Trump Mobile's T1 Phone finally ships out after months of vaporware fears

The Trump Mobile T1 Phone saga has been extraordinary to witness, to say the least. Between tall claims about being made in the USA, to phone renders that kept changing, to long delays and changing T&Cs, all signs pointed to the T1 Phone being vaporware. The T1 Phone has now finally begun shipping to some media outlets, and it looks like it’s a rebranded HTC U24 Pro, for better or for worse.

NBC News was among the first media outlets to receive the Trump Mobile T1 Phone, and they gave us a good look at it in their quick hands-on video:

The T1 Phone looks nothing like the iPhone 16 Pro-like first renders or the Galaxy S25 Ultra-like second renders. It does look a lot like the HTC U24 Pro from 2024, with slight adjustments to the rear LED flash module. The T1 Phone continues to feature the distinct gold-colored casing with the American flag stamped on the back, though with 11 stripes instead of 13. Arguably, the “Trump Mobile” branding could be interpreted as another stripe — though why leave a flag open to interpretation in the first place?

The hands-on video confirms a few key specs. The T1 Phone comes with 512GB of storage for $499 (promotional pricing). For that price, you get the Truth Social app pre-installed on your phone. Given its HTC U24 Pro-shared roots, there’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack. The box notes that the T1 Phone is “Proudly Assembled in the USA,” rather than the previous claim of being “Made in USA.”

NBC News reached out to Trump Mobile inquiring about the specific percentage of domestic parts or the reason for the flag’s 11-stripe design, but did not receive a response. The White House has also declined to confirm whether President Trump is currently using the device himself.

For now, the T1 Phone serves as a symbolic entry into the tech world for the Trump Mobile brand. Fingers crossed for more users receiving the phone.