Trump's "American" smartphone turns out to be a near-copy of the HTC U24 Pro

iFixit has taken apart the Trump Mobile T1 and concluded that the "patriotic" smartphone is essentially a rebadged version of HTC's 2024 U24 Pro.

Trump Mobile sells the T1 on the promise of "American-proud design" and "American values." The teardown tells a very different story. iFixit started with a CT scan of the device and then opened it up to compare its internals directly with the HTC U24 Pro.

• The differences are minor. The flash sits in a slightly different spot, the speaker grille uses a different hole pattern, and the body is finished in gold. Everything else, including the internal layout, the boards, the screws, and even the protective stickers, lines up almost perfectly with the HTC U24 Pro.
• To prove the point, iFixit dropped a motherboard from an HTC U24 Pro straight into the Trump Mobile T1 case. The phone booted up and worked. In iFixit's view, that is a strong sign both devices are built on the same hardware platform.

• The specs match what HTC already shipped. The T1 runs on a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The only spec difference is the memory chip supplier. The T1 uses Micron, while the disassembled HTC U24 Pro used SK Hynix. iFixit notes that this kind of swap between production batches is common and not unusual.
• The most visible difference is the battery. The T1 carries a slightly larger 19.35 Wh cell, against 17.23 Wh in the HTC U24 Pro. Its charging is slower, capped at 30 W versus 60 W on the HTC. The T1's battery itself is made in the Philippines.

iFixit's overall verdict is that the T1 can hardly be called an American-made smartphone. At best, the team argues, the only thing that may happen domestically is the final assembly of certain parts. The core design and most of the components appear to come straight from HTC's existing production chain for the U24 Pro.

Repairability is low for both phones. The HTC U24 Pro scored 3 out of 10, and the Trump Mobile T1 is on track for the same. iFixit blames the absence of public service manuals, the lack of official spare parts, and serious doubts about how long the device will receive software updates.