In a major shift, a company is now assembling its smartphones on US soil. While rumors swirl about Apple’s potential move to produce iPhones in the US, one company is already making it happen. The Unplugged company, known for its privacy-centric UP Phone, will start assembling its devices in Nevada this fall, according to a Reuters report.
This move aligns with the Trump administration’s push for increased domestic manufacturing, a trend that has seen Apple pledge billions to the US economy.
Unplugged’s CEO, Joe Weil, who has past experience with Apple, explained that this shift is aimed at keeping the price of their privacy-focused smartphones under $1,000 despite the higher labor costs in the US. Currently, their Indonesian-made model sells for $989, but with labor costs in the US being significantly higher, the company faces a tough challenge in keeping the price point the same.
The company plans to begin with assembly in the US and gradually work towards sourcing more components domestically. While Unplugged has chosen a refurbishing company turned assembly partner, Weil declined to name the partner or disclose any production numbers, investor details, or funding amounts.
Building smartphones in the US remains a rare feat, primarily due to the concentration of supply chains in Asia and the higher labor costs in America. However, the US government has been exerting pressure on tech companies, including Apple, to increase domestic production through tariffs and other policy measures. Unplugged hopes to manage costs by producing smaller, more consistent batches, rather than following the typical model of launching new versions every year.
The UP Phone is now available for preorder, set to ship in late September. It will come with one year of Unplugged’s privacy suite, which includes tracker blocking, a VPN, and encrypted photo storage, before transitioning to a monthly $12.99 subscription. While the updated model shares the same hardware as the 2024 version, it introduces a new interface, a firewall dashboard, and enhanced camera software.
Privacy remains the core focus of the UP Phone. The device’s firewall blocks access to over 225,000 known data-harvesting servers, and its custom UnpluggedOS-based on the Android Open Source Project-removes all Google services and their associated data tracking. Despite this, it still supports most Android-compatible apps. Additionally, a no-logs VPN keeps users’ IP addresses hidden, and system-level sensor controls allow users to block access to the microphone, camera, Bluetooth, and other sensors. For browsing, the UP Phone comes preloaded with Brave, which facilitates private, AI-assisted web searches directly on the device.