Fake iPhone packaging is displayed on a stall at an outdoor market selling counterfeit Chinese made items in the Golden Triangle, situated along the Thai- Burma border on Nov. 12, 2012 in Tachiliek, Myanmar. (Photo : Getty Images/Paula Bronstein)
While Chinese regulators have challenged Apple's patent, there are several instances of devices strikingly similar to the iPhones being manufacturered and even exported by Chinese firms .
The matter heated up recently when Chinese startup Shenzhen Baili accused Apple of copying the design of its 100C smartphone for the latter's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. While Apple has been asked to stop sales of its flagship smartphones in Beijing, the Beijing IP Court is currently reviewing the issue.
Nevertheless, Chinese manufacturers have copied Apple so often that it is difficult to take Shenzhen Baili's allegations seriously, Mashable reported. A round up of the most popular iPhone fakes in China will help to understand the issue better.
Goophones: Goophones i6S ($129) and i6S Plus ($149) are copycats of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but they come with different hardware and also run on Android. At the same time, they are much cheaper compared to the iPhones. Moreover, instead of carrying the Apple icon on the back, they sport the bumblebee logo.
Knockoff iPhone 6S: This is another fake iPhone available for just $37. The appearance of iPhone 6S is very similar to the original iPhone 6s and is marketed by ARMdevices.net. This handset also does not run on iOS.
Fake iPhone SE: On many occasions, Chinese manufacturers release new "iPhones" even before Apple. In fact, YouTuber EverythingApplePro claimed he purchased a knockoff iPhone SE much before Apple announced the real SE design. The design of this fake iPhone is based on the speculated iPhone SE designs circulating online and its appearance is more similar to iPhone 5S than the iPhone SE.
Imitation C-002 iPhone: This device is a Chinese replication of the original iPhone, called the C-002. Most contemporary imitators make their products resemble the iPhone, the 3.5-inch C-002 iPhone does not follow this path. Aside from the off-center square on the home button and an OS similar to that of Apple, this device can easily pass off for an entirely different smartphone.
Fake "Cool999" iPhone: Makers of the Cool999 iPhone replica are trying hard to sell the device as real iPhone. It has the same 3.5-inch size and same shape of Cool999 iPhone, but runs Windows Mobile 6.0. Moreover, with a thick metallic back, this copycat does not possess the aesthetics of the original iPhone.
Duplicate iOS: Apart from "stealing" iPhone designs as well as hardware and replicating them, some Chinese manufacturers are even coning Apple's software. For instance, Xiaomi recently released an OS called MIUI 6, which is very identical to the iOS 7.
What is interesting is that even the Chinese authorities are aware of such counterfeit activities. Last year, Beijing police arrested nine people, including a couple, for manufacturing and exporting fake iPhones, Fortune reported. The police made these arrests after raiding a factory that was camouflaged as a gadget maintenance company.
The arrested couple reportedly bought second-hand and fake parts with Apple logos from the manufacturing hub of Shenzhen. Subsequently, they hired hundreds of workers to reassemble them on six production lines. A number of these fake devices even landed up in the U.S.
Watch the unboxing of the iPhone SE clone below:
