Attack of the Mobile Clones
The invasion has begun!
They’re everywhere, mobile clones or China Phones as they are also called, are here and there’s no stopping them.
Davao City is not spared from the invasion, over at Victoria Mall, you’ll find mobile phone retail stores selling these clones. What surprised me is that they’re now 40%-60% cheaper than when I first saw them last year.
You’ll see clones branded as an “iPhone” but the tag says its a Q380.The phone rack where its placed is also different- it says Nokia. Confused?
Nowadays, you can buy one for less than P8,000. And that’s the price at mobile stalls and shops. Online, you could even buy it cheaper. And there are many websites offering this clones. The latest I’ve checked is http://www.soundasia.cn. They even have a link to their “Copy Mobile Phones” products so buyers wouldn’t have a hard time identifying which is a copycat and which is not.
Back in August of 2007, I was able to blog about the iPhone being spotted in the Philippines even though it was not yet being offered here, It turned out that it was a clone. But it had SOME of the great features of the real iPhone.
It’s a replica.. [but mostly the physical aspects of it]. It looks like the original on the outside.. but wait till you see what’s on the inside. You see, the popularity of these phones were brought about by their low price, and nifty features. Some features are nowhere to be found or for some, clone manufacturers downgraded the features compared to the original. Like the clone of the Nokia N95, instead of having a 5 megapixel camera, clones can only have up to 2 megapixels. But wait, some clones added some features that’s not in the original. Like the touch screen functionality. Oh, some clones even give you the luxury of having a mobile TV. Isn’t that great!
There are those that have been lured in buying, but others, are not convinced - yet.
There have been reports that these clones pose a threat to the health of the user, They may explode, emit some chemicals, etc. One of the reasons why they are sold cheap is because the materials that are used to make them are of low quality and that the phones did not pass any or more strict quality inspection as what products by big manufacturers has to go through. Furthermore, unlike the originals, these types of phones are not capable of undergoing software upgrade while there are some which are like disposables that when it bugs down, not even a software re-installation can save it. And there still quite a few people or repair centers which you can go to for repair if ever your clone gets damaged.
So, care for a clone?
You can also read this article on The ICT Hub section of The Edge Davao (week April 21 to 27). The EDGE Davao is a weekly Business newspaper In Davao City.
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[...] a lot of mobile clones from China, i think its best if we wait for the official announcement as the idiomatic expression [...]