Latest news with #Purism
The Star
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Where is Trump's 'all-American' phone made? Analysts point to Asia
The search is on to identify the actual manufacturer behind the US$499 (RM 2,123) Trump Mobile T1 smartphone, as most supply chain analysts cast doubt on the claim by the US president's family that the device could be 'proudly designed and built in the United States'. China, the world's largest smartphone market since 2011, is also the hub of global manufacturing, with estimates ranging from a low of 60 per cent to a high of 80 per cent of worldwide production. One in three of the 187 disclosed suppliers that provide parts for Apple's iPhones is in China. Trump's T1 phone, encased in gold, features an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light emitting diode) screen that measures 6.78 inches, with a fingerprint sensor that supports facial recognition for unlocking. It has a main camera of 50 million pixels and runs on Google's Android 15 operating system, Trump Mobile said on its official website without naming its chip supplier. The phone comes with a subscription called the 47 Plan, priced at US$47.45 (RM201.90) a month, a nod to Trump's as the 45th and 47th US president. Instead of building a new nationwide cellular network, the 47 Plan resells the capabilities of all three major US carriers: T-Mobile, Verizon Communications and AT&T. The problem is, there are no AMOLED producers anywhere outside Asia, and the worldwide shipments are roughly equally shared by South Korean and Chinese manufacturers, said Joy Guo, the principal analyst of Omdia's displays group. There were five AMOLED producers in China that all produced locally, while South Korean plants were within the country and in Vietnam, she said. It does not end there. The typical smartphone comprised multiple components from the casing to the camera, the screen and the battery, most of which had to be sourced outside the US, which went against the claim that the phone was 'made in America', said Omdia's senior analyst Aaron West. 'Considering the overall production capacity, the completeness of the supply chain and the assembly yield rate, it is indeed very difficult or costly to achieve mass production in the US at this stage,' said Chiu Shih-Fang, a senior industry analyst at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, adding that the cameras and the printed circuit board 'can barely be sourced from the US'. To be sure, the US does make smartphones, although at a much higher price. Purism, a 10-year-old electronics maker based in San Francisco, is the only notable US smartphone maker, whose Liberty Phone starts at US$1,999 (RM 8,505) . 'If the Trump Phone is promising a US$499 (RM2,123) price tag with domestic manufacturing, this announcement looks to be classic vapourware,' said Purism's CEO Todd Weaver, according to a Tuesday report by Reuters. All the specifications and design features of Trump's T1 phone 'indicate that they are using an ODM (original design manufacturer) to manufacture the phone,' said West, adding that the final step of adding a gold skin can be done in the US. So who could be the actual ODM producer, and could Trump's 'made-in-USA' phone have Chinese parentage? Intrepid sleuths have uncovered two models that bear a striking resemblance to the T1. The first is the REVVL 7 Pro 5G phone, made by the Wingtech unit of Luxshare Precision Industry based in Shenzhen. It is priced at US$171.65 (RM730.37) on with a subscription plan for the US cellular phone network T-Mobile. The other doppelgänger is Umidigi's A15, featuring three back camera lenses arranged like those in the T1. The A15, made by Shenzhen-based Umidigi, is priced at a discounted US$129.99 (RM553.11) on AliExpress, operated by the Post's owner Alibaba Group Holding. Similar to Trump's T1, both Chinese models come with a 5,000 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery and 256 gigabytes of storage. They also take similar designs to equip the selfie camera in the top middle of the screen. But the A15, much cheaper than the Trump phone, has a better main camera with 64 million pixels. Officials at Wingtech, Luxshare and Umidigi did not respond to requests for comment. Trump Mobile, part of the Trump Organisation, did not immediately respond. 'Perhaps in the future it's possible to achieve complete assembly and production in the US, but the first batch of phones delivered is unlikely to be made in the US,' said Robin Wang, an analyst from technology research firm Runto. – South China Morning Post
Engadget
18 hours ago
- Business
- Engadget
The golden Trump Phone is almost certainly not made in the US
Not content with a real estate empire and the presidency of the United States, the Trump family is wading into the phone wars like it's 2011 with a shiny gold monstrosity called the T1, the marketing of which leans extensively on the narrowest idea of patriotism. Beyond the immediate question — why do this, like, at all? — the T1 invites a question that's perhaps easier to interrogate: How can any modern smartphone claim to be made in the US? Over the last 40 years America has led a massive globalization effort that allows companies to pick and choose where they develop and build hardware that finds its way back to the US. The best chips to run your phone are built in Taiwan — regardless of the phone maker. The best phones are built in China, India or Vietnam. The displays are often produced in Korea. The glass is actually made in America. The sand that will eventually become the silicon wafers chips are made of is sourced here too. But most phones, and virtually all smartphones found in America, are globally produced devices. An all-American golden Trump phone is about as fantastical as the big, beautiful bill's promise to make all Americans rich. The phone has reasonable specs for the $499 price tag. There's