What you see in the picture above is the T-Great and its idea is to be a “truly American smartphone” that combines Apple, “American symbolism” and “jewelry artistry”.
It costs nearly $11,000. Although, if you pay in crypto, you could get in for $9,900. But if you’ve got tens of thousands of dollars to spend on such a device, chances are, you won’t care for any discounts.
Why is it so expensive?
It’s over ten grand! | Image by Caviar
In a word, gold. The iPhone 17 Pro Max model (the 1 TB version) has a protruded 24-karat gold letter “T” (for Trump) on its back. While the overall design isn’t quite to my taste, the letter itself reminds me of the medieval Knights Templar’s emblem.
The Trump T1 Phone pales in comparison. | Image by Trump Mobile
The gold plating is supported by the American flag at the bottom of the back panel. There are 50 stars and 13 stripes on it. These are made of colored jewelry enamel with gold dividers.
Is this for real?
Here’s a closer look. | Image by Caviar
Very much so. Caviar’s customization wizards have been around for many years and they certainly know what they’re doing.Their phones ship with an international certificate of authenticity with 5 protection levels. There’s a personal certificate for the owner, too.
The company explicitly states that all of their products are “completely original” and are manufactured with the use of precious and rare materials.
Custom-made iPhones and Galaxies get a warranty for a period of one year. I was about to whine about how this isn’t the usual two-year warranty that I’m used to, but then it struck me. If one buys a phone for ten grand (or more), it’s highly unlikely that one’ll keep using the same device for more than 10–12 months.
Remember the Trump-Putin $2,500 Nokia?
It’s been almost 10 years since this bad boy. | Image by Caviar
Such phones will always find their owners – they’re extravagant and attention-overdosing (you’ve got to decide for yourself whether I’m talking about the phones or their owners).
The new T-Great, which sounds like “degrade” when pronounced, made me recall the 2017 Trump-Putin phone. This was a crafted Nokia 3310 which came with a Damascus steel pattern and lots of gold plates. Both Putin and Trump, who were incorrectly presented as friends in the media back then, were put together in a 1920s Soviet-style emblem at the back of the phone.Ah, the good old times.
