Trump's new phone is actually a 2-year-old HTC device
What's the story
The Trump Phone, officially known as the T1 Phone, is nothing more than a rebranded version of HTC's U24 Pro launched in 2024. This was confirmed by iFixit after they disassembled both phones and found them nearly identical in design and specifications. The only major difference between the two models is the battery size and origin.
Teardown analysis
iFixit created a working 'Frankenstein' phone using parts from both
iFixit, in collaboration with NBC, conducted a thorough examination of the Trump Phone and HTC U24 Pro. They used a CT scanner to analyze the devices and even managed to create a working "Frankenstein" phone by placing the U24 Pro's motherboard inside the chassis of T1 Phone. This confirmed their initial suspicion that both phones are functionally identical.
Design discrepancies
Minor design differences between the phones
While the two phones are largely similar, there are some minor design differences. The flash placement has been slightly altered, the speaker grille has been modified, and the chipset package comes from different suppliers - Micron for Trump Phone and SK Hynix for HTC. The most notable difference is in battery size and origin; Trump's phone's cell is bigger and made in Philippines instead of China.
Manufacturing mystery
HTC denies designing or manufacturing phones for 3rd parties
HTC has denied designing or manufacturing phones for third parties, but hasn't revealed much about the production of U24 Pro. After selling most of its smartphone business to Google in 2017, it's likely that HTC hired a third-party company to create and produce the U24 Pro. This same company may have also been used by Trump Mobile for its T1 Phone.