Trump’s new merch aims to take on iPhone, but specs fail to impress
The T1 smartphone phone indeed outshines the iPhone, but only with its glowy golden colour
By now, you might think Donald Trump has run out of ways to turn his time in office into merchandise. You would be wrong. After gold-plated sneakers and his own brand of NFTs, the US president has unveiled what may be his most glittery creation yet: a smartphone. It is called the T1, and yes — it is golden.
The T1 arrives with a network subscription, Trump Mobile, and a $47.45 monthly plan called the "47 Plan." As for the phone itself, it promises to be "made in the US," though many suspect it will, at best, be assembled there. Apple could not pull that off in a decade, so the odds for Trump are rather slim.
The specs are not promising. The T1 has a 5,000mAh battery and boasts a 50-megapixel main camera. But the supporting cameras — two measly 2-megapixel sensors — are unlikely to impress even the least fussy of users. And while it runs on Android 15, there is no word on pre-installed apps. Truth Social is a likely candidate though.
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Trump claims this is about "putting America first". Critics say it is another golden cash grab in disguise. With no mention of privacy and plenty of nationalistic flair, the T1 might not revolutionise tech — but it may offer a new way to advertise your political loyalties in public.
At $500, the T1 might find its way into the hands of a few loyalists. For the rest of us, it is a reminder that some phones are better left unanswered.
