– The Trump T1 Phone is effectively a rebranded 2024 HTC U24 Pro with minor component swaps.
– Claims of U.S. manufacturing were dropped; “American values” marketing contradicts the phone’s Chinese-sourced parts.
– iFixit found the phone works with an HTC U24 Pro mainboard installed, confirming identical internals.
– Battery capacity increased 12%, but charging speed halved from 60W to 30W.
– Low repairability score of 3/10; real U.S.-made alternatives like the Purism Liberty Phone cost $1,999.
New Details on the Trump T1 Phone
The Trump T1 Phone was announced back in June 2025. Almost a year and a data protection scandal later, delivery is now said to be imminent. However, Trump Mobile have not only changed the design and specifications of the smartphone several times since the announcement, but the claim that the device would be manufactured in the USA has also been removed from their marketing. Instead, the Trump T1 is suppose to be produced with “American values”.
Rebranded HTC Hardware?
This particular claim is also questionable, as the first teardown of the smartphone shows. iFixit was able to disassemble a sample of the Trump T1 phone, which NBC News received from Trump Mobile. Apart from the gold color and the fake US flag on the back of the device, there is apparently no difference between the Trump T1 Phone and the HTC U24 Pro from 2024. This is not only shown by a CT scan and a direct comparison of the mainboard; the Trump T1 Phone even works if the mainboard from an HTC U24 Pro is installed without any problems.
In detail, the teardown suprisingly shows some differences, which are probably due to component availability, as production of the two-year-old HTC U24 Pro was discontinued a long time ago. For example, Trump Mobile sources the 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM and 512 GB flash memory from Micron instead of SK Hynix, while the battery has a capacity of 19.35 Wh, which is around 12 percent higher, but the actual battery dimensions have remained unchanged.
Battery Specs and Assembly Concerns
While the battery offers a higher capacity for the device, it can only be charged with 30 watts instead of the original 60 watts. Although the Trump T1 Phone is supposed to be assembled here in the USA, iFixit says it is obvious that most of its components come from China. The repair rating of just 3 out of 10 possible points is also below average for most smartphones. For those who actually want a smartphone that is truly manufactured in the USA, there is, for example, the $1,999 Purism Liberty Phone.