said, “The ‘T1SM Phone’ will be available in September 2025.” By the end of June, the only reference to timing on the website was “later this year,” per The Verge.

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Why are the Trumps doing this?

From a business perspective, no one really knows. One expert told Fast Company that getting into MVNOs right now is odd:

Horace Dediu, an independent smartphone industry analyst, is similarly unconvinced. “It’s a bit of a throwback to a thing that was popular 10 or 15 years ago,” he says. “It’s kind of a marketing idea above all.” Trump Mobile would be an MVNO—a mobile virtual network operator—which, at present, doesn’t own any of its own infrastructure. That may be intentional, considering the risks involved. “The puzzle to me is why are they resurrecting this idea from, like, 10 years ago and trying to milk a little bit of extra money out of this,” Dediu says.

Dediu seemed even more stumped on why the Trumps are launching a phone. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban floated the idea that the device is really about crypto fees:

Why are the Trumps doing this, in a philosophical sense? Probably because grifting is just in a Trump’s nature.

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Can I at least get a refund?

Companies will often offer a money-back guarantee if they’re selling a product that’s not sold in stores or that sounds a bit too good to be true. But that’s not how the Trump Organization rolls.

The Trump Mobile terms of use clearly state that all products and services are final sale:

UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED ON THE TRUMPSM MOBILE SERVICES AND/OR IN THESE TERMS, OR AS OTHERWISE DETERMINED BY US IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS, ALL SALES ARE FINAL AND NON-REFUNDABLE.

To be fair, at this point, everyone who buys Trump should know there’s a decent chance they’ll wind up losing money on a shoddy product that says “RUMP.”

This post has been updated.