The iPhone is a benchmark of uniqueness. It may be better, it may be worse but there is no doubt that iPhone is one of a kind brand. There is none like it.
iPhone’s design is iconic. It is a trendsetter, before iPhone we had phones with buttons. Hence, iPhone inspires so many copycats. There are many phones that look suspiciously like iPhones.
Apple hasn’t been a great innovator since modern designing is concerned. In fact they have been criticized for not increasing the screen size in their recent phones. The public feedback forced them to introduce bigger sized smartphones.
Before we point out other companies that copy smart phones from Apple. It is worth mentioning that Apple has a lot of iOS features that it copied from another companies. After all we should be fair.
There are many high-end iPhone copies that are inspired by Apple’s design while others are plain and cheap rip-offs.
Here are five smartphones that resemble iPhone;
Google Pixel and Pixel XL
As far as the Google Pixel and its larger variant Pixel XL are concerned, it is not just the design that is “borrowed” from the iPhone. Everyone has noticed resemblance. The Pixel phone is very much like iPhone.
Apart from having similar designs, the Google’s phone come in two variants (same as iPhone), the pricing is $650 for 5-inch Pixel and $770 for 5.5-inch Pixel XL (again, same as iPhone). And guess what Google has locked control of both software and hardware of Pixel – sounds familiar?
Samsung Galaxy C5
Google isn’t the only company that has modeled its phones after iPhone. Samsung isn’t too far behind. Samsung Galaxy C5 phone is a lot like iPhone 6. C5 phones’ colors are also similar to iPhone 6.
Most damning evidence is the metal shell and band antennas – it is a clear imitation of the iPhone.
However to be fair to Samsung, features wise Samsung Galaxy C5 is way better equipped than iPhone.
HTC One A9
HTC One A9 was an instant success. Seen by many as Android smartphone of the year, HTC One A9 has a solid fan-following and generated a lot of profits. It cannot be said that HTC’s powerhouse is an iPhone rip-off and clearly most people haven’t even noticed, but you cannot deny there is some resemblance.
David Pierce an expert who writes for Wired says it is an excellent marketing strategy for HTC One A9. He says that A9 is a highly efficient Android phone that has glimpses of iPhone and what more would you need.
Xiaomi Mi Note
Another famous writer from Wired Marcus Wohlsen said that he can “easily ditch the iPhone for Xiaomi Mi Note”. His explanation was simple, he believes that Xiaomi Note is so similar to iPhone why should be buy a product that is almost double the price? – Good logic.
Whether Xiaomi Note and iPhone look similar or not, you can be the better judge.
OnePlus X
OnePlus X’s co-founder Carl Pei once said that the phone was designed for people who are brand conscious and like to buy things that look well-designed and have a repute. That sounds just like Apple, through and through.
One Plus X is almost the same size as iPhone 6. There are some similarities between X and iPhone 4 and 5. However, in all honesty it cannot be called a copycat – there are just some similar concept aspects.
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