Finally, Trump Mobile is selling phones — just not the customized “Proudly American” T1 it teased. Instead, the Trump Organization-backed carrier has filled its store shelves with refurbished Apple and Samsung flagships. The catch: None are produced in the United States, and the pricing doesn’t jibe with the wider refurbished market.
The company had hinted at a gold-accented T1 and used American-made language, before retracting that claim and pushing the launch date back to a vague timeframe. With its flagship in stasis, the brand’s original “real phones” are recycled iPhones and Galaxy devices.
What’s actually for sale in Trump Mobile’s online store
Among these are the iPhone 15, iPhone 14, and Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S23. Prices range from about $369 for a Galaxy S23 to $629 for an iPhone 15, with the others falling in between. These are global flagships, but they’re not American-built: the latest iPhones are largely assembled in China and India, while Samsung’s S-series is predominantly produced in Vietnam and South Korea.
It’s quite the opposite of what the brand promised with its T1 story.
In functional terms, the Trump Mobile store operates like many MVNOs that offer bring-your-own-device plans and a smattering of renewed handsets. Here, the difference is the sticker price.
Trump Mobile’s refurbished pricing is at odds with the market
As to all four models, asking prices seem high against established refurb channels. On Trump Mobile’s site, the iPhone 15 costs around $100 more than Apple’s certified refurbished version. The iPhone 14 is approximately $40 more expensive than Apple’s refurb price. Samsung’s own Certified Re-Newed program often has good deals on previous years’ Galaxy S models, and they’ll typically come with a manufacturer’s warranty.
Peer-to-peer and retailer programs all tell similar stories. Marketplace staples like Amazon Renewed, Swappa, and eBay consistently offer listings for iPhone 14s and Galaxy S23s at a lower price depending on the condition, storage size, and carrier lock. That lines up with what refurb-watchers see in the industry generally: when new-model launch cycles speed up, selling prices on secondary markets — for last-gen flagships at least — tend to quickly taper off as trade-ins spike.
Refurbished iPhone models comprise the majority of used device sales and demand, according to Counterpoint Research, which found that buyers cite value for money and warranty coverage as the primary reasons to choose a used phone model. It’s a tough sell with prices above the mean and less-than-transparent information.
Warranty terms and parts transparency matter to buyers
Certified programs set the bar. Apple’s Certified Refurbished iPhones come with a one-year warranty, new battery and outer shell, and are made up of genuine parts. Samsung’s Certified Re-Newed devices in the U.S. also come with a one-year warranty and Samsung-manufactured parts. Those baselines provide shoppers confidence — and a clear remedy — if something goes wrong.
Trump Mobile is not as clear. The company states that a flat handset charge might incorporate the first month of service (which is specified at $47.45), so the verbiage could be read either way, and there’s no strong documentation for warranty length, where they get their parts, or what grading standards are in use. The only way to do it, it seems, is to call support — which is just another friction point for prospective buyers looking at a refurb that is marked up and still some kind of value.
The ‘Made in America’ promise is on hold for now
There’s also the optics problem. The brand featured a “Proudly American” T1, but its lineup is currently made up entirely of imports. That dissonance underscores a broader fact of manufacturing: Big-time smartphone assembly is almost exclusively located in Asia. iPhone production is divided between China and India; Samsung makes its flagship phones in Vietnam and South Korea. U.S. government trade statistics and industry views typically portray the U.S. role as high in design and components, but minimal in final handset assembly.
A domestically made T1 could come sometime later. It’s not out of the question, but it is a steep climb. Sourcing displays, camera modules, batteries, and advanced packaging domestically at scale requires deep supply chains that simply don’t yet exist for assembled phones in the United States. Until that happens, any phone on sale now will almost certainly come from abroad.
Best move for shoppers who still want Trump Mobile service
If you want the service, the smart move is to buy an unlocked device from a reliable channel — Apple Certified Refurbished, Samsung Certified Re-Newed, or a credible marketplace seller with clear grading and returns — and bring it to the carrier. Trump Mobile will take unlocked phones, and you’re likely to save money in exchange for a better warranty.
For now, the company’s first generation of phones is not “Made in America” and is not priced to match a bargain-basement. Unless it brings its pricing down and spells out its refurb standards, shoppers are better off going somewhere else — and they can still use the carrier’s plan if they have one.
