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Obviously a shameful knock-off... but I can't help but be intrigued by that tiny screen next to the camera array. Could be useful if you like to keep your phone face-down during meetings or dinner and want to see if an important call is coming in.
 
The Chinese government always favours local companies over foreign companies in any kind of lawsuit, even if there is no way to deny IP infringement. For non-Chinese companies, it is only a waste of money to try to get the CCP to do the right thing and protect their intellectual property. This in turn encourages Chinese companies to basically base their portfolio on knockoffs, since they know for sure they'll get away with it.
Agree. Nevertheless UK did the same (Nothing telefone).
In fact, I can only think of one counter-example where China was actually superior to our industry: DJI. This company does have a military backhand, as at least to be seen in the skies over Ukraine (Russia to kill, and Ukraine to kill for defence). Unfortunately.
Inventiveness develops better in free minds without fear; such things rarely work out on command. The smart people and great minds fled Hitler's Germany at that time. I am glad and grateful every day to live in freedom in Europe and to be allied with the Americans.
 
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I work in the technology sector.

Imagine how depressing it would be to dedicate a single minute of your life to building or marketing a copycat device.

What a pathetic, tragic waste of materials, energy, and human labour.
The Chinese don't think that way. At all. They don't view cheating or copying as "wrong" the way we would. They think they're being clever. Not kidding you. Ask anyone with experience with the Chinese.
 
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The X14 Pro Max was today unveiled by Chinese low-cost smartphone brand LeBest, a phone that overtly imitates multiple iPhone design features.

lebest-x14-pro-max-main.jpg

Android brands and other smartphone makers often come under fire for allegedly copying Apple. Priced at just $150, the LeBest X14 Pro Max is the latest device that looks to capitalize on the success of the iPhone by emulating many of its design features. The "X14 Pro Max" name, an obvious nod to the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro Max, is just the start of several design decisions that directly imitate Apple's flagship iPhones.

For example, the device features a rear camera array arranged exactly like that of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro, with three lenses arranged in a triangle, and a flash above the right lens and a cutout intended to look like a LiDAR scanner below it. Just like the iPhone 11 Pro, 12 Pro, and 13 Pro, the device has a polished stainless steel frame and frosted glass back.

lebest-x14-pro-max.jpg

The device's color options mirror the iPhone 13 Pro with the exception of Gold, being available in a "Graphite" gray, silver, and a "Sapphire Blue" that clearly mimics Apple's Sierra Blue. In the most striking duplication, LeBest's marketing materials for the X14 Pro Max use Apple's exact wallpaper for the iPhone 13 Pro.


iphone-13-pro-max-display.jpeg


Apple's iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Beyond these parallels, the LeBest X14 Pro Max differs from the iPhone with a rear display next to the camera array, a hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera, support for 40W fast charging, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and a 16-megapixel rear camera.

le-best-x14-pro-max-dimensions.jpg

As a budget device, it is also significantly inferior to the iPhone in terms of hardware and specifications, sporting a 6.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, a 60Hz refresh rate, and an 8-megapixel front camera. The device is designed to use Huawei Mobile Services as an alternative to Google.

Article Link: 'LeBest X14 Pro Max' Imitates iPhone Design Features
You know… that back display for notifications looks helpful.

But, then you’d lose the the manual focus mode of turning your phone over.
 
I really don’t think Apple are innovating - their iPhone design has barely changed for years now. Apart from the flat edges, it’s essentially the same device.

This company aren’t copying Apple because of their innovation. They’re copying them because of the value of the brand/product and it saves them developing their own branding/designs .

Ah, the old standard where only Apple is expected to innovate.

Funny how Android could be an iClone for over a decade but Apple needs to invent a new phone.
the lawsuit form apple to samsung was samsung made a rectangular phone.

I **** you not thats what the lawsuit was despite other manufactures having rectangular phones well before apple.

LOL

It was about Samsung making knockoff iPhones and writing a 132-page manual on how to copy Apple which most android manufacturers use today.

Can’t believe people think iPhone always existed.

Before Apple invented iPhone, Samsung made Palm and Blackberry knockoffs.
 
Why doesn't Apple sue this company? They went after Samsung (for years) but this LeBest crap is just a one-on-one copy.
Probably because the product doesn't poses a realistic threat to Apple, and they don't have leadership willing to protect their integrity just because.
 
For the same reason an NBA player would have little issues with being dunked on by LeBron or Jordan or Shaq. They're worthy opponents. It would be an insult to be dunked on by some no name streetballer from the projects.

I can see Apple's reaction to these copycats.
Woody-Harrelson.jpg

I see your point but the bias is funny. Like how Samsung is praised as an innovator by fu**ing up an Apple patent with their foldable display garbage.

Yeah a foldable knockoff iPhone (based on an old Apple patent) is so “innovative”!
 
I mean really bad at copying Apple and all, but priced at $150, which means the actually cost is even less, so how bloody much is Apple making when selling at $1500+ for a phone. Unless it's $1000 per phone on R&D.....
Yes no R&D for them, and like others said, it's probably such bad build quality that it will last less than the first foldable that was falling apart for reviewers
 
I really don’t think Apple are innovating - their iPhone design has barely changed for years now. Apart from the flat edges, it’s essentially the same device.
So innovating = radically changing a physical design that has evolved to where it is and has been tried and tested by billions of people for more than a decade?
Umm...
 
