- Trump Mobile’s T1 phone is still delayed
- It may ship by March
- But testing and certification results could delay it again
The Trump Mobile T1 phone, that oddball Android 15 device that inexplicably still has a 3.5mm headphone jack, may finally arrive in customers’ hands in March. This, according to a Trump Mobile customer service representative contacted by TechRadar.
That’s months later than was originally promised, and it’s also not guaranteed. The same rep told us that the $499 phone is in the final stages of certification and field testing. The ship date is based on it passing those tests and achieving that certification, which likely means, at the very least, FCC licenses for use in the US.
The news follows an already somewhat checkered past for the Trump Mobile T1 phone. It was initially promised that it would be made in the USA. However, practical considerations, like the fact that the majority of smartphone components are still made outside the US, made this virtually impossible.
The site quietly changed the language to: “American-Proud Design: The T1SM Phone isn’t just powerful—it’s brought to life right here in the USA. With American hands behind every device, we bring care, precision, and trusted quality to every detail.”
That kind of fuzzy language skirts actual development, components, and even building, but manages to put the US at the center of the operation.
Back in June, Trump Mobile started collecting $100 per rose gold handset for preorders, but since then, it has been silent on its development and delivery. The carrier is apparently selling its “The 47 Plan” cell service, which can be used on other smartphones like the renewed Samsung Galaxy S24 and the renewed iPhone 14 or iPhone 15, currently on sale through the site.
By the time the 6.25-inch T1 does ship, it will be just a few months before Google unveils what is expected to be Android 17. An Android 15 T1 might soon seem like an antique. With so little information about the components, especially the mobile CPU, it’s unclear how well the T1 will support Android 17. There’s also no indication that it will have any AI capabilities.
Analysis: A bigly problem?
If and when the T1 does ship, it could be met with a big, “meh.” When we’ve asked on social media about the phone, we’ve received little response. This is no iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel. Its chief appeal might be if you really like faux gold or are a fan of the current US President. In fact, this may be the first phone that has a required alignment with a particular political ideology.
Smartphones are generally not political devices, even if the machinations behind the components and rare-earth minerals required to create them can sometimes be so (see a certain someone’s pursuit of Greenland). So, the T1 is an unusual smartphone that may be hamstrung in the US, where a large portion of the possible market will dismiss it out of hand because of branding and political affiliation.
President Trump is not, by the way, directly affiliated with Trump Mobile, despite the name and his well-known MAGA motto appearing on the phone’s apparent lock screen. Still, if the phone doesn’t ship or, worse, it ships and is a terrible phone, that may reflect on him in some way, anyway.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
