Earlier reviewers are finally getting their hands on the Trump Mobile T1 phone months after it was originally meant to launch, and they’re left with the same questions they started with.
The phone has faced repeated backlash after Trump Mobile missed its initial launch date by nine months, redesigned the phone multiple times after charging customers $100 deposit for pre-orders and walked back its original claim that the phone would be manufactured in the United States.
Despite announcing that the T1 phone would be shipping out nearly two weeks ago, NBC and CNET appear to be the only entities that have actually received the device in hand.
Here’s what early reviews are saying about the Trump Mobile phone.
What are reviewers saying about the Trump Mobile phone?
NBC News was the first to get its hands on the Trump Mobile T1 phone, and so far CNET appears to be the only other outlet to receive a device.
First impressions? The phone doesn’t appear to be terrible, but there is certainly a gap between what Trump Mobile promised when the phone was announced and the final product customers will get.
Here are some of the highlights that CNET has written up after putting the phone through its paces for nearly a week:
Pros
Cons
Trump phone not American-made
When Trump Mobile announced the T1 phone in June 2025, one of its biggest marketing points was that the phone would be an American-made alternative to the devices manufactured by big tech.
It didn’t take long before Trump Mobile walked back that statement. Its website now says that the T1 phone was “designed with American values in mind.”
NBC and CNET noted that the phone’s box states that it was “proudly assembled in the USA.”
In a February interview with The Verge, Trump Mobile executives said that the phones were manufactured in a “favored nation” and that final assembly would happen in Miami, Florida, and involve “putting together the final 10 or so pieces.”
Trump Mobile CEO Pat O’Brien confirmed in an email to USA TODAY on May 11 that models moving forward would use components primarily manufactured in America.
It’s not clear if that meant another variant of the T1 would use those parts or future phone models.
Trump Mobile T1 phone isn’t the phone that was advertised
The Trump phone pictured on the Trump Mobile website isn’t the same one that appeared a year ago, and it’s certainly not the phone that NBC and CNET received. In fact, it has gone through at least three revisions since 2025.
Outside the “made in USA” talking points, the phone’s listed specs evolved over time, too.
Days after the initial announcement, Wired noticed that the T1 specs listed a 6.25-inch screen instead of the original 6.78-inch size, and no promise of 12GB of RAM. The screen size has been reverted to 6.78 inches, but there is no indication of RAM on the site.
The second iteration added a brushed gold finish with a large “T1” logo and American flag on its back, along with a triangular camera array.
The T1 logo was removed in the final release, leaving only the Trump Mobile branding stamped on the back along with the 11-striped American Flag.
What we still don’t know about the Trump phone
Even with the device in hand, there are still opaque details surrounding the phone. The instruction manual included with the device is small and incomplete, as it doesn’t list the phone’s specs.
CNET suspects that the device is using an older Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, but has not been able to confirm that detail.
Patrick Holland, managing editor at CNET, raised concerns over whether the phone would be supported through software and security updates.
A valid point to raise after Trump Mobile confirmed last week that its website had a major security vulnerability, leaking customer data.
Finally, and most importantly, there are nearly zero signs that the Trump Mobile phone has shipped to real customers.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Early Trump phone reviews leave more questions than answers
Reporting by Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