The Chinese don't think that way. At all. They don't view cheating or copying as "wrong" the way we would. They think they're being clever. Not kidding you. Ask anyone with experience with the Chinese.
Exactly. It’s not derogatory at all to say that a predominant business model there is to copy the best out there. (I also have personal experience in design school with Chinese students in my cohort.)

Is “clever” the right word, though? Maybe. If you mean it in the way of “good idea”.

It’s like how Apple (can’t believe I’m typing this) will take an existing product/concept and make it better, or outright buy the company or copy their concept in the next version of iOS. (RIP FlikType on Apple Watch. Go give em’ $8 if you own a watch S6 and below to get typing on the watch instead of the S7)

Granted Apple has iterative improvements to whatever came before, and Chinese business model is to copy completely and add extra useful things that weren’t on the Apple’s product (better camera, better screen, etc.).

It’s a business model 🤷‍♂️ See who is making the most money and just copy copy copy! Then the copier makes money. Easy.

Again, I want to reiterate: this is NOT DEROGATORY against Chinese folks, and shouldn’t be read that way :) I just hope that they aren’t too successful at it and put the innovators out of business ;)

Maybe a third time I’ll say it: it is fine that Chinese companies approach things this way :) if anything, it will light a fire under US companies (and others) to continue innovating. Can’t relax!
 
YMMD - so funny 😂 Look at a Nothing phone if you want to see “innovation”: Notch-less display, integrated fingerprint reader, 120Hz, USB-C port. Apple will need another 5years to get to that stage of evolution.
I think you were missing some quotation marks… fixed it for yah. 🤪
 
I really don’t think Apple are innovating - their iPhone design has barely changed for years now. Apart from the flat edges, it’s essentially the same device.

This company aren’t copying Apple because of their innovation. They’re copying them because of the value of the brand/product and it saves them developing their own branding/designs .

Agree.... Unfortunately, the whole industry has gone stagnant. Windows 11 looks like it's just a Windows 10 "service pack" where they tried to badly copy-cat some of the look and feel of MacOS.

MacOS releases feel like they just copy/paste over things from iOS at this point, plus changing around existing apps (iTunes became Apple Music, for example).

I didn't upgrade iPhones for several releases and bought a 13 Pro this time around. Honestly, it feels like I got nothing new of any substance except noticeably better video recording quality. I mean, yeah, it got me to 5G, but in daily use, that's been imperceptibly better of an experience vs 4G LTE service. I still do better connecting to available wifi hotspots when that's an option. Battery life is better, but my old phone's original battery was getting rather worn down -- so not really a fair comparison either.
 
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You might want to rethink that assertion. This is a cheap Chinese knockoff, so of course it'll be a crude replica of an iPhone. But there are plenty of companies innovating in the smartphone space. Ideas get "borrowed" between Apple and Android phone designs and features all the time, in both directions and for both hardware and software.
cant deny it is more cool and def a lot more affordable !
 
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Exactly. It’s not derogatory at all to say that a predominant business model there is to copy the best out there. (I also have personal experience in design school with Chinese students in my cohort.)

Is “clever” the right word, though? Maybe. If you mean it in the way of “good idea”.

It’s like how Apple (can’t believe I’m typing this) will take an existing product/concept and make it better, or outright buy the company or copy their concept in the next version of iOS. (RIP FlikType on Apple Watch. Go give em’ $8 if you own a watch S6 and below to get typing on the watch instead of the S7)

Granted Apple has iterative improvements to whatever came before, and Chinese business model is to copy completely and add extra useful things that weren’t on the Apple’s product (better camera, better screen, etc.).

It’s a business model 🤷‍♂️ See who is making the most money and just copy copy copy! Then the copier makes money. Easy.

Again, I want to reiterate: this is NOT DEROGATORY against Chinese folks, and shouldn’t be read that way :) I just hope that they aren’t too successful at it and put the innovators out of business ;)

Maybe a third time I’ll say it: it is fine that Chinese companies approach things this way :) if anything, it will light a fire under US companies (and others) to continue innovating. Can’t relax!
Funders may eventually take the easy way out: Give the money and manpower to where a new product is quickly created. So invest into copy.

Unfortunately, most consumers honor the copying business more (they are happy because it is cheap) than the success of a new development. The struggle to create something really new is enormous, and most customers just scoff "it's about time" without joy, without appreciation..

Years ago, sob stories were told in Europe that the copying Chinese copy in polite appreciation and esteem. One may feel honored if one is stolen (copied). What a naive and stupid statement, I thought even then.
The completely discarded pricing structure on almost any product is something any of us can observe on Alibaba.com
And since most of us are not emperors and kings or czars, we know on whose backs this battle is being fought. If you lived in China, on yours.

The fact that Apple also produces there is because they have to earn the money for themselves and for further developments, and because of the customers who additionally force Apple to do so because they all find it too expensive.
 
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YMMD - so funny 😂 Look at a Nothing phone if you want to see innovation: Notch-less display, integrated fingerprint reader, 120Hz, USB-C port. Apple will need another 5years to get to that stage of evolution.
Configuration of standard parts on market is not the definition of innovation.
This consortium did not initiate any R&D, they never had enough capital for that.
 
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