Unplugged is a smartphone brand that focuses on privacy. It is not like regular brands that launch flashy phones every year; instead, it focuses on giving privacy tools and security features to users. Now this company is coming with a big change — it will start making its UP Phone in the US, in Nevada. This will start from this fall season. This move comes at a time when US President Donald Trump is pushing companies to make more products in the country.
In this article, we will see what Unplugged is planning with its US assembly, what changes it is bringing to the new UP Phone, its price, features, and when it will be available.
Unplugged the US assembly plan
Unplugged has said that it will begin assembling its UP Phone in Nevada. The company’s CEO, Joe Weil, who earlier worked with Apple, shared that they want to keep the phone’s price below $1000 even when making it in the US. Right now, the phone is made in Indonesia and costs $989. The company will first start with just assembling the phone in Nevada, and slowly also bring parts sourcing to the US.
For this work, Unplugged has chosen a company that earlier worked in refurbishing phones and is now moving to assembling. The CEO did not reveal how many units they will make in Nevada or the name of the partner company. Also, there is no information on who the investors are or how much funding they have received.
Why making phones in the US is a big step
Experts say making smartphones in the US is costly because most parts and the supply chain are in Asia, and also because of high wages in America. But President Trump has been putting pressure on brands like Apple to make more devices in the US by talking about tariffs and other rules.
Unplugged plans to reduce some costs by making phones in smaller, steady batches instead of launching a new model every year. This also matches their business idea, where they focus on software updates and security instead of yearly new hardware.
UP Phone features and software
The new UP Phone is already up for preorder and will start shipping in late September. It comes with one year of access to Unplugged’s special privacy software. This includes a firewall system that blocks trackers, a VPN service, and encrypted photo storage. After one year, users can keep using these tools by paying $12.99 per month.
The new version has the same hardware as the 2024 model but with some upgrades in software. It now has a redesigned interface, a firewall dashboard, and improved camera software for better photos.
Price and availability of UP Phone
Unplugged wants to keep the price below $1000, even with US assembly. The current price is $989, and with features like a privacy firewall, VPN, and encrypted storage, it is aimed at people who care about security more than fancy looks.
The phone will be made in Nevada in smaller numbers at first, and then the company will slowly expand production. The first batch will reach customers starting late September 2025.
There is also news that Trump Mobile, another smartphone brand that uses President Trump’s name, is planning to make its first T1 handset in the US as well. This means more smartphone brands are thinking about US production in the coming years.