We're Testing the 'Gold' T1 Trump Mobile Phone. Day 3 (Live Updates)
CNET’s live review says the Trump Mobile T1 arrived after delays, with middling call quality, weaker battery life, and fresh security concerns after a reported data leak.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
CNET is spending the long weekend using the Trump Mobile T1 as a daily phone and publishing live findings. Early results point to a delayed handset with average call quality, weaker battery performance, and account-security changes after a reported breach.
CNET is trying out a new phone from Trump Mobile like a kid testing a new bike for the whole weekend. At first, it works, but it does not seem super special.
The calls sound okay, but not amazing. The battery also runs down faster than some other new phones, like a toy that needs charging sooner than expected.
There is one more problem: the company may have had a data leak, which is like someone leaving a drawer open with names inside. That makes people worry about safety, not just the phone itself.
Analysis
What CNET is testing
CNET says the Trump Mobile T1 finally arrived after a long delay, almost a year after the announcement and months after the original planned launch. The outlet is using it as a main phone over Memorial Day weekend and publishing live updates on everyday performance.
Early hardware and network impressions
On calls, the phone was usable, but CNET noticed less noise cancellation than on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, with more background noise reaching the other side. Voice quality was clear enough for a normal conversation, but not especially impressive.
Battery testing also looked mixed. In CNET’s standard test suite, the T1 lost 10% during a 45-minute stress test and fell to 78% after a 3-hour YouTube session. CNET notes that those results trail several current phones and says the numbers fit a theory that the phone may be based on older hardware, possibly a rebranded HTC U24 Pro 5G with a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip running Android 15.
Launch issues and security concerns
The article says Trump Mobile originally promised a U.S.-made phone and an August 2025 launch, but later dropped the made-in-the-U.S. claim and delayed shipping. CNET also says a redesign on the website makes this the handset’s third visual revision.
Security has become part of the story too. CNET cites a report that Trump Mobile suffered a data leak affecting an estimated 27,000 people. After trying to log in over the weekend, CNET staff saw extra security steps, including a captcha, a forced password reset, and a second login screen requiring a 6-digit code. The company had not responded to CNET’s questions about how many people were affected or what data was exposed.
Key points
- CNET received the Trump Mobile T1 late and is testing it as a daily phone over Memorial Day weekend.
- Call quality is serviceable, but background noise cancellation appears weaker than on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus.
- Battery results in CNET’s standard tests trail several current phones.
- CNET says the phone may be based on older HTC hardware running Android 15.
- The article also highlights a reported Trump Mobile data leak and new account security steps.
