[TECH AND FINANCIAL]
The Trump Organization launched its own Trump Mobile phone service and a gold-colored $499 T1 Phone on June 16, and while we often see new whitelabeled phone services or phones themed after influential people, this announcement leaves a lot of unanswered questions that you normally should know the answers to before buying a phone plan and a new device.
Trump Mobile’s T1 Phone, and every way it’s misspelled
Starting with the T1 phone itself, the new device was announced with a specs list that didn’t make sense. While there has been a revision of the phone’s product page, there are still key details that are missing. A phone’s processor is one of its key selling points, but at launch under the “Processor & RAM” on the Trump Mobile site, a processor wasn’t listed at all. The processor remains unlisted, but the corresponding column on that page now uses it to state its gold color. After originally claiming 12GB of RAM, that spec has disappeared. But it will have 256GB of internal storage that is expandable with a microSD card slot. There’s no such thing as a “Punch-Hole AMOLED” display, but it appears that’s what Trump Mobile’s website refers to as the space for the front-facing camera. That display is apparently either 6.8 inches or 6.78 — who’s to say? And the “5,000mAh long life camera” originally listed — which probably should have referenced a battery — has since been corrected to reflect a 5,000-mAh battery with a 20-watt charging speed.
In terms of specs that were better spelled out at launch, the phone runs on Android 15, has an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and includes a headphone jack. It will have a 50-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a single 16-megapixel selfie camera around the front.
There’s no reference to where the phone is ***embled, although the main Trump Mobile site exclaims, “it’s proudly made right here in the USA.” That’s particularly eye-opening given that this type of phone — no manufacturer is named — is not currently manufactured anywhere in the US. If it does turn out to be a phone made outside the US, the constantly fluctuating US tariffs are expected to increase the cost of electronics. (Analyst Max Weinbach did some sleuthing and thinks the phone is actually the Chinese-made Wingtech REVVL 7 Pro 5G, which you can buy for $169.) For reference, the only other phone currently manufactured in the US appears to be the Liberty Phone, which is $1,999 and comes with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage.
If you’re wondering when the release date is, good luck getting a straight answer. It’s either “Coming Soon” in August or September, depending on whether you’re looking at the press release or the website, respectively. And if you do buy it, hopefully you’ll love it, because, according to the terms, “All sales are final and non-refundable” unless otherwise determined on a case-by-case basis. To preorder a T1 Phone costs $100 (or less, if the ordering system is working).
I have to level with you: I wouldn’t give a company $500 if it can’t even list the most basic product information correctly on a page that was clearly thrown together hastily — much less without any sort of refund policy.
The Pixel 9A costs the same as the T1 Phone, is available now and is likely a better device for your needs.
Better deals than Trump Mobile and the T1 Phone
There are many better phones that cost $500 or less, and cellphone providers are offering unlimited data plans for less than $47.45.
If you need a phone for $500, Google’s $499 Pixel 9A includes seven years of software support, comes in nice colors like Iris purple, works with nearly every carrier (likely including Trump Mobile) and is available for sale here and now. It runs on a Google Tensor G4 processor. Motorola’s Moto G and Samsung’s Galaxy A lines also provide lots of options for even less money.
On the mobile network side, the sky’s almost the limit when it comes to value-oriented carriers. Verizon’s Visible, T-Mobile’s Mint Mobile and AT&T’s Cricket offer plans that are as low as $25 a month for comparable unlimited benefits. And if you want to break away from the big three carriers, Dish’s Boost Mobile has been building out a new fourth network that’s using price to draw in new customers.
There are just so many options for buying a phone and mobile service that put a better foot forward. And with a selling point primarily based around Trump’s fans, it’s quite possible that someone’s going to sign up for a service and a phone for fandom rather than actually getting a good deal. And even worse, no refunds either.
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