Latest news with #Purism
Mint
19 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
'Classic vaporware': Trump Organization drops ‘made in US' claim for T1 phone as analysts point to China production
The Trump Organization announced its cellular brand called T1 earlier this month, heavily emphasising that the devices would be 'made in the USA", keeping in line with Trump administration policies. Now, just 10 days later, the company is silently erasing those claims. This shift comes following analysts' consensus that the phones are likely to be produced in China. The official website for the T1 phone has removed all languages which indicated the phone would be manufactured in the US. Now the website uses more ambiguous phrasing, stating the phone was "designed with American values in mind' and 'brought to life right here in the USA,' Fortune reported. Beyond the manufacturing claims, The Verge reported that the T1 phone's specifications have also been scaled back since it was introduced. The screen is now smaller, having been reduced from 6.78 inches to 6.25 inches, and all information about RAM has also been removed. Furthermore, while the phones were initially promised to be released in September, the company has since adjusted that language to read 'later this year'. Despite these changes, the subscribers are still required to pay $100 up front for the device, the news agency said. Scepticism about Trump Mobile's claims emerged almost immediately upon its announcement. Todd Weaver, CEO of Purism, the only company currently producing a US-made smartphone, told Fortune, 'As someone who's spent over a decade building a secure, privacy-first smartphone, focusing on manufacturing in the US, and I can say this with confidence: Producing a fully US-made phone isn't something you spin up overnight.' 'If the Trump phone is promising a $499 price tag with domestic manufacturing, this announcement looks to be classic vaporware.' Purism's phone costs $650 to produce and retails for $2,000. US President Donald Trump has been an avid proponent of reshoring US manufacturing, using tariffs as leverage to convince companies to build plants in the US and attacking Apple for manufacturing its iPhones in Asia, the news agency reported.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Trump Mobile drops ‘Made in USA' label amid China copycat concerns
Trump Mobile has removed the 'Made in the USA' label for an upcoming smartphone from its website, sparking renewed speculation over whether the $499 T1 device is a rebranded Chinese model. Launched by the Trump Organization on June 16, the company now says the T1 phone is 'designed with American values in mind.' The change was first flagged by The Verge on Wednesday and confirmed through archived captures. The T1 8002 is currently described as 'brought to life right here in the USA,' replacing earlier claims of domestic manufacturing. The phone's specifications were also changed, including a screen size drop, and the September 2025 shipping date has also been removed. The changes appear to have been made after industry analysts questioned whether the US has the capacity to produce the device. Todd Weaver, the CEO of US-based smartphone manufacturer Purism, told CNN last week that building a secure, scalable phone production line in the US would take years, and that even his company, which sells a $1,999 'Made in the USA' phone, sources some components from abroad. 'Unless the Trump family secretly built out a secure, onshore or nearshore operation… it's simply not possible. There are areas where you're going to still need a global supply chain,' he said, citing a crystal in Purism's GPS chip that is made in China. Max Weinbach of Creative Strategies noted similarities between the T1 and the Revvl 7 Pro 5G, a $169 phone made by China's Wingtech. 'There are only four or five smartphone ODMs that could manufacture this – and they're all in China,' he said, referring to 'original device manufacturers' – companies that design and make products based on the specifications of another company. 'It is likely that this device will be initially produced by a Chinese ODM,' Blake Przesmicki, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC. Eric Trump – who now co-leads the Trump Organization – effectively acknowledged that the phones are not currently made in the US. In an interview last week, he said, 'eventually all the [Trump] phones will be built in the USA,' while avoiding any direct claim of domestic production. Eric Trump: 'Eventually all the Trump phones will be built in the USA.'Translation: They're not built in America. And there's no real plan to change that anytime Company spokesman Chris Walker, however, told USA Today on Wednesday that 'the T1 phones are proudly being made in America,' and dismissed speculation to the contrary as 'simply inaccurate.' The news comes amid President Donald Trump's push to boost domestic manufacturing. Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners earlier this year, citing unfair trade imbalances and saying the move would provide an 'incentive for re-shoring production to the US.' China was hit hardest, and the two sides engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war that paused after a preliminary deal earlier this month until a final trade agreement, which is expected by August 10.
Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Trump Mobile removes key T1 Phone feature from the website
Still, most analysts didn't believe that the Trump T1 could be made in the U.S. since it would require a price well above the $499 being charged for the T1. The only phone known to be made in America is Purism's Liberty Phone which is priced at $2,000 for a device with half the iPhone's memory, twice the thickness, and only a few downloadable apps. Even though making the Trump T1 Phone in America doesn't seem possible, even critics of this president knew not to doubt him when he has a certain goal in mind. The Trump Mobile website no longer pushes the idea that the T1 is Made in America. | Image credit-Trump Mobile However, this time it appears that despite a strong desire to build the Trump T1 in domestic factories, the Trump Mobile team realizes that such a thing cannot come to fruition so quickly. For example, it took the Liberty Phone six years to go from idea to finished product. Now, the Trump Mobile website no longer says that the device is "Made in America" and resorts to other comments such as one that says the T1 is "brought to life right here in the USA," and that it is "proudly American." Despite the changes made to the copy used in the website, Trump Mobile spokesperson Chris Walker said in a statement that "T1 phones are proudly being made in America." Walker followed up by adding that "Speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate." Back on June 16th when the Trump T1 was introduced, the Trump Organization said that the handset is a "sleek, gold smartphone engineered for performance and proudly designed and built in the United States for customers who expect the best from their mobile carrier." -Trump Mobile If you haven't read through the specs yet, the Trump T1 features: A 6.25-inch AMOLED display with a center punch-hole selfie camera and a 120Hz refresh rate. 50MP rear-facing main camera with 2MP Depth Sensor, 2MP Macro Lens. In-display fingerprint sensor and AI-based facial recognition feature. 12GB RAM, 256 GB expandable storage, 3.5mm headphone jack. 5000 mAh battery with 20W PD charging. Android 15 pre-installed. You can pre-order the Trump T1 by visiting the Trump Mobile site, completing the application, and paying $100. You'll be billed the remaining amount ($399) once the phone ships. You'll have to pay for your first month of Trump Mobile wireless service to pre-order the phone. You can use the service right away with your current phone, or pay the first month of service today and wait to receive your Trump T1 before using Trump Mobile. The Trump Mobile website now says, "The T1SM Phone isn't just powerful—it's brought to life right here in the USA. With American hands behind every device, we bring care, precision, and trusted quality to every detail." Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Donald Trump's iPhone lookalike T1 Phone may not come with ‘Made in America' label: Report
Last week, United States President Donald Trump launched a new smartphone called the T1 Phone. The Trump Organization describes the new phone as 'a sleek, gold smartphone, engineered for performance and proudly designed and built in the United States.' Now, a recent report by the Financial Times suggests that it will be hard for the Trump T1 phone to bear the 'Made in America' tag. In a statement to the publication, a Trump Mobile spokesperson said that the $499 T1 Phone is manufactured in 'Alabama, California and Florida'. However, they did not offer any details about the production partners or how they plan to source components made in the US. Moreover, there are no details about the manufacturing facilities where the T1 phone will be made. According to Todd Weaver, CEO of Purism, it is hard to make a smartphone with the specifications Trump Mobile has promised. 'Unless the Trump family secretly built out a secure, onshore or nearshore fabrication operation over years of work without anyone noticing, it's simply not possible to deliver what they're promising', he added. Purism's Librem 5 is the only phone in the world that carries the Made in America label. But since the company focuses on US manufacturing, its products are unable to compete with big smartphone manufacturers like Samsung or Apple when it comes to software or hardware specifications. If we take a look at the specifications of the T1 Phone, it resembles smartphones from existing Chinese manufacturers like Vivo and Umidigi, which means the T1 Phone may be a rebranded version of a budget Chinese phone from a fairly less popular brand. Also, according to the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines, to get a 'Made in the USA' label, the T1 Phone will require almost all or virtually all of its components to be made in the country.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Liberty Phone touts ‘made in the USA electronics' — but costs $1,999
