Donald Trump’s family business has announced a new venture: a made-in-America smartphone called the T1. The gold-colored phone is scheduled for release in August at a price of $499. The Trump Organization claims the phone is “proudly designed and built in the United States.”
However, industry experts are skeptical about the feasibility of producing such a phone quickly in the U.S. Todd Weaver, CEO of Purism, a company known for its secure, privacy-first smartphones, stated, “Producing a fully U.S.-made phone isn’t something you spin up overnight.”
The Trump Organization hasn’t disclosed which company will manufacture the T1 or where it will be produced.
The phone will run on Google’s Android operating system and feature a fingerprint sensor, facial recognition, and a 6.8-inch screen. However, the product page contains errors, such as a “5000mAh long life camera” and “12GB Ram storage.”
Wayne Lam, an analyst with TechInsights, commented that the phone’s specifications are “underwhelming” compared to higher-end devices like Apple’s iPhone. Major companies have largely moved their manufacturing to Asia, where costs are lower and skilled labor is more accessible.
Eric Trump hinted in an interview that the T1 might initially be made overseas.
Trump’s ambitious smartphone venture
“Eventually, all the phones will be built in the United States of America,” he said, emphasizing the goal of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.
In addition to the phone, Trump will also lend his name to a wireless service priced at $47.45 per month, offering up to 20 GB of data.
The Trump Organization did not reveal the partners behind the wireless service or device, but the terms of use mention Liberty Mobile Wireless, a virtual carrier using other companies’ networks. Ross Rubin, an analyst with Reticle Research, noted that Trump Mobile’s wireless service is more expensive than comparable plans from carriers like T-Mobile’s Metro and Verizon’s Total. He added that some of these carriers offer free phones to new customers, which could present another challenge for Trump Mobile.
Weaver pointed out complications regarding the claim that the product is made in the USA. The Federal Trade Commission has strict rules about marketing products as homegrown. “Unless the Trump family secretly built out a secure, onshore or nearshore fab operation over years of work without anyone noticing, it’s simply not possible to deliver what they’re promising,” he said.