Chris Welch Pans Trump Mobile's $499 T1 and $47.45 Plan as Poor Value
Updated
Updated · Wccftech · Jun 17
Chris Welch Pans Trump Mobile's $499 T1 and $47.45 Plan as Poor Value
3 articles · Updated · Wccftech · Jun 17
Summary
$499 Trump Mobile T1 drew a harsh review from Bloomberg's Chris Welch, who called it a novelty rather than a serious smartphone contender and said its companion $47.45 wireless plan also falls short on value.
Welch's critique builds on teardown evidence that the T1 is essentially a reworked two-year-old HTC U24 Pro, despite Trump Mobile's branding and its claim of a 6.78-inch display versus the HTC's 6.8 inches.
iFixit said both phones share the same mainboard and showed the T1 booting with an HTC logo after a board swap, while other changes appeared limited to camera placement, a longer flex cable and altered speaker holes.
The plan's economics also came under fire because unlimited data slows after 20GB, while rivals such as Verizon offer richer perks around $45 and AT&T's customizable options start at $15.
The review adds to doubts around Trump Mobile's pitch of a US-made, gold-colored handset, with the T1 still not broadly on shelves and its 'introductory' price already framed as rising to under $1,000.