This year, we’re going to expect more product launches from Apple. That includes the second generation iPad, the rumored iPhone 5, and perhaps some refreshes on iPods, as well as with the MacBooks.
But that also undoubtedly means more clones of these gadgets in the gray markets.
The iPhone 4 was a hit for Apple in 2010 and despite having lots of criticisms for several issues like the Antennagate, the iOS 4 DST bug, and this year’s first Alarm Clock bug – it’s still one of the best smartphones out there. There’s no doubt a Chinese company blatantly duplicated the iPhone 4, and now has a near-perfect clone called SoPhone 4.
The SoPhone 4
Sporting an external hardware design identical to the iPhone 4, the SoPhone 4 is purportedly powered by a MTK6235 chipset and behaves alluringly with its 480 x 320 capacitive touch screen where you can see the incredibly similar interface with iOS 4. It’s a GSM phone with supports for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies, has front and rear cameras, FM Radio, 4GB Flash storage, and a replaceable 1400mAh battery. And the price? I guess you’d love to hear it will cost around $210 or even cheaper when we see this somewhere in local shelves. Watch the video after the break.
iPhone 5, or whatever name Steve Jobs will give to it, is coming in the next 6 months.
There’s no official specs released yet, or Apple didn’t have any word of how it exactly looks – but the company’s product trends suggest we’ll get to see another iPhone next year, obviously!
iPhone 5 Clone?
What’s quite interesting to hear for now though, is the fact that our Chinese friends were able to clone the speculated fifth-generation smartphone from Apple. Wondering how it looks like? See it yourself above…
This iPhone 5 clone is said to be running Android OS instead of the original iOS which powers Apple iDevices. Designed to have a combination of the third and fourth generation iPhones in terms of form-factor and hardware design, this toy is packed with a 3.5 low-resolution touch screen, with front and rear cameras, as well as function buttons as seen on original iPhones. For you to picture out the whole extent of the design perfectly, check out the video after the break. Oh, by the way the video is in Chinese!
When iPhone 4 was released in the US and later here in the Philippines, cheaper replica of the gadget are also being sold on gray markets as low as $100 or Php 5,000. There was even a white version caught, while Apple delayed it several times. I’d bet this will also sell on the same price range, or even better if vendors offer a buy 1 – take 1 deals. What do you think? [via]
To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.
