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Fake Chinese iPhone Found (with video!)

engadget.com — While the days remaining until the (legitimate) iPhone launches in the US has dwindled to single digits, leave it to the Chinese knockoff factories to spoil the unboxing fun. As we revisit chapter 54 of the painfully ongoing saga, it looks like the iPhone, er, tPhone, has been captured on video this time around...

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  • ChillEnt, on 10/11/2007, -3/+72I like the backwards Apple logo. lol
    • dbblondon, on 10/11/2007, -2/+30presumably by flipping the logo they feel it won't break copyright laws - you wonder why they bother dont you!
    • spect3r, on 10/11/2007, -2/+31Really, who's surprised by this?

      The Chinese have "fake" products for just about everything..
    • TomPlansMedia, on 10/11/2007, -14/+12and its only two inches think!
    • Rhino2, on 10/11/2007, -11/+102
      I like the Windows startup sound when it boots. :)
    • gbarger, on 10/11/2007, -8/+16I think you mean 2 inches thin!
    • Rikushix, on 10/11/2007, -0/+43Outlook Express and a blood red Quicktime logo. Awesome.
    • noeljohnhoward, on 10/11/2007, -17/+2i dont think thats the startup sound
    • liquidfirex, on 10/11/2007, -16/+4I think you mean two inches thick!
    • simonwo, on 10/11/2007, -1/+19and using a nintendo DS stylus no less. the shame!
    • jordansampson, on 10/11/2007, -11/+9But seriously, its probably the only tphone I will be able to afford for a while:P
    • sdquirk, on 10/11/2007, -9/+2I think the logo is backwards because it may be one of the free stickers Apple used to give free with computers.
    • Splizxer, on 10/11/2007, -11/+9It looks more practical than the iPhone, it looks to have Windows CE.

      Chinese ingenuity at its finest.
    • sharper130, on 10/11/2007, -5/+3another knock off iPhone:

      http://www.houseofdap.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=73

      Nano Clones:

      http://www.mp4nation.com/products/index.php?PID=mp4

      Damm China
    • dclowd9901, on 10/11/2007, -5/+20This looks like the kind of phone my mom would buy me, because she doesn't know any better.

      DON'T ***** BOTHER, MOM!!!
    • guyperson, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82LsOrEHvho
      Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BfB5NlGu40
    • joshuaok, on 10/11/2007, -8/+2I love the awesome disclaimer on the battery cover:

      Notice: iPhone is the world mark registered by Apple Inc. in the USA.
      Waring: it will break the law without authorized by Apple Inc. if you use iPhone logo on any electronic product.

      No *****, that's what it says. ""Waring" and all.

      I can't wait to watch this on my iPhone next week. Rich...
    • bradmoreland, on 10/11/2007, -5/+18Unlike the iPhone you'll be able to use this with the service provider of your choice.
    • grexeo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+18[ T one S et up ]
      I nc om i ng C al l
      A l ar m
      P owe r O n
      P owe r O ff
      Mess a ge T one
      K eypa d T one
    • randall814, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1i like the disgusting times new roman font, the iphone on the back but tphone on the interface, the backwars apple logo, the horrible attempt at replicating the UI, and the fact that every button has a little logo next to it, such as the camera. everyone saying that this would be a cool, cheap replacement for the iphone is a fool. all this thing seems to be is as good as one of those cheap toy nokia candybar phones that make annoying beeps.
    • jhaks, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1@ sharper130

      Are you kidding? The Meizu M6 is a kick ass mp3 player. I'll admit the style is a bit borrowed but their products are pretty damn good.
    • SenorPez, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2>> I think the logo is backwards because it may be one of the free stickers Apple used to give free with computers.

      Really? They took one of those stickers, stuck it onto their monitor with the source code displayed, saved the file, and the phone displays the sticker on startup?

      Jesus. I knew programming has progressed fast, but that China can now save damn STICKERS into their source code for later display is AWESOME. I'm buying a tPhone just to reverse engineer the sticker