US3 min(s) read
Published 14:04 12 Jun 2026 GMT
Man cracks open Trump Mobile phone after claim it was made entirely in US - makes awkward discovery
An investigation by NBC News has raised serious questions about Trump Mobile’s bold claim that its smartphone was “made entirely right here in the U.S.” after reporter Brian Cheung took the device apart to see what was really inside.
The phone, marketed as the T1, was introduced with an “ambitious promise”, with the company stating: “We’re going to be manufacturing the phones” and promoting it as “a phone at $499 made entirely right here in the U.S.”
Cheung gives initial thoughts
When Cheung ordered the device to verify those claims, the process was far from straightforward.
After waiting months with no delivery, Cheung eventually received a unit in May 2026 that had been sent out to select media outlets. On first inspection, the device featured a gold-toned back and came with Truth Social pre-installed. However, its design immediately raised suspicions.
“It looks very similar. It has a very distinct shape,” one expert noted, comparing it to the HTC U24 Pro, an Android phone made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC.
To investigate further, Cheung took the phone to iFixit’s lab in California, where engineers carried out detailed scans and a full teardown. Using imaging technology, they found that the internal layout was nearly identical to the HTC model. “Wow, they look so similar,” one reaction noted when comparing the scans side by side, with components like “the battery, cameras, boards mostly in the exact same place.”
Closer inspection of the display revealed more clues. Examining the screen under a microscope, engineers identified a specific pixel structure: “This is a pentile layout, and it’s in Samsung’s patented diamond layouts in particular,” adding that it was “definitely not made in the United States as far as I know.”
The most revealing moment came when Cheung physically opened the device. “I literally see the word ‘the Philippines,’” he said while dismantling it, before confirming that the internal components closely matched those of the HTC U24 Pro. Experts also agreed: “They’re in the exact same spot” and “boards are going to be exactly the same.”
Experts provide analysis
When asked directly whether the phone appeared to be American-made, the response was tellingly succinct: “It’s unlikely… this is a Chinese phone.” Investigators concluded that “everything we’ve seen suggests that the T1 was manufactured in the same factory.”
In a striking final test, components from an HTC phone were inserted into the T1 to see if they would function interchangeably. The result was conclusive. “That’s right. It tells you that these boards are exactly the same… which means they came out of the same factory by the same designer.” Another expert summed it up simply: “No difference.”
Following these findings, the phone’s marketing appears to have shifted. It is now described as “assembled in the USA,” rather than fully manufactured there.
Neither HTC nor Trump Mobile responded to requests for comment about the similarities or the extent of US-based production.
Cheung also noted that NBC’s original order for the phone still has not been fulfilled, suggesting that regular customers may still be waiting for their devices.
Meanwhile, additional concerns have emerged, including reports of a website security flaw that may have exposed “tens of thousands of account numbers,” though reports say the issue has since been fixed.
Ultimately, what began as a promise of a fully American-made smartphone has turned into a much more complicated, and awkward, reality.
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