Apple picker Not everyone can buy a new original iPhone, so they choose different options to get it. Someone visits a bazaar or an internet auction and buys an older second-hand model. The desire to own something similar to an iPhone smartphone is sometimes treacherous, you can even be cheated. Instead of the original, you pay for an imitation or fake.
The market is literally flooded with "pseudo" iPhones, the price of which is an order of magnitude lower. No wonder - some of these imitations have only a distant appearance in common with the original. All iPhone models from the very first to the latest model are copied. But some Chinese creations can no longer even be called imitations, they are rather fakes. With its appearance and practically perfect copying of details, it will deceive many interested parties.
However, there are those who are attracted by the low price and foolishly think that they have bought an iPhone advantageously. But they won't notice that the ad said "non-genuine iPhone" or "copy iPhone" or even "perfect iPhone copy". After that, they can only wonder why their phones have a removable battery or why iOS looks "kinda weird".
Don't be fooled
So what should you definitely look out for in auction texts and ads if you want to buy an iPhone?
- A strikingly low price.
- Appearance of the box. Whether it looks like an original Apple box or not. But the copycats are very clever.
- The design of the iPhone itself. Does it have different dimensions, differently placed connectors, etc. Pay attention to the back of the phone, quite often the iPhone inscription is missing here.
- Appearance of the operating system and icons. Andoid, which is often imitated, runs visually like iOS. But if you go deeper, for example, into the system settings, quite often it is impossible to set nothing.
- On origin. Check where the phone is coming from.
- If you have any doubts, definitely do not buy the phone.
In this article, we look at five of the best clones that are almost indistinguishable from the original, as well as five clones that failed. This list is not exhaustive, but it is sufficient to illustrate the work of imitators.
The five worst imitations
CECT A380i
I think we can unequivocally declare this "iPhone" as the "winner" of this category. Just by looking at it, you'd have to have a pretty good imagination to even figure out that this is supposed to be an iPhone. In its appearance, it can remotely resemble the iPhone 3G or 3GS - mainly with the silver trim. Another thing that this device resembles the real iPhone are the dimensions: 110×53×13 mm, iPhone 4S: 115×59×9 mm. Another similarity is that the CECT A380i has the same Bluetooth as the iPhone 4S (not 4.0, of course, but only 2.0). The built-in camera has a resolution of only 1,3 Mpx. It also has a calculator, world time, an alarm clock (this imitation iPhone can use up to 3 alarms at the same time) and an MP3 player. The size of the CECT A380i display is 3″ (compared to the 3,5″ of the iPhone 4S) and displays a full 240 colors, the standby time is 180-300 hours (in this it is better than the iPhone itself, which lasts “only” 200 hours) and you can make calls 240-360 minutes (vs. 14 hours for iPhone 4S). This iPhone "clone" supports MP3, MP4, midi, wav, jpg and gif formats. There is one more thing they have in common with the original, and that is the color black. The interesting thing is that even this would-be iPhone has a motion and light sensor. And you can have all this for only 80 dollars (approx. 1560 CZK) - so what are you waiting for?
C2000
Can you imagine your iPhone like this? If you answered "no", your answer is correct, it doesn't have much in common with the real iPhone (even though I sell them as an imitation iPhone), perhaps only black color, dimensions 116×61×11 mm (iPhone 4S is 115×59× 9 mm), Bluetooth 2.0 (iPhone 4S has version 4.0), voice recording, games and alarm clock, also display size – 3,2 inches compared to 3,5 inches of iPhone 4S. The last common feature is MP3 playback. This "miracle" device also has a 0,3 Mpx camera (iPhone 4S has 8 Mpx). There may also be a small similarity in the operating system, but only really very small. Another amazing feature of this "iPhone" is the built-in 244 KB memory or unit converter, calendar and even FM radio. You can buy this device for $105,12. If you buy ten straight, you'll only pay $100,88 for one - isn't that a bargain?