A California-based company has come out with a smartphone that is almost entirely manufactured in the US, although it uses outdated parts and its technology can't compete with the iPhone — and it costs $2,000. The privacy-focused Liberty Phone by the tech startup Purism is assembled, tested and packaged in the US, with its printed circuit board (PCB) also manufactured domestically. Software development, including the PureOS operating system, is handled entirely in the US. The mainboard, which is the central circuit board that allows communication between all the major components, and the key circuit board modules are made domestically. Advertisement 5 Purism, a Carlsbad, Calif-based tech company, is marketing a $1,999 smartphone made up of parts almost entirely sourced in the US. However, key components like the chassis, camera, modem and WiFi/BT modules are sourced from overseas suppliers, primarily in China and India. The screen and battery are imported from China while the camera is made in South Korea. 'I've been working on this for 10 years and we've done everything we possibly can to build from US manufacturing,' Todd Weaver, founder and CEO of Purism, told the Wall Street Journal. Advertisement The processor is made by a Dutch firm while the chip itself could be manufactured either in South Korea or elsewhere in Asia or Europe. 'There are just some parts that don't yet have a supply chain. We're gonna keep incrementing there until we can get to that point.' Weaver, whose assembly line consists of four people screwing phones together by hand, told the Journal that Purism is capable of producing Liberty Phones at a rate of about 10,000 per month. Advertisement Thus far, he said his company, which was founded in 2014, has sold fewer than 100,000. Weaver told NBC News that it took Purism six years from initially conceiving the phone as a vision to actually producing it and selling it. By comparison, Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is said to be capable of producing up to 500,000 iPhones per day during peak periods — which translates into 10,000 iPhones per every 12 minutes at maximum capacity. Purism emphasizes its US-based manufacturing for security-critical elements, while acknowledging the global nature of its supply chain. 5 Todd Weaver, founder and CEO of Purism, said his company has sold fewer than 100,000 Liberty Phones. Purism Advertisement While Purism is unable to compete with the tech behemoths on price and features, its main sales pitch is for security-conscious consumers who don't want their data collected by the likes of Apple and Google. The Liberty Phone runs PureOS, an open-source Linux-based operating system. The device features hardware kill switches that physically disconnect the microphone, camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and baseband modem — capabilities virtually unheard of in mainstream smartphones. But PureOS allows the user to engage in rudimentary functions only, such as calling, texting, web browsing and using basic apps such as a calculator, according to the Journal. Half of those who bought the Liberty are US government workers who are attracted to the phone's more stringent security and privacy features, the Journal reported. 5 Purism is marketing the phone to security-conscious consumers worried about their privacy being compromised by tech giants. 'On the consumer side, it's security geeks, parents who want a phone for their kid, elderly people or people who want to avoid big tech,' says Weaver. 'Someone who needs a wicked-strong camera is not our audience.' President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured Apple and other major firms to shift manufacturing to the US, threatening a 25% tariff on iPhones made overseas. He has criticized Apple CEO Tim Cook for expanding production in India and insists that iPhones sold in the US should be built domestically. Advertisement While Apple has invested in US infrastructure and AI development, experts say relocating full iPhone production to America would be prohibitively expensive and logistically complex. Trump's family-owned Trump Organization recently unveiled its own Android-powered smartphone called the T1. 5 Smartphone retailers like Samsung rely on supply chains that are based overseas. REUTERS Although the phone is marketed as 'made in the USA,' analysts believe it's likely produced by a Chinese manufacturer with minimal US involvement. Advertisement The business operates as a licensing deal, with Trump branding licensed to T1 Mobile LLC, targeting conservative consumers seeking American-themed alternatives. Apple typically sells tens of millions of iPhones each month, with exact figures varying by quarter and market conditions. Based on recent data, Apple shipped approximately 151.3 million iPhones in the first nine months of 2024. This averages out to about 16.8 million iPhones per month during that period. Google currently produces about 43,000–45,000 Pixel smartphones per month in India, while its global shipments average 766,000 units monthly based on data from the second quarter of last year. In comparison, Samsung produces around 20 million smartphones per month globally, with up to 5 million Galaxy S25 units manufactured in peak launch months like January 2025. Advertisement 5 Last week, the Trump Organization unveiled a new smartphone that is being marketed as 'made in the USA.' Getty Images Apple's iPhone lineup ranges from $599 for the iPhone 16E to $1,399+ for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, with popular models like the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro priced at $799 and $999, respectively. Google's Pixel series starts at $499 for the Pixel 9a and climbs to $1,799 for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, while the standard Pixel 9 and 9 Pro cost $799 and $999. Samsung's Galaxy S25 models begin around $799, rise to $999–$1,099 for the S25 Plus, and top out at $1,299–$1,419 for the S25 Ultra, depending on the retailer. Advertisement While most iPhones are manufactured in China, Google Pixels are produced in Vietnam and China. Samsung Galaxy devices are primarily made in South Korea, Vietnam and India. The Post has sought comment from Weaver and Purism.