a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a punch hole for the 16MP front camera, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage. Its rear array of cameras includes a 50MP main camera, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro lens. Notably lacking in the spec list is the processor. Perhaps that's a typo, or perhaps that's because nearly all smartphone processors are made overseas. Multiple analysts have suggested the Trump T1 is actually a reskinned Revvl 7. That's a $200 Android phone currently offered by T-Mobile in the US and manufactured by Wingtech, a (partially) state-owned Chinese phone maker and semiconductor manufacturer. However the specs and outer appearance better align with the €180 (also about $200) Coolpad X100, which is mentioned as a 'related phone' to the T1 on the smartphone database GSMArena . Similarly, that phone has a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, 256GB of internal storage and up to 12GB of RAM, but its cameras are significantly higher resolution and it has a flash built into its camera module. It, like the Revvl 7, is manufactured in China by a Chinese company. Don Jr and Eric Trump haven't said if the T1 is a reskin of the Revvl 7 — or any other existing phone for that matter — instead insisting their device will eventually be made in the US. (Note that word 'eventually.' It is doing a lot of work.) The Trump brothers have chosen their words like lawyers are watching, likely because the Made in America claim they're making isn't just marketing, it's enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission. You can't just slap it on a crummy Chinese phone and call it a day. 'The FTC actually has very strict regulations on how you label products and country of origin,' Todd Weaver, CEO and Founder of Purism, told me. Purism is an American company that produces its own operating system to compete with iOS and Android and is the only company in the US which can actually use any part of the 'Made in America' claim for its phones. In our call he sounded a little irritated about the T1's claims, but was eager to explain how the labeling works. The Purism Liberty Phone. (Purism) 'I don't make that claim and I manufacture all the electronics in the US,' Weaver said. Purism had to go with a non-phone processor for the Liberty phone because no company based in America makes phone processors (yet). Even with a non-standard chip, Purism's processor comes from its supplier's fabrication in South Korea. He found it financially challenging to source a chassis in the US as well. An unqualified Made in America claim would mean that a phone was not just assembled here, but every single part of the device was manufactured here as well. That's an essentially impossible task for phone makers. It's why Purism's phone has the label Made in America Electronics instead. Weaver could get a lot, but not all of the parts manufactured in the US. While it's certainly theoretically possible the Trump brothers could take all the wealth they've been amassing since their father reentered the Oval Office to brute force a more American phone, it isn't happening any time soon. The Trump T1, which they claim will be sold in September, cannot carry that label, at least not legally. (Whether the current FTC would prosecute the president's sons for misrepresenting the T1 is another story entirely.) We've reached out to the FTC for comment and as of publishing have not heard back. So what about other pro-American manufacturing labels? The Trump Brothers have hinted that the phones will be assembled here — even if the Revvl 7 (or Coolpad X100) is currently not. Those labels are also governed by the FTC and they're not easy to get around. A simple "screwdriver" operation (importing almost entirely foreign parts and fitting them together in the States) is even provided by the FTC as a straightforward example of consumer deception. That's a lesson we all learned when Apple promised to start building computers domestically again. In 2019 it announced a big factory in Texas under pressure from the Trump administration to bring more manufacturing jobs to America. But even though people are putting screws into Mac Pros stateside, those can't carry the label 'Assembled in America.' Instead they're 'Designed in America' and a 'Product of Thailand' with 'Final Assembly in America.' It's a global device. Electronics are global devices and no amount of gold gilding or misleading claims from the sons of American presidents can change that. The best estimates from manufacturing experts claim it will be half a decade, minimum, before Apple or Samsung could be building phones in the US. Weaver has already mused about reporting the Trump brothers for claiming their gold-gilded T1 is Made in America, and noted that anyone (even you, dear reader) could do the same. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
CNBC
a day ago
- Business
- CNBC
This phone is made in the USA, and Trump's name isn't on it
President Donald Trump's family business is taking preorders for a gold-colored smartphone, the T1. Trump Mobile, which launched Tuesday, says the device will be available in September, cost far less than Apple's and Samsung's smartphones — and be made in the United States, aligning with the president's "America First" economic ethos. Industry experts and tech journalists instantly cast doubt on those claims. And if Carlsbad, California-based smartphone maker Purism is any example, it would take much more than two months for Trump Mobile to build an American-made smartphone from scratch. It would also most likely be more expensive than the T1's advertised price of $499. At $2,000, Purism's Liberty Phone is more expensive than an iPhone 16 Pro. It has half the iPhone's memory with roughly twice the thickness. You also can't download many apps on it. According to Todd Weaver, who founded Purism in 2014, it's the only U.S.