Beyond E-Tech Duet D8
We're not going to lie, this iPhone clone doesn't even look like a real iPhone. Duet D8 has a 2,8″ display (iPhone 4S has 3,5″) and displays 65 colors. A 000-megapixel camera absolutely cannot compete with an 8-megapixel iPhone, as well as the memory that this device only has in common. Also, the talk time of 240 minutes is not even close to the iPhone (iPhone 4S up to 14 hours). Of course, this "iPhone" also has Bluetooth, but not 4.0. In fact, the only common features are the calculator, stopwatch, SMS and MMS writing, and MP3 playback. This is a relatively new model, it was introduced in January 2012. The price of $149,99 is a bit excessive.
Phone 5 TV
It seems that the people who designed this "iPhone" had bad eyesight or were just misinformed. The only thing this device has in common with the iPhone 4S is Bluetooth support, a roughly 3,2″ display (the iPhone 4S has 3,5″), tools like an alarm clock or calendar, and black and white colors and a “Home Button”. What this mobile phone has in addition is the support of two SIM cards at the same time, watching analog TV and FM radio. Plus, the Phone 5 TV can last up to 400 hours on standby, 5 hours on the internet, 40 hours on music and 5 hours on video – isn't that amazing? This "iPhone" supports MP3, WAV, AMR, AWB, 3GP and MP4 formats. Of course, it also has a 1,3 Mpx camera (iPhone 4S has 8 Mpx). In addition to the colors white and black, you can also have pink and blue for only $53,90 (approximately CZK 1050).
Dapeng T6000
This device might remind you of an iPhone if you ditched the bottom buttons for a Home Button, but that's until you find out that the Dapeng T6000 has a slide-out keyboard. However, it comes closest to the iPhone 4S in terms of features from our infamous five, as it has Wi-Fi and also a front camera. However, you would search for an internal memory of 71,8 MB, a 2 Mpx camera or a slide-out keyboard endlessly on a real iPhone and still not find them. What makes the Dapeng "better" than the iPhone is the 3,6" display (which only displays 256 colors), the battery life of 400-500 hours, and again the presence of an FM radio (but what iPhone owner can't use the App Store to download the radio). Language does not prevent you from buying this "iPhone", because Dapeng T6000 also supports Czech. The price was set at $125.
Top five imitations
GooPhone i5
This iPhone 5 knockoff is probably the most perfect of them all. The operating system, although it is said to be Android, can fool inexperienced users quite easily, because it looks practically the same as iOS 6. With the iPhone 5, this copy really has a lot in common - a four-inch display (although not Retina), Wi-Fi 802.11 (but only supports b/g protocols, whereas the iPhone 5 supports a/b/g/n), 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of user memory (the GoPhone does not offer 32 or 64 GB versions). With the GooPhone i5, just like with the iPhone 5, you connect to 3G, but it should be noted that the iPhone 5 also supports 4G networks. Both phones also have an 8MP rear camera and a front-facing camera (in this case, the GooPhone is better because the front camera takes 1,3MP photos, while the iPhone 5 is "only" 1,2MP). Another feature that this knockoff has over the iPhone 5 is FM radio and support for formats like .avi or .mkv. If you're not sure if you have a GooPhone i5 or an iPhone 5, turn your device over and look at the back, if you see the bee logo on it, it's a GooPhone. You can get this clone just like the original iPhone for $199.
Attention! However, there are also GooPhone i5 models, for which the label of fake is more appropriate!
phone
This is one of the most perfect copies of the iPhone 4, so perfect that an inexperienced user would not be able to tell the difference. However, the hardware is not as perfect as the appearance. Instead of the Apple A4 chip, a cheap and low-power MTK6235 is used (with a frequency of 208 MHz, instead of 1 GHz), and the flash memory capacity is only 4 GB. The display is not glass, although it supports mul3itouch and has a size of 3,5 inches, but IPS technology is completely missing and the resolution is only 480×320 pixels (iPhone 4 has 960×640 pixels). Another deceptive element is the functional side button for silencing the "iPhone", the front and rear camera (but only with a resolution of 2 Mpx) or the 3,5 mm jack. However, it can handle calls in a 3G network (4G would be hard to find), supports Wi-Fi (802.11b/g; however, the current iPhone already supports a/b/g/n), Bluetooth, iBook, voice recording, AVI, MP4 playback, MP3, RMVB and 3GP. Its endurance is also very similar: 200-300 hours, but it is not so famous with the endurance during phone calls: only 4-5 hours (compared to 14 hours of the iPhone 4). Also, the operating system is not iOS, but something very similar. You can have this device starting at an amazing $119,99, but unfortunately it only comes in black.
