Donald Trump's mandate will have been marked by the showdown he has engaged with China over trade and technological relations. Ironically, the anti-censorship smartphone designed for Donald Trump is Chinese. It was designed by Umidigi, a company based in Shenzhen.

Earlier this month, Erik Finman showed off an Android smartphone running an "uncensored" FreedomOS operating system, a so-called "Free-Speech First Operating System" based on Android 10, with its App Store " uncensored” in order to restore the freedom of American patriots. The millionaire is a supporter of Donald Trump who wants to defend freedom of expression.

With the so-called "uncensored" Freedom Phone, Trump supporter Erik Finman wants to bring "free speech" to Americans and restore "control" over their communication. This smartphone, marketed in an extremely patriotic way, is sold at 500 dollars excluding tax (425 euros approximately). As you can imagine, the story does not end there.

Freedom Phone

The Freedom Phone is an inexpensive Chinese smartphone

The Freedom Phone is, in fact, a cheap Chinese smartphone. It is more precisely the Umidigi A9 Pro, a smartphone that can be purchased on AliExpress for less than 100 euros. Umidigi is an unknown brand in Europe, but we often come across their devices on Chinese sites. This Umidigi A9 Pro is positioned as a competitor to the Redmi Note 10.

Umidigi A9 Pro

It is equipped with a MediaTek Helio P60 CPU, this SoC is commonly used in entry-level phones. It is a 2020 smartphone with Android 10, a 6.3-inch IPS screen in Full HD definition and several cameras on its back. In short, a smartphone typical of the Shenzhen region in China where the vast majority of Chinese brands are found.

An ironic incident

As you can see, the price difference is huge. Freedom seems to focus on the software aspect, with anti-tracking tools, a personalized “PatriApp Store” app store and pre-installed applications that will satisfy the American far right. Beyond the price, the Chinese origin of this smartphone is certainly the most ironic situation.

With Donald Trump, Washington has engaged in a vast showdown with China. The former US president had found nothing better than to call the Covid disease a "Chinese virus", to blacklist a growing number of Chinese companies (including Huawei) and to ban foreign companies using components deemed strategies to work with them. The set was supplemented by an arsenal of protectionist measures, with pressure and admonitions.

By promoting a smartphone equipped with an anti-censorship OS, the Freedom Phone project is above all trying to seduce supporters of Donald Trump and, more broadly, the very conservative American electorate. This example shows that…Read more

To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.