Nearly a year after its original announcement, the Trump Mobile T1 – The Trump Organization’s first smartphone as part of its new phone service and smartphone company, Trump Mobile – appears to be a “Gold Painted HTC U24 Pro.”
T1 Identical To a Taiwanese Smartphone Made in China
The electronics repair guide and parts website iFixit conducted a “teardown” of the T1 in partnership with NBC News to determine whether the T1 and the U24 Pro were 1:1 copies or had hardware differences.
According to iFixit, HTC U24 Pro’s developers, High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC) – a Taiwanese consumer electronics company – has relied entirely on Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) in China.
HTC’s dependence on Chinese ODMs is not unusual, as most smartphone developers – other than Apple, Google, and Huawei – rely on ODMs to design and manufacture their devices.
X-Rays Indicate a Near 'Exact Match'
Before opening the phone to examine its components, iFixit ran the T1 model through a Lumafield CT scanner. X-rays of the models showed that both smartphones are “nearly an exact match.”
Hardware Inspection
Upon opening the back of the phone, iFixit discovered that small cosmetic changes made the phones appear different, such as a lengthened cable and machined holes on the aluminum chassis.
Other than the cosmetic changes, both models’ flash and wireless charging assemblies, mainboards, speakers, screen size, screen displays, component shapes, component placements, screw placements, and anti-tamper sticker placements are identical.
iFixit argues that this revelation could mean that the smartphones’ components come from the same factories.
In a test to see whether the HTC model’s mainboard would function on the T1 model, iFixit found that the phone can function on the “gold cousin’s body.”
Only Hardware Difference
One difference between the models’ components is in their batteries.
The T1 model’s battery has a rated capacity of 19.35 Watt-hours (Wh) and a 30-watt charging limit compared to the HTC U24 Pro’s 17.23 Wh and 60W charging capacity.
Smarthphone 'With American Values in Mind' Made in China
iFixit’s final verdict indicates that the T1 model – "designed with American values in mind” – appears to be designed, manufactured, and outsourced from China.