Gallery
Gallery
iPhone 4S
A copy of the iPhone. This one is even so advanced that it has a 3Mpx camera - rear camera (not 2Mpx like the previous copy) with "flash" and a 1Mpx front camera. And it even supports only one MicroSIM card and even supports TF cards (MicroSD) up to 32GB capacity, while the built-in memory is 4GB. A 3,5″ display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, MP3 player and audio recording, calendar, unit converter, alarm clock and other tools are a matter of course. It even has a motion and light sensor, so it lets you change wallpapers and songs with a shake. Unfortunately, again, you won't find an Apple A4 chip in it, but only MT6235 and you'd look for iOS in vain. Even after opening the package, you would not know that it is not a real iPhone, because the package contains identical headphones, a USB cable, a plug adapter and a manual. Standby time is 240-280 hours (so slightly higher than iPhone 4S: 200 hours). And we can rejoice, because the Hiphone 4S is available in black and white, and even us Czechs can count in it - because it supports the Czech language. If you're wondering how much you can get this "iPhone", it's $135.
Android i89
Don't be fooled by the name, this really isn't a Samsung or HTC, but another iPhone copy, but this time with Google's Android operating system. This iPhone clone is even more advanced in terms of hardware than the previous iPhone knockoff. It has a Media Tek MTK6516 460 MHz + 280 MHz chip - which is even closer to the 1GHz iPhone 4. The Android i89 also has 256 MB of RAM and 512 MB of ROM, which is an amazing advance on iPhone replicas. Bluetooth, tools such as an alarm clock, calendar or stopwatch, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, two cameras with a resolution of 2 Mpx (which is a step back compared to the previous copy) or a 3,5″ display are no surprise, but don't expect Retina. The novelty, however, is GPS, which the other copies did not have. Battery life is 300 hours, you can listen to music for 40 hours, play video for 5 hours. Another surprise for you can also be a replaceable battery (there are two in the package). Conversely, the absence of Czech language support or only black color could be disappointing. This model is offered for $215,35.
záver
In this case, imitations are definitely not worth buying - "perfect iPhone copies" in no way have the performance of a real iPhone, they don't even have the same functions, and the price may not always be completely low. You will realize that you have wasted money on a semi-functional "shop". So it's definitely worth paying extra to get an original iPhone. Even if it's just an older model.
I'm not rich enough to buy cheap stuff.
Rothschild
Personally, I would never buy a subpoena. It's not just the iPhone, but overall. It's as ridiculous to me as seeing darker neighbors wearing Emporio A on our street.
the problem is that you can buy it at Aukro in good faith, that it is an original and someone simply upgrades to a higher model and sells the older one.
some time ago, I bought BOCHS drills like this :(
The original iPhone can only be purchased in the Czech Republic from operators or at Apple.cz. We can't buy cheaper than on Apple.cz, because the operators charge some thousands and everything else is a fake or a purchase of a model blocked for another market. I saw a few surprised faces of knockoff owners who paid 5000 for a $30 knockoff.
Stupidity pays.
I was quite satisfied with the dual-SIM iPhone that I bought for CZK 800 in China. He lived a year before I drowned him in the bathtub :(
The biggest joke is that some imitations with android, if they have sufficient hw equipment, are more usable than the original... :-D
So you are a comedian:
Some imitations with android, if they have sufficient hw equipment, are more usable than the original.
Android needs at least a 1,5x faster processor to keep up, and the hardware is almost always weaker than the original. Try to write me some more usable imitation.
I don't know exactly what it was called. But I had in my hand a fairly decent 4 core with 1GB Ram and HD IPS approx. 4,5″ display. Everything worked smoothly and smoothly. I was surprised at the price of around 4500 CZK.
The original was not 4 core. And it didn't have 1GB of RAM. And it worked.
Except for a lot of things that I'm used to using and still can't do today... :-D