Trump Phone starts shipping this week after 9 months of delay

Announced almost a year ago, the golden Trump phone will finally start shipping this week to people who pre-ordered it, according to Trump Mobile.

“Those who pre-ordered the T1 phone will receive an update email. Phones will start shipping this week!!!,” Trump Mobile said in an X (Twitter) post on Wednesday. A community note added to the post suggests that the long-delayed phone is a modified version of the T-Mobile REVVL 7 Pro 5G, which first launched in early 2024.

The Trump phone, officially known as the Trump Mobile T1, was supposed to ship last August but encountered production issues, the company said.

“The tech industry is harder than some people think because parts must be tested to ensure quality,” Pat O’Brien, CEO of Trump Mobile, said in a statement to CNET. “We have experienced delays during various stages of completing Q1, but these delays are worth it to us because we are delivering an incredible product.”

CNET’s chief content officer, Patrick Holland, had put down a $100 deposit to pre-order the T1 phone in June 2025 so CNET could review it, but he has yet to hear from the company regarding a shipping date. However, on Wednesday morning, when he logged into his Trump Mobile account, he was informed that his payment method was outdated and needed to be updated.

Holland says his pre-order has been “confirmed but not processed,” and he sees a red bubble saying “Waiting for Sim Assignment.”

Trump Mobile launched in June 2025 with a Cell phone plan at $47.45 per monthand announced that a Trump Phone would be manufactured in the United States and launched in August 2025. But when it became clear that large-scale domestic smartphone manufacturing would not be possible, Trump Mobile abandoned the project. “Made in USA” claim.

Now the site simply says it’s “designed with American values ​​in mind,” a “proud American design” and “shaped by American innovation.”

Last month, a redesigned Trump Mobile website finally featured a new T1 phoneIt is third redesign. This followed Trump Mobile executives showing off a handset they said was a near-production version of the T1 phone to The Verge in early February.

The website claims it will have a 6.78-inch AMOLED display; a 50-megapixel front camera; a camera with a 50-megapixel main lens, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 50-megapixel lens (2X Tele); a 5,000 mAh battery; a fingerprint sensor and AI face unlock; a Snapdragon mobile platform; and a Android operating system.

The site still accepts $100 deposits on the Trump phone, which it continues to promote at a promotional price of $499. Trump Mobile also sells refurbished Apple and Samsung phones, ranging from $369 to $629.

Although Trump Mobile did not specify where the T1 phone is manufactured, executives told The Verge that it is manufactured in a “favored nation” with “final assembly” in Florida. It’s unclear what qualifies another nation as “favored” to handle most of the T1 phone assembly. Meanwhile, President Trump returned from China after a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping to discuss a possible trade deal.

Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and articles for CNET on the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her free time, she watches football matches and F1 races and goes to Disneyland as often as possible. See full bio