Popular tech reviewer Zack Nelson dismantled the Trump Mobile T1 smartphone, revealing that its internal layout, screws, and interchangeable motherboards match a 2024 HTC model. The teardown follows pricing changes and online scrutiny over the device’s original American manufacturing claims.
Zack Nelson Puts the Trump Mobile T1 Through a Teardown
Popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson, known online as JerryRigEverything, published a nine-and-a-half-minute review on 29 October 2026 examining the Trump-branded smartphone. Nelson subjected the device to scratch, burn, and bend tests before taking it apart in his workshop.
Under the blade, the display glass on the handset scratched at level six on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves appearing at level seven, which reviewers noted is standard performance for modern mobile devices. The frame and housing withstood bending from multiple directions without cracking or suffering structural failure. Alongside these tests, the reviewer pointed out that the phone’s national emblem featured 11 stripes instead of the standard 13, and noted that the president’s name appeared a specific number of times in the Epstein files while commenting on political records.
Trump Phone Durability Test – Its worse than we thought… pic.twitter.com/HinP0JPf7X
Motherboard Swaps Confirm Hardware Ties to HTC U24 Pro
Beyond physical durability, the examination focused on internal components. Disassembly revealed that the Trump T1 shares its dimensions, display resolution, button placement, headphone jack, and microSD card slot with the HTC U24 Pro, a Taiwanese mid-range smartphone released in 2024. This followed an earlier investigation by repair specialists iFixit that also documented design similarities between the handsets.
The internal layout showed matching screw counts, positioning, and component placement. To test compatibility, Nelson swapped the motherboards between the Trump T1 and an HTC U24 Pro. Both devices booted up immediately and functioned normally after the exchange, confirming identical underlying hardware platforms.
| Hardware Feature | Trump Mobile T1 | HTC U24 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 120Hz | 6.78-inch OLED, 120Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | Unsupported |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP main, 50MP telephoto, 8MP ultrawide | 50MP main, 50MP telephoto, 8MP ultrawide |
Reviewers also noted exterior modifications. The T1 features a gold-colored plastic back panel, a modified camera housing shape, preloaded software including Truth Social, and a graphic of the American flag printed with 11 stripes instead of the standard 13 representing the original colonies. An HTC spokesperson previously stated that the company does not design or manufacture phones for third parties.
Pricing Shifts and Marketing Language Changes Since Launch
The device was initially unveiled in June 2025 as an alternative to big tech. Early promotional materials marketed the handset as proudly designed and built in the United States. Within weeks of that announcement, website phrasing was altered to state that the phone was designed with American values in mind and shaped by American innovation.
Don Hendrickson, one of the founders of Trump Mobile, told The Verge that the company only ever maintained a goal of domestic manufacturing.
The president himself has not commented on the Trump Mobile phone, and representatives did not respond regarding the teardown findings or manufacturing origin.
More on Trump Mobile
#Trump's #phone has arrived: a regular plastic #device in a #gold tone that was supposed to have a metal finish. Users are complaining about the cloudy plastic. pic.twitter.com/efUiynFnGU
Not to mention that a data breach exposed every buyers personal information and only about 3,000 of them sold 😭😂
Zack Nelson compared Trump’s $499 T1 phone with the HTC U24 Pro, uncovering striking similarities in their designs and internal components.The handset’s flawed American flag design also led Nelson to question Trump’s patriotic branding. pic.twitter.com/TzDEy9YdwL