Trump’s new mobile phone is made in China because of course it is.
Donald Trump is all over Apple and other mobile phone companies to move manufacturing to the US. Meanwhile, they’re being threatened with insane tariffs, something that’s threatening to push the cost of devices way, way up.
Because Trump will put his name on anything, he announced his own mobile phone network (with plans costing $47.45 a month, geddit?), including what he says is a “made-in-US” iPhone competitor. It’s gold, of course. More on that in a moment.
The network will be a virtual one, meaning it will piggyback on the infrastructure of major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile). Customer service will be US-based (we’ll see about that) and will allegedly provide unlimited talk, texts, and data, with the first 20GB offered at “high speed.” Yeah, so?
To hook in military families, Trump Mobile is promising free international calling to over 100 countries, many of which host American bases. There are a bunch of third-party options for things like telehealth, prescription services, and a vague promise of “device protection.”
Here’s the issue: The phone, named the T1, was actually manufactured in China by a company called Wingtech, which has facilities in Kiaxing, Wuxi, and Kuming. Social media was quick to uncover the truth about its providence.
It’s a cheap Android thing covered in a new plastic case. The AMOLED displays aren’t made in America. The VCSEL for face recognition unlocking is also imported from overseas. The camera modules are also imported.
A bit hint is the price: US$499. There’s NO WAY IN HELL a smartphone could be built in America and sold at that price. Labour is too expensive and the necessary robots and manufacturing techniques just aren’t available.
Best case scenario? The only finishing touches–i.e. the logoed gold case–were done in the US. The rest is from…China.
A full breakdown can be found here.
