The Trump T1 Phone Reactions Are Finally Here — And They Aren't Great

On June 16, 2025, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump announced they were launching a new mobile network, Trump Mobile, complete with a new phone, the T1. The Trump family made numerous promises about the phone and opened preorders. However, after several delays, many people started to suspect the phone was a grift designed to take advantage of the elder Donald Trump's most devout followers. The phone was initially promised to release in 2025, but as of May 2026, a handful of reviewers are at long last receiving the T1 phone. However, according to the reviews, the device isn't worth the wait or your cash.

Here's the good news: The T1 is definitely a phone. It can be used to make calls and take pictures, and you can chat with other people on social media — assuming you prefer Truth Social over Twitter/X, that is. But if you thought the T1 could replace the iPhone 17 Pro, you'd be wrong. According to reviews from outlets such as CNET and Tom's Guide, the CPU performance lags behind similarly priced phones, and the camera is slow and exhibits poor color accuracy while leaving a "T1" watermark on photos that you have to manually switch off. Also, noise cancellation during calls is reportedly below average, and the battery drains faster than most rival phones.

We also must mention the T1's color. As CNET put it, the shell is less gold and more "dehydrated pee." And let us not forget the elephant in the room: The U.S. flag stamped on the phone's backside only has 11 stripes when it should have 13.

It's easy to review a product based on what you know — that's why we recommended the Google Pixel 10 Pro as one of the best small phones you can buy. But when a company refuses to tell you basic information about a device — information most companies readily provide — it's hard to recommend the product.

According to outlets that have received the T1 phone, Trump Mobile is keeping the device's components a secret. We know it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, but which one? A Snapdragon 8? A Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme? Probably not, but we don't know for certain, which brings the T1's compatibility and lifespan into question.

Before the T1 phone ever made it into a select group of reviewers' hands, the Trump Mobile website's security proved to be an issue, as the names and details of around 27,000 buyers (or people who wanted to buy and backed out at the last minute) were reportedly exposed. The news of how easily the site could be hacked shook many people who preordered their T1 phones. Would their devices have similar security flaws? Trump Mobile isn't saying, nor has the company said how long it will provide security updates for the T1.

When the Trump family initially announced the T1 phone, it promised many things, such as the phone being manufactured in the United States. Reality has caught up with those claims, as the T1 is now just a phone that promotes "American values" and was merely "assembled in the USA," assuming it actually was.

Many people who received their T1 phones have noticed a few odd design choices, and we don't just mean the color of the case. These elements include the shape of the camera and the placement (and inclusion) of a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Investigators believe the T1 is nothing more than a stock HTC phone — possibly an HTC U24 Pro — which is a Taiwanese brand. The same reports believe the device was simply reskinned and given a TrumpOS wallpaper despite running a stock Android operating system. However, the actual underlying OS is indeed advertised on the Trump Mobile store page.

All in all, reviewers have little positive to say about the T1. The only constant praise is the lack of bloatware and great reception (but that is more a reflection of T-Mobile than Trump Mobile). Between the slow processor, middling battery, and lack of communication from Trump Mobile, you might be better off buying a high-quality, inexpensive Android phone like a Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Plus you get a selection of colors to choose from.