Trump's Gold-plated Smartphone Can't Seem To Decide Which Design To Copy

President Trump's personally branded wireless provider was supposed to have a "premium" Android smartphone – gold, of course – on the market by September, but it appears the mobile virtual network operator has yet to even settle on a design to steal.

Trump Mobile posted an ad on X Wednesday reminding people that the now-described-as "gold finish" T1 smartphone was still coming soon. The company promised in June to have the phone out by August or September, depending on whether you paid attention to the Trump Mobile website or a press release from the Trump Organization. 

Eagle-eyed X users were quick to add a note to the Trump Mobile post pointing out that the photo included in the ad was pretty obviously a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in a case from smartphone accessory maker Spigen – you can zoom in on the photo in the post and clearly see the Spigen logo under the US flag on the device. 

Trump Mobile enters its Samsung era with the latest T1 ad - Click to enlarge and play spot the Spigen

So maybe Spigen has partnered with Trump Mobile on the T1. There's no way a company led by the family of a US president would be so lazy with its photoshopping job, right?

Spigen begs to disagree. "??? bro what," Spigen's X account posted in response to the original post. We reached out to the casemaker to see whether it has any involvement. We haven't heard back, but that response on X seems fairly clear. 

Will the real T1 please stand up?

So, if the T1 smartphone isn't a whitegold-labeled Samsung, then what exactly is it? 

Well, if you were to look at an ad for the T1 from June you might be tricked into thinking it's going to look just like an iPhone 16 Pro.

Behold, the T1 Smartphone Mark 2, a.k.a., the iTrump - Click to enlarge

Or go back to the original photo of the device for a third design that, while having the three-camera configuration of an iPhone, lacks other features, suggesting it's a different device entirely. 

The Trump Mobile T1 smartphone, Mark 1 - Click to enlarge

Then there's the change in language from the T1's page on Trump Mobile's website. In June, it called the T1 "proudly designed and built in the United States." The T1 of late August is now a device "designed with American values in mind" that is "brought to life right here in the USA" with "American hands behind every device." There's also no longer a mention of when the T1 is coming out on the product's page, with the only indication of its delivery being a statement that it will be released "later this year." 

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Given the company can't seem to settle on which popular smartphone to rip off for the T1's design, we can understand the need to push back the launch date. We reached out to Trump Mobile to get some answers, but didn't hear back. ®