GoKawiilAfter Apple’s Surprise and Shine event on Wednesday, which debuted the long-rumored foldable iPhone Duo with a starting price of $1,999, the conversation at my home has mainly centered on our mobile phone expenses and whether it’s worth upgrading.
Well, good news: There is a flashy phone on the market that is cheaper than the hyped-up foldable. OK, there are many well below that price, but do they operate on an outdated operating system? Are they painted gold?
Ring the alarms and throw the confetti; I am talking about Trump Mobile’s golden T1 Phone.
Read more: Trump Mobile and its T1 Phone Don’t Make Any Sense, Even for Trump Fans
The gold-colored mobile device was originally priced at an affordable $499. Due to a quiet price hike the provider implemented overnight, as first reported by The Verge, the Trump phone is now marked at $749. That’s a $250 increase, making the T1 a more expensive option over the iPhone 17E. Control your excitement.
A Trump Mobile spokesperson didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment.
Trump Mobile didn’t explain the cost increase, but the writing has been on the wall for some time. The company’s execs went on record earlier this year with The Verge that the initial $499 price tag was a temporary introductory price. It’s even possible for the T1 to become more expensive, with a price of up to $999 in the future. So, you know, embrace this price while you can.
That said, the company didn’t provide any firm explanation beyond that, leading us to speculate that this could be due to the ongoing global memory chip shortage driven by the AI boom, known as RAMageddon. Apple recently implemented an array of price hikes due to the RAM shortage, upping the price of its older iPhone lineup, iPads, MacBooks and more.
But the Trump phone isn’t in the same ballpark as an iPhone. In fact, the Trump phone is essentially a reskinned mid-level HTC handset.
This might be the worst possible shade of gold. Corinne Reichert/CNET
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