Donald Trump’s $499 gold phone releases as users instantly discover huge error
Nine months on from its originally scheduled release date, consumers may soon be able to get their hands on the infamous Trump phone.
Last July, The Trump Organisation - which is spearheaded by the president's eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump - raised eyebrows when they unveiled their venture into the world of telecommunications.
Billed as the 'all-American' response to Google, Apple and Samsung handsets, which are produced in China, Vietnam and India, the $499 (£368) handset was marketed as being made entirely in the US – a claim which later turned out to be impossible.
The mobile, which came in a patriotic bundle with a T1 Mobile plan, was originally meant to be released in September 2025, but was later pushed back to the following year.
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Fast forward to May 2026, and we now have new updates about the phone from industry experts – and the initial impressions of the gaudy, gold phone aren't good.
According to a write-up from NBC News, Trump Mobile has failed in its endeavour to be thoroughly patriotic after getting the number of stripes on the American flag wrong, using 11 instead of 13.
The 'Made in the USA' marketing is no longer anywhere to be seen, with the company instead shifting to a more vague 'designed with American values in mind' slogan.
Which is less catchy, but actually achievable.
The shift in focus was confirmed by Trump Mobile CEO Pat O'Brien, who told USA Today that handsets would be made with components primarily manufactured in America.
Meanwhile, one tech expert told NBC that the Trump phone appeared to resemble the HTC U-24 Pro smartphone, which is made in Taiwan and is now two years old.
"It looks physically very similar, and that matches with what we've been told so far," Shahram Mokhtari, an engineer at tech repair company iFixit, told the outlet.
Off the back of these reports, Tech Advisor has slammed The Trump Organisation for selling the Trump Mobile at roughly the same price that imports of the HTC U-24 Pro were going for back in 2024 when they were new.
Meanwhile, a listing for the handset on the official website reveals the phone will have an Android operating system and be powered by Snapdragon.
When will customers be able to buy a Trump phone?
Despite the new details, we're still no closer to learning when exactly the Trump phone will be available for consumers to buy.
At the time of writing, customers visiting the Trump website can either place a $100 deposit on a phone or purchase a refurbished iPhone or Samsung model.
Earlier this month, the company promised that phones would begin shipping 'this week' while company CEO Pat O'Brien informed CNN that orders would be fulfilled in 'several weeks'.
However, Fortune has raised concerns about the phones ever seeing the light of day, pointing out that pre-order terms and conditions had been updated to read: "A preorder deposit provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale."
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Phones
Brenna Cooper