technology
Trump Mobile T1 Phone Features US Flag With 11 Stripes Instead of 13
The Verge reported that the newly released promotional materials for Trump Mobile's T1 Phone display an American flag with an incorrect number of stripes. The company announced this week that phones would begin shipping, yet no buyers have reported receiving alerts or devices as of May 15, 2026. A near-final prototype shown in February featured the correct 13 stripes.
May 15, 12:47 PM·2m read2 sources
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Trump Mobile's T1 Phone bears a US flag on its back with only 11 stripes instead of the correct 13, The Verge reported on May 15, 2026. The flag does include the proper 50 stars. The 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies.
A near-final version of the T1 Phone shown in February had a US flag with the correct 13 stripes. Trump Mobile changed its logo for the final release, resulting in the 11-stripe version. One promotional video shot even displays a flag with only 9 stripes.
The promotional video for the T1 Phone, released in the week of May 11-15 2026, shows the logo with 11 stripes in most shots. The texture of the T1 Phone’s golden finish varies between frosted and perfectly shiny in different shots. It also shows three different versions of the boot-up screen and three different versions of the phone box.
A scratch is visible on the camera module in one fleeting shot of the T1 Phone promotional video but is absent in subsequent shots. The inconsistencies have raised questions about the extent of AI generation used in the video. The Verge suggested a real phone may have been filmed alongside AI-generated clips.
Trump Mobile announced that its phones will begin shipping to buyers during the week of May 11-15 2026. As of May 15, 2026, no credible online reports exist of any buyer receiving a shipping alert or physical T1 Phone. The Verge had not received any email notification that its two ordered T1 Phones were ready to ship.
The Verge reached out to Trump Mobile on May 15, 2026 to ask about the T1 Phone’s whereabouts and whether the company knows how many stripes are on the US flag. Dominic Preston, the article's author, is a news editor who previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor. The Verge published his article at 4:47 PM UTC on May 15, 2026.
