The Trump phone will start shipping following months of delays

Nearly a year after Trump Mobile started taking US$100 deposits and a few days after its website updated to say delivery was “conditional,” the gold-plated Trump Phone will begin shipping this week, the company announced. (Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource)

Nearly a year after Trump Mobile started taking US$100 deposits and a few days after its website updated to say delivery was “conditional,” the gold-plated Trump Phone will begin shipping this week, the company announced.

The US$499 Trump Phone, officially known as the Trump Mobile T1 and strongly resembling a Chinese phone that retails for less than $200 at Walmart, is not quite what that the Trump Organization initially promised. The smartphone will have a smaller screen and less memory storage, but the crucial Trump brand and golden hue appear to remain in place.

Fortune called attention to the fact that the phone’s pre-order terms had changed to say that the company “does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase,” and that a deposit merely represents a “conditional opportunity” to buy a phone “if” Trump Mobile decided to sell one.

But then the company posted a series of announcements to Facebook – its first in more than six months.

“Those who pre-ordered the T1 Phone will be receiving an update email. Phones start shipping this week!!!,” one of the posts read. The company also turned off the comment section.

Trump Mobile said the phone, which was originally supposed to ship last August, experienced delays due to the steps necessary to bring the complicated tech to market.

“The technology business is more difficult than some may realize as parts must be tested for quality assurances,” CEO Pat O’Brien told CNN in a statement. “With demand being incredibly high, orders are being fulfilled as quickly as possible, and we anticipate all will be completed within the next several weeks.”

The timeline for finalizing software, manufacturer agreements and other contracts necessary for Android devices typically takes about 18 months, according to Max Weinbach, an analyst for tech research firm Creative Strategies.

“There tend to be a lot of hoops to jump through to get an Android device on the market,” he told CNN via email.

The Android-powered phone was first touted as being “Made in USA.” But that claim was quickly scrapped, and changed to “designed with American values in mind,” according to screenshots previously taken by CNN.

The revised language came after industry analysts expressed skepticism about the phone’s American origins, noting that its specifications resembled a phone made by a Chinese manufacturer.

Ryan Reith, group vice president for the International Data Corporation’s Worldwide Device Tracker, previously told CNN that terms like “designed” and “built” are very vague.

That makes it unclear precisely what parts of the phone making process would have taken place in the US. Apple, for example, designs its phones in California, but assembles them in areas like China and India with components from international suppliers.

The launch has sparked questions about Trump using his name for profit while he’s in office. The phone was created by the Trump Organization, which is the main holding company for President Trump’s private businesses, and is run by his eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr.

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said that the delay “looks like another Trump scam.”

The data and voice plan costs $47.45, an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s terms as the 47th and 45th president of the United States.