Got $135 to Spare? Beguile Onlookers With This Convincing iPhone 14 Pro Ripoff

[MacRumors]

Chinese brand LeEco has launched a new smartphone that can only be described as a shameless knockoff of the iPhone 14 Pro series, right down to the triple-lens rear camera design and Dynamic Island. But look closer and there are some unwelcome hidden surprises.

Called the LeEco S1 Pro and costing 899 Yuan ($135), the copycat device is certainly more affordable than Apple's iPhone 14 Pro models starting at $999, but as you might imagine, the makers have cut several corners when it comes to the specifications.

For starters, the 6.5-inch display uses an LCD panel rather than OLED, while the resolution is 1600 x 728 with a 60Hz refresh rate. Compare that to the 2556 x 1179 resolution and variable 120Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 14 Pro, and it's already clear that we're comparing apples and oranges.

The Dynamic Island-like pill shape at the top of the display houses a 5MP selfie camera, but alas, no Face ID (there's a fingerprint sensor on the side of the handset) although the cutout is said to be fully interactive. But any remaining hope that this could work as a like-for-like substitute for Apple's premium offering falls flat when you consider the rear of the device, which comes with a whopping functionality caveat.

The triple-lens housing on the back actually contains only a single working 13MP camera – the other two holes are entirely redundant. Still, onlookers would be none the wiser, and clearly that's the point: Owners get to show off the premium aesthetic of an iPhone 14 Pro, just without the costly hardware or features that underpin its premium status.

The handset comes in titanium black and blue. Powered by a Zhanrui T7510 chipset, the LeEco S1 Pro comes in a single configuration featuring 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and support for 5G connectivity, courtesy of Huawei Mobile Services.

Article Link: Got $135 to Spare? Beguile Onlookers With This Convincing iPhone 14 Pro Ripoff

 

[laptech]

So when is Apple going to shut this Chinese company down for IP, trademark, copyright and 'anything else Apple can come up with' infringement.

 

[chabig]

I'm actually impressed they can make and sell a working knock off for $135.

 

[MathersMahmood]

I see no resemblance to the 14 Pro series... 😏

 

[Bustycat]

For people who can’t afford iPhone 14 Pro but want to pretend owning one.

 

[TechRunner]

Like buying a kit car that resembles a Shelby Cobra or Porsche 356 Speedster.

 

[Bustycat]

So when is Apple going to shut this Chinese company down for IP, trademark, copyright and 'anything else Apple can come up with' infringement.

Ironically the founder of LeEco fled from China due to billions of debts and is now continuing ‘promoting’ his ideas in California.

 

[Deine Mudda]

Sierra Blue of the iPhone 14 Pro?
Looks like a little mistake in your article there.

 

[cicalinarrot]

Like buying a kit car that resembles a Shelby Cobra or Porsche 356 Speedster.

Not really, since the original cars are no more into production, you can save $400K and not $1K, there can be many pros in the replicas since they're usually based on much more recent cars, there's no software compatibility difference, and some replicas make it very clear they're not original.

 

[MBX]

And they managed to make the bezels super thin unlike Apple.

 

[Bustycat]

LeEco was once a huge brand in China and attempted to buy Vizio.

LeEco - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Veeper]

Still, onlookers would be none the wiser, and clearly that's the point: Owners get to show off the premium aesthetic of an iPhone 14 Pro, just without the costly hardware or features that underpin its premium status.

So a phone for tweens.

 

[Bustycat]

Like buying a kit car that resembles a Shelby Cobra or Porsche 356 Speedster.

The founder of LeEco has shifted his focus to cars in real.

Experience a New Species | Faraday Future

"We endeavor to make modern life more connected, more intuitive, more effortless." - Faraday Future

www.ff.com

 

[coredev]

I'm actually impressed they can make and sell a working knock off for $135.

"Working" is relative here at best. Obviously the focus was more on looking like a premium phone than having working features, as evidenced by the big fat camera hump in the back that is just for show, housing just a single camera.

But it does not matter, I can already see the posts here how much Apple is ripping their customers off by overpricing their phones, when a "similar" device can be sold for so much less.

 

[nicolas_s]

And they managed to make the bezels super thin unlike Apple.

There's a reason why they don't show the bottom of the phone on these advertisement photos.

 

[freedomlinux]

So when is Apple going to shut this Chinese company down for IP, trademark, copyright and 'anything else Apple can come up with' infringement.

Intellectual properly law enforcement (when the accused is a local company) is notoriously lax.

 

[Kylo83]

It looks better smaller notch and bezels

 

[jonnysods]

I would not sign into any of my accounts using this device!

 

[Bogstandard]

I would like to see more of these sticking out of back pockets 😁

 

[Sciomar]

It's so cheap because you're paying with all of your personal data, as with almost anything from that place.

 

[jcwhalley]

Classic - they'd sue the hell out of you if you did similar to them but could not give a toss about doing it to any one else. Total disgrace

 

[Basic75]

I'm actually impressed they can make and sell a working knock off for $135.

That has more RAM (and a larger battery) than the original!

 

[Glideslope]

I would not sign into any of my accounts using this device!

Correct. Anyone foolish enough to use this device for secure transactions would be in for sleepless nights.

 

[RickDEGH]

Comparing apples to orange, yes, that’s exactly what you’re doing! And that’s exactly what they were looking for - free publicity, which pitches their oranges in the same frame as Apple’s apples 😏

 

[ELman]

So when is Apple going to shut this Chinese company down for IP, trademark, copyright and 'anything else Apple can come up with' infringement.

It's just not Apple. American companies have been dealing with this for decades.