Trump Mobile sold the T1 as a "$499 phone of the future." This week, JerryRigEverything's Zack Nelson cracked one open and found the punchline: an HTC U24 Pro in almost all but name. Same design, same internal components — per TechRadar's writeup of the teardown, the only thing Trump Mobile appears to have added is the brand.
Twenty-six screws' worth of skepticism later, GSMArena's verdict was simple: the video confirms everyone's suspicions. When the T1 launched, plenty of people squinted at the specs and muttered "haven't I seen this before?" Turns out they had — on HTC's spec sheet.
To be fair to the rebrand: Nelson's bend test found the thing is genuinely durable. It's a solidly built phone. It's just that HTC already built it — and presumably charged less.
Watch the full breakdown:
▶️ TechMinute — Trump's $499 Phone Is Just an HTC
Source: Bored Panda, TechRadar, GSMArena