Imitation is the best form of flattery — a motto that some Android smartphone manufacturers seem to have etched into their guiding principles. The iPhone is easily the best of its kind out there and over the years, nobody has managed to dethrone Apple’s halo product off its pedestal. Efforts to outdo the iPhone keep happening at the upper end of the smartphone space with better camera systems, nicer displays, foldable form factors, longer battery life and wild designs. Towards the lower end of the price spectrum though, things are different.
People know that the iPhone is expensive. Smartphone companies know this as well, which is why some of them operate on a simple principle – if you can’t afford it, you can at least have something that mimics its aspects at one-third of its cost. As such, these companies often focus on one aspect that keeps customers wanting — the iPhone’s design.
Hence, the affordable end of the smartphone market continues to see some remarkable iPhone clones, most of them emerging out of China. It’s mind-boggling as to how these companies get around the patent infringement lawsuits but that’s a topic for another discussion. Instead today, we are going to look at some of the most impressive iPhone clones that have come from leading names in the smartphone industry over the last few years.
Are these iPhone clones as good as any iPhone? Let’s find out.
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iPhone clones you can get your hands on
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Xiaomi’s origins overlap with cloning the iPhone and it looks like even in 2023, nothing has changed. Most Xiaomi phones wear an uncanny resemblance to various iPhones but it’s the Redmi 12 that takes the cake in 2023. The boxy design, with the flat sides and the triangular camera arrangement on the rear, unmistakably make it look like a clone of the iPhone 14 Pro.
Despite its crafty intentions, the Redmi 12 is one good-looking and affordable smartphone. Its key features include a 6.7-inch 90Hz FHD+ display, a Helio G88 chip, a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 5000mAh battery and support for 18W wired charging.
(Image Credits: Courtesy Xiaomi)
While Oppo basis most of its affordable smartphones on the current-gen iPhones, the most blatant imitation comes from the Oppo F21s Pro. Positioned as a midrange option in the Android smartphone segment, the Oppo F21s Pro apes the iPhone 12’s boxy design with flat sides and a dual camera system sitting on a raised camera hump. Unless you flaunt the ‘Oppo’ logo, the phone is often easily mistaken for the iPhone 12. Despite being a clone, the highlight feature of the Oppo F21s Pro is its microlens camera that offers up to 30x magnification.
(Image Credits: Courtesy Oppo)
Ever since the Dynamic Island feature debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro, it was only a matter of time before the clones incorporated some interaction of it. Realme became the first one to do so with its Realme C55.
While the exterior imitates the iPhone 12, complete with the enlarged camera lenses, it’s the ‘Mini Capsule’ feature that Realme introduces that seems like a blatant rip-off. This ‘Mini Capsule’ emerges out of the punch-hole camera cutout and, just like the iPhone 14 Pro, shows charging details, low battery alerts and data usage.
(Image Credits: Courtesy Realme)
While LeEco’s global plans came and went like a gust of wind, the brand still has a presence in China. The LeEco S1 Pro had launched earlier in 2023 and shocked the world with its design. From every angle, this device looks like an iPhone 14 Pro Max clone. While the boxy design and triangular camera layout are easy references to the iPhone, it’s the front where things get really interesting. There is a pill-shaped cutout for a single camera and it also includes a Dynamic Island-like feature.
However, the makers of this phone were so focused on cloning the iPhone that they didn’t even bother to include some basic features. While at first glance it may look like there’s a triple rear camera system here, there’s only one functional camera (the rest are mockups). Power comes from a weak Unisoc chip and the phone features a 6.5-inch HD+ resolution LCD display.
(Image Credits: Courtesy LeEco)
The Nothing Phone (1) is a darling of critics and tech geeks but it is unmistakably an iPhone clone. Look beyond the transparent back and it is easy to spot an iPhone 12-lookalike. The dual rear cameras are vertically aligned, the sides are flat and the display is absolutely flat with uniform bezels. Just like the iPhone, the phone also comes without an in-box charger.
However, this is one of those rare instances where being an iPhone clone has helped the product’s cause. The Nothing Phone (1) is a well-optimised midrange smartphone with great build quality and decent cameras. Those looking for a unique design should consider giving it a shot.
(Image Credits: Courtesy Nothing)
The Poco F1 revolutionised the affordable smartphone space in 2018 with a superior value-for-money quotient. While it was a favourite among performance seekers, the Poco F1 was unmistakably an iPhone clone. It borrowed the big bathtub-style notch from the iPhone X and even offered a laser-based face unlock feature. It had dual cameras on the back and an MIUI interface inspired heavily by iOS. That’s where the similarities end as its affordable price meant the Poco F1 had a poor plastic unibody construction.
That said, the Poco F1 did impress with the raw performance of its Snapdragon 845 chip as well as its nicely tuned rear cameras. The Face Unlock feature was reliable but Poco also included a fingerprint scanner at the back.
(Image Credits: Courtesy Poco)
The Asus ZenFone 5 got attention for being the first smartphone in the world to mimic the iPhone X’s display notch. The ZenFone 5 was a typical Android flagship of the era but its standout feature was the display notch. The rear also imitated the iPhone X’s dual cameras. However, the LCD display had thick bezels and the shiny colour textures made it stand out from the crowd (and not necessarily for the right reasons).
(Image Credits: Courtesy Asus)
The OnePlus 5 was one of the classiest phones you could buy in 2018. Its sleek body and premium finish made the OnePlus 5 a raging hit among consumers and critics alike. However, look carefully and it seems largely like a clone of the iPhone 7 Plus from 2016. The dual rear camera setup aped the one on the iPhone 7 Plus and the signature ‘Alert Slider’ was inspired by the iPhone as well. The big fat bezels around the display, along with a capacitive home key, were a constant reminder of the iPhone as well.
However, the OnePlus 5 was one of the best smartphones money could buy in 2018. It had decent cameras, offered great performance and came with fast wired charging. The AMOLED display was also a big draw among consumers. OnePlus soon replaced it with the OnePlus 5T which looked less like an iPhone and more like the Samsung Galaxy S8.
(Image Credits: Courtesy OnePlus)
(Hero And Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Pexels/Cup of Couple)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Other than the appalling design and finish, lower price and different brand names, you can also tell an iPhone clone apart as it just doesn’t look or feel anything like a real iPhone.
Answer: Given that most iPhone clones are based on cheap Android phones running dated software, the data security and privacy is negligible. Some expensive clones like the Nothing Phone (1) offer better experiences with stronger security.
Answer: Currently, the Nothing Phone (1) is the best iPhone clone you can buy. It has solid build quality, smooth software and a unique design.
