Tech world skeptical about the origin of Trump group's phone

(Dan Tri) - Although the Vice President of the Trump Group affirmed that the T1 phone was designed and manufactured in the US, many technology experts have expressed skepticism about the origin of this product.

The Trump Organization has launched a mobile phone called the T1 Phone, claiming the product is designed and manufactured entirely in the United States.

“It's time we make phones in America, bring products back to our great country,” Eric Trump - Vice President of Trump Group (son of President Donald Trump) said when introducing the T1 Phone.

The only image of the T1 Phone shared on the official website (Photo: Trump Mobile).

A representative of the Trump Group said that the T1 phones are manufactured at factories located in three US states: Alabama, California and Florida. However, information about the manufacturer as well as the specific location of the factories has not been announced in detail.

When asked whether the T1 Phone uses components imported from Asia or China, the Trump group declined to comment, leading some technology experts to say more transparency is needed to validate the product’s “made entirely in the USA” claim.

Blake Przesmicki, an analyst at market research firm Counterpoint Research, said that modern electronics manufacturing relies heavily on low-cost skilled labor and large component supply chains from Asia, especially China. According to him, it is highly likely that the T1 Phone was manufactured in China and only completed in the US.

Tech expert Max Weinbach also speculated that the T1 could be an improved version of the Revvl 7 Pro 5G – a phone distributed by T-Mobile but manufactured in China.

Meanwhile, Carsten Frauenheim – a hardware expert at technology site iFixit – believes that the Trump Group could import pre-processed components or devices from China, then make some adjustments and final assembly in the US before bringing them to market.

“This could be a basic Android phone, designed and manufactured primarily in China, then refined and finished in the US,” Frauenheim said.

Market analysts say the T1 Phone will face a lot of competition in the mobile market. However, the product may still attract a segment of users who support President Trump – people who appreciate the “made in America” message and want devices that are not supervised by big technology companies.

In fact, the T1 Phone isn't the first device to be promoted with the claim of being made in the USA.

In 2021, Bitcoin millionaire Erik Finman introduced the Freedom Phone for $499 – the same price as the T1 Phone was expected to be. Finman promised that the product would be made entirely in the US and “immune” to technological oversight.

However, the tech world later discovered that the Freedom Phone was an Android device manufactured by a little-known company in China. Finman himself later admitted: “Unfortunately, it is impossible to manufacture a phone entirely in the US from start to finish.”

The T1 Phone is expected to officially go on sale in August or September. Once the product is launched, the tech world will be able to conduct a detailed review to verify claims related to its origin and manufacturing process.

If the T1 Phone is indeed manufactured in the US with a high localization rate, this could be a remarkable step in the domestic technology manufacturing strategy - at the same time creating competitive pressure with large corporations like Apple in the supply chain issue and moving factories to the US.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/gioi-cong-nghe-hoai-nghi-ve-nguon-goc-chiec-dien-thoai-cua-tap-doan-trump-20250618111806370.htm