The Trump Phone Has Yet to Arrive
Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep the conversation going every week. As usual, we’ve reached out to inquire about the status of the Trump phone. It’s been over a week since Trump Mobile announced that phones would “start shipping this week.”
Last week, Trump Mobile claimed that the T1 Phone was set to begin shipping by the end of the week. Now, nearly two weeks later, there’s no evidence that this has actually occurred — and the company still hasn’t shipped either of the two phones we ordered.
Depending on your news source, you might think the phone has launched: it’s “here” according to one outlet, has “finally released” according to another, and is now “shipping” according to yet another.
However, none of this seems accurate. Neither of our ordered phones has shipped, and currently, they can’t — Trump Mobile hasn’t even requested our shipping address and hasn’t charged us beyond the initial $100 deposits. I haven’t found a single regular buyer claiming to have received a phone or even an email confirming their phone is ready to ship or that the company plans to charge them the remaining $399 after their deposit. The promised wide rollout doesn’t appear to have started.
At least two phones have been sent out, but not through standard channels. Both NBC and CNET have received T1 Phones; NBC reported that it got its phone after an email from the company stating “devices were going out to the media,” while CNET mentioned its order was “expedited” because of its status. I’ve reached out to Trump Mobile again and have been told that our order will be expedited, but as of now, there’s been no change in our order status.
The good news is that both phones sent to NBC and CNET match what was shown in the company’s latest promotional video. Each came with a braided USB-C cable, a wall charger, and a plastic case, and looks just like the latest advertised design — complete with the 11-stripe US flag. You also get two preinstalled apps: Trump’s social network Truth Social and Doctegrity, the telehealth service included with Trump Mobile plans. While neither NBC nor CNET has reviewed the phone yet, NBC at least “tested its basic features, such as calling, texting, browsing the internet, and taking photos, all of which functioned normally.” It’s a low bar, but the Trump phone clears it.
The release of the Trump phone isn’t the only questionable claim I’ve seen lately. Many outlets are still repeating that 590,000 buyers preordered the phone, which I pointed out in January was unsubstantiated — and this week’s leak of customer data suggests that at most 30,000 phones were ordered. Some say the phone is based on the $250 T-Mobile Revvl 7 Pro 5G — we considered that possibility when the T1 was first announced, but the latest version of the phone doesn’t match the Revvl at all. Some reports even claim the phone is made in China — it might be, but we don’t know for sure, and available evidence suggests Taiwan is more likely.
Despite all the noise, Trump Mobile seems to have achieved its goal. By announcing a shipping plan and sending two phones to the media, they’ve created the impression that the phone is available, buyers are happy, and everything is settled. Nothing to see here, folks.
After covering this company for over 11 months, I’ve learned not to take Trump Mobile at its word. This is a company that has missed every deadline it set, changed its phone’s design and specs multiple times, and misled about where it’s manufactured.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’ll believe the Trump phone is here not only when the two models we ordered are in our hands, but when plenty of other buyers also have theirs. Until then, the Trump phone has not been released, it has not shipped, and it is not here.
