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Deutsche Telekom’s planned AI phone did not remain a 2026, sub-$1,000 launch story: the company later identified its AI Phone as the T Phone 3, announced for sale from August 14, 2025, with a German launch price of €149. A related, higher-spec T Phone 3 Pro followed in October 2025. The earlier 2026 date and under-$1,000 price were a forecast reported in March 2025, not confirmation of a separate 2026 phone.
Why the original 2026 announcement is easy to misread
On March 3, 2025, TechCrunch reported Deutsche Telekom’s plan to unveil an AI smartphone in the second half of 2025 and begin selling it in 2026. The report said Telekom expected a price below $1,000 and an initial focus on Europe; it also noted that the company had not yet disclosed the handset’s specifications or manufacturer. Those details describe the plan at that time, not the eventual retail product. TechCrunch’s March 2025 report.
What product arrived instead?
T Phone 3: the announced AI Phone
In its August 14, 2025 announcement, Deutsche Telekom called its AI Phone the T Phone 3. The company said it would be available in Germany and nine other European countries. Its reported German launch price was €149, or €1 when purchased with a tariff. Telekom said the German launch offer included 18 months of Perplexity Pro and three months of Picsart Pro, plus 500 additional Picsart credits per month. These are launch-era details, not confirmation of current price, stock or subscription terms. Deutsche Telekom’s T Phone 3 announcement.
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T Phone 3 Pro: a later related model
Telekom announced the T Phone 3 Pro on October 14, 2025, with a reported German launch price of €229, or €1 with a tariff. Its announcement listed a 6.8-inch high-resolution 120 Hz display, a triple camera with stabilization, and the Perplexity Assistant. The reported bundle included 18 months of Perplexity Pro and a 12-month Picsart Pro license with 500 additional credits per month. Prices differed by country, and the announcement does not establish current offers. Deutsche Telekom’s T Phone 3 Pro announcement.
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| Model | Timing | German launch price reported by Telekom | Reported launch subscriptions | Disclosed details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T Phone 3 | Available from August 14, 2025 | €149; €1 with a tariff | Perplexity Pro: 18 months; Picsart Pro: 3 months, plus 500 credits monthly | Perplexity Assistant; Telekom reported 90/100 Eco Rating |
| T Phone 3 Pro | Announced October 14, 2025 | €229; €1 with a tariff | Perplexity Pro: 18 months; Picsart Pro: 12 months, plus 500 credits monthly | 6.8-inch 120 Hz display; triple camera with stabilization; Telekom reported 88/100 Eco Rating |
The €1 prices were tariff-linked launch prices, not standalone handset prices. Deutsche Telekom reported the Eco Rating scores; the announcements cited here do not provide the rating methodology.
What the Perplexity AI experience was meant to do
Telekom’s March 2025 concept announcement described an assistant reachable from the lock screen or by double-tapping the power button. It outlined tasks such as translation, summarizing, drafting emails, creating calendar entries, making calls, playing music and bookings. Telekom said the assistant would handle speech, text and images, and named Google Cloud AI, ElevenLabs and Picsart among its other AI partners. These capabilities were described at the announcement stage; they should not be treated as a verified feature checklist for every later model. Deutsche Telekom’s March 2025 concept announcement.
At the T Phone 3 launch, Telekom said the Perplexity assistant remained on the device. It also described Magenta AI access through the MeinMagenta app for customers who did not buy the phone, so the announcement positioned AI access as more than a handset-only proposition. The MWC 2026 factsheet describes deeper integration between Perplexity Assistant and the Perplexity Comet browser as a next step in the company’s device vision; it does not establish that Comet integration had reached customers. Deutsche Telekom’s MWC 2026 factsheet.
Was there a separate phone launched in 2026?
The MWC 2026 factsheet describes the T Phone 3, T Phone 3 Pro and T Tablet 2 as products launched in 2025. The sources cited here do not establish that a separate phone matching the March 2025 projection—a new AI handset priced under $1,000 and launched in 2026—was subsequently released. The most directly supported identification is that Telekom’s AI Phone became the T Phone 3, with the T Phone 3 Pro as a later related model.
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What to know before treating launch details as current
- Availability: Telekom’s cited announcements establish launch markets and launch timing, not present-day inventory or availability in a particular country.
- Price: The euro figures above are German launch prices. The tariff-linked €1 offers are not the same as an untied price, and neither figure confirms today’s pricing.
- Subscriptions: The Perplexity Pro and Picsart terms were launch bundles reported by Telekom. The cited sources do not confirm that either offer remains active.
- Environmental ratings: Telekom reported 90/100 for the T Phone 3 and 88/100 for the T Phone 3 Pro; the cited releases do not explain the scoring methodology.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