-made smartphone on the market. But with "kill switches" to turn off its Wi-Fi, camera and microphone, the Liberty Phone is marketed as a secure option because it also carries its own operating system designed by Purism. It took a lot of time and effort to get to that point, Weaver told NBC News. Going from "I would like to make a phone and I would like to make it in the U.S." to actually achieving it took six years, he said. Purism's assembly line consists of just four people screwing together phones by hand — a far cry from the shoulder-to-shoulder line of people and automated machinery often associated with mass production facilities in China. The "Made in the USA electronics" sticker that Purism slaps on the product is a declaration of confidence — since the Federal Trade Commission regulates claims of that sort. Yet even Purism's built-in-America phone needs some foreign help. Ninety percent of its materials come from the United States, Canada or Europe. Among the components made elsewhere: a chassis from China, camera modules from China or South Korea and a Bluetooth module from India. Purism publishes that information online. For materials like a specific crystal necessary for the motherboard to operate, Purism says there are no options for U.S. sourcing, meaning there's no choice but to buy from China. "There just isn't a company yet providing that single crystal," Weaver said. The Trump Organization didn't respond to questions about how Trump Mobile's T1 phone would be made. Another issue looming over the market: Trump's ever-shifting trade policies. He recently threatened a 25% tariff on all smartphone imports, taking aim at manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, which make their phones abroad. "Again, when they build their plant here, there's no tariff, so they're going to be building plants here," he said last month. The percentage of the materials for Purism's phone that come from overseas is small enough that tariffs from the Trump administration wouldn't affect its $2,000 price. But the tariffs would affect a phone Purism does make in China, called the Librem 5. It's priced at $800, but new import duties would take it closer to the Liberty phone's $2,000 level. While tariffs are a "good incentive" for manufacturing in the United States, Weaver said, the administration's on-again, off-again approach makes it tough to plan. "It's terrible," Weaver said. "If you have no idea and you can't predict [the policy], it's very hard for any company, for any business owner. From T-shirts, textiles to high tech, it is very hard to make a long-term business decision when you're in a whipsaw."
NBC News
a day ago
- Business
- NBC News
This phone is made in the USA, and Trump's name isn't on it
President Donald Trump's family business is taking preorders for a gold-colored smartphone, the T1. Trump Mobile, which launched Tuesday, says the device will be available in September, cost far less than Apple's and Samsung's smartphones — and be made in the United States, aligning with the president's 'America First' economic ethos. Industry experts and tech journalists instantly cast doubt on those claims. And if Carlsbad, California-based smartphone maker Purism is any example, it would take much more than two months for Trump Mobile to build an American-made smartphone from scratch. It would also likely be more expensive than the T1's advertised price of $499. At $2,000, Purism's Liberty Phone is more expensive than an iPhone 16 Pro. It has half the iPhone's memory with roughly twice the thickness. You also can't download many apps on it. According to Todd Weaver, who founded Purism in 2014, it's the only U.S.-made smartphone on the market. But with 'kill switches' to turn off its wi-fi, camera and microphone, the Liberty Phone is marketed as a secure option because it also carries its own operating system designed by Purism. It took a lot of time and effort to get to that point, Weaver told NBC News. Going from 'I would like to make a phone, and I would like to make it in the U.S.' to actually achieving it took six years, he said. Purism's assembly line consists of just four people screwing together phones by hand — a far cry from the shoulder-to-shoulder line of people and automated machinery often associated with mass production facilities in China. The 'Made in the USA electronics' sticker that Purism slaps on the product is a declaration of confidence — since the Federal Trade Commission regulates claims of that sort. Yet even Purism's built-in-America phone needs some foreign help. Ninety percent of the phone's materials come from the United States, Canada or Europe. Among the components made elsewhere: a chassis from China, camera modules from China or South Korea, and a bluetooth module from India. Purism publishes this information online. For materials like a specific crystal necessary for the motherboard to operate, Purism says there are no options for U.S. sourcing, meaning there's no choice but to buy from China. 'There just isn't a company yet providing that single crystal,' said Weaver. The Trump Organization didn't respond to NBC News' questions about how Trump Mobile's T1 phone would be made. Another issue looming over the market: Trump's ever-shifting trade policies. The president recently threatened a 25% tariff on all smartphone imports, taking aim at manufacturers like Apple and Samsung that make their phones abroad. 'Again, when they build their plant here, there's no tariff, so they're going to be building plants here,' the president said last month. The percentage of the materials for Purism's phone that come from overseas is small enough that tariffs from the Trump administration would not affect its $2,000 price. But the tariffs would affect a phone Purism does make in China, called the Librem 5. It's currently priced at $800 but new import duties would take it closer to the Liberty phone's $2,000 level. While tariffs are a 'good incentive' for manufacturing in the U.S., Weaver said, the on-again-off-again approach from the administration makes it tough to plan. 'It's terrible,' Weaver said. 'If you have no idea, and you can't predict [the policy], it's very hard for any company, for any business owner. From t-shirts, textiles, to high tech, it is very hard to make a long term business decision when you're in a whipsaw.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Unless the Trump family secretly built a U.S. factory, industry experts say the $500 made-in-America smartphone is a fantasy
