In early February, Trump Mobile executives showed off a handset they said was a near-production version of the T1 phone to The Verge. Among other appearance changes, the smartphone had a completely different camera array design than the previous model. In mid-April, a redesigned Trump Mobile website finally showcased the new-look T1 phone.
This past week, The Verge reported that the T1 phone appears to have received PTCRB certification, which validates that it will work on operator networks. This brings the Trump phone another small step closer to its launch.
What will the Trump phone look like?
Trump Mobile launched in June 2025 with a $47.45-a-month mobile phone plan, and currently sells refurbished Apple and Samsung phones ranging from $369 to $629.
The Trump phone, initially announced to be made in the US, was supposed to launch in August 2025. But when it became obvious that domestic large-scale smartphone manufacturing would not be possible, Trump Mobile dropped the “made in the US” claim. Now, the site simply said it is “designed with American values in mind,” an “American-proud design” and “shaped by American innovation.”
The Verge reported in February that sellers were eyeing a March release window. That time frame has come and gone, and there’s still no word on the T1 phone’s release.
The website claims it will have a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen; a 50MP front-facing camera; a camera bump featuring a 50MP main lens, an 8MP wide lens and a 50MP (2X Tele) lens; a 5,000-mAh battery; a fingerprint sensor and AI face unlock; a Snapdragon mobile platform; and runs on Android.
The site is still accepting $100 deposits on the phone, which it continues to advertise as having a promotional price of $499.
As of May 1, no launch date has been announced online. Trump Mobile has not responded to CNET’s repeated requests for comment over the past few months.
What have Trump Mobile execs said?
The Verge said it spoke via video call with two Trump Mobile executives in February, who held up the phone so it could be seen. The interview followed doubts about whether the phone would ever be released, after its second advertised launch date of the end of 2025 came and went without any status updates.
According to those executives, the phone was delayed because the company decided to take its time and skip the “first initial entry-level phone that we were going to kind of introduce and be quick to the market.” They told The Verge it’s being made in a “favored nation” with “final assembly” in Florida. It’s unclear what qualifies another nation as “favored” to handle most of the assembly of the T1 phone.
The Verge also uncovered documentation from the Federal Communications Commission that appears to authorize the T1 phone. The FCC documents show that a phone from Smart Gadgets Global — whose CEO is listed as Eric Thomas, a Trump Mobile executive — was certified by the FCC in January. The Smart Gadgets Global website is mostly empty, apart from some stock images of technology. The AI chatbot on the site could not provide any information on the T1 phone.
CNET submitted a question via the chatbot over a month ago, and we are still waiting to hear back.
