According to a report by AppleInsider, the Trump Organization has announced its entry into the telecommunications and smartphone market with the launch of a new brand called Trump Mobile. They plan to release their first smartphone, the T1, to coincide with Apple's anticipated iPhone 17 launch in September, touting it as 'designed and manufactured in the USA' and 'for patriots.' However, skepticism surrounds the phone's manufacturing source and actual product capabilities, which many observers believe indicate a branding strategy rather than a genuine challenge to tech giants.

Trump Mobile operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), relying on major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Its main plan, dubbed 'The 47 Plan,' is a nod to Trump's status as the 47th President of the United States and comes with a monthly fee of $47.45, offering 20GB of high-speed data followed by unlimited internet access, free calling to over 100 countries, along with additional services like medical consultations and towing assistance. However, Trump Mobile has not specified the actual details of these additional services or any associated costs, and it remains unclear whether eSIM will be supported. Given that current iPhone models only support eSIM, compatibility with Apple devices remains uncertain.

The T1 phone is expected to have a gold exterior and features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, in-display fingerprint recognition, and AI facial recognition capabilities, running on Android 15, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, and it supports memory card expansion. Its main camera boasts 50 million pixels, accompanied by a 2-million-pixel depth and macro lens, with a front camera of 16 million pixels. However, analysts point out that the U.S. currently lacks manufacturers for AMOLED panels and facial recognition optical components, meaning these elements are likely to be imported. Despite the Trump Organization's assertion that the T1 is 'designed and manufactured in America,' key components such as the camera module, memory, processor, and battery are dependent on overseas supply chains, contradicting the image of 'American-made.'

Experts have questioned the profit model since the processor brand and sourcing for the T1 smartphone have not been disclosed, possibly due to it not being manufactured in the U.S. Even companies like Qualcomm, which design chips in the U.S., rely on overseas foundries like TSMC for production. If the Trump organization truly aims for 'all-American manufacturing,' the production costs would far exceed the smartphone's moderate price of $499. Assembling phones in the U.S. is not impossible, but it typically remains limited to extremely small scales and cannot meet mass production demands, compounded by the need to import many components and face tariff implications, making profit targets hard to achieve. Trump's move may capture the attention of specific supporters but fails to threaten mainstream brands like the iPhone.

Experts believe the T1 appears more as a political brand extension than a real competitive challenge in the market.