Donald Trump's family business is putting the president's name behind something that few have dared to produce in years: a made-in-America smartphone. The Trump Organization, led by the president's eldest sons, said on Monday that it has licensed Donald Trump's name to a new wireless service and a gold-colored phone. The T1, as the device is called, is supposed to be available in August for $499, and is 'proudly designed and built in the United States,' the company said in a statement. But the patriotic pitch drew immediate skepticism, and not just over President Trump trying to cash in again while in office. Several tech industry insiders questioned whether selling a made-in-America phone is even possible within just a few months, considering most electronics manufacturing is done overseas because of expensive domestic labor, a shortage of skilled workers, and a lack of suppliers. 'As someone who's spent over a decade building a secure, privacy-first smartphone, focusing on manufacturing in the U.S., and I can say this with confidence: Producing a fully U.S.-made phone isn't something you spin up overnight,' said Todd Weaver, CEO of Purism, the only company currently producing a U.S.-made smartphone. 'If the Trump phone is promising a $499 price tag with domestic manufacturing, this announcement looks to be classic vaporware.' Purism's U.S.-made phone, the Liberty Phone, costs $650 to produce, according to Weaver, and retails for $2,000. The markup covers some of the additional administrative costs for security-conscious customers who want to verify the phone's supply chain, along with Purism's profit. The T1, in contrast, would retail for just a fraction of that price, raising questions about how such a U.S.-made device would be profitable. The Trump Organization didn't disclose which company will make the T1, or where it will be produced. It only gave some technical specifications, including that it will run on Google's Android operating system, come with a fingerprint sensor and facial recognition for unlocking, and have a 6.8-inch screen. The product page for the phone is also riddled with errors and omissions. It described the device as having a '5000mAh long life camera' (it should say 'battery,' an error that was subsequently fixed) and '12GB Ram storage' (RAM is generally referred to as memory, since any data stored in RAM is erased when the device is switched off), while neglecting to disclose an all-important piece of information: the kind of chips that will go into it. Wayne Lam, an analyst with TechInsights, said available information about the phone 'doesn't suggest it is a competitive phone design' compared with higher-end devices like Apple's iPhone. He called the specs for the T1 'underwhelming.' Manufacturing phones in the U.S., at least by major companies, is widely considered to be a lost cause. These days, their devices and components are almost entirely produced in Asia. Executives say U.S. manufacturing is too expensive in comparison, and that there aren't enough suppliers and skilled workers to get the job done. Even if a company wanted to try its luck, setting up manufacturing of a U.S.-made phone could take years—not just a few months. A business would need time to line up suppliers, recruit workers, and set up a production facility. Donald Trump's son Eric may have hinted at how the T1 will get around the problem. In an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson, on The Benny Show, he indicated that, initially, the phone may be made overseas. 'Eventually all the phones will be built in the United States of America,' Eric said. 'We need to bring manufacturing back.' Of course, President Trump has made reshoring U.S. manufacturing a priority with his 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April and attacks on Apple for manufacturing its iPhones in Asia. Any imported T1 phones, or components, would, theoretically, be subject to his import levies. In addition to the phone, Trump will also give his name to a wireless service, called Trump Mobile, that will cost $47.45 monthly and come with up to 20 GB of data. The price is a not-so-subtle reference to his two terms as president. The Trump Organization did not say who it's partnering with on the wireless service or device, but tucked away in the website's terms of use is a reference to the service being powered by Liberty Mobile Wireless, itself a 'virtual' carrier that uses other companies' networks. Wireless coverage will come from the nation's three biggest wireless providers, the Trump Organization said. Ross Rubin, an analyst with Reticle Research, said Trump Mobile's wireless service is more expensive than comparable carrier plans, like T-Mobile's Metro and Verizon's Total, along with discount provider Boost Mobile. Plus, he said, some of those carriers will give new customers a free phone when they sign up. Weaver, of Purism, brought up one complication when it comes to the Trump Organization claiming a product is made in the USA. The Federal Trade Commission has strict rules that spell out when companies can and can't market a product as being homegrown. 'Unless the Trump family secretly built out a secure, onshore or nearshore fab operation over years of work without anyone noticing, it's simply not possible to deliver what they're promising,' Weaver said. This story was originally featured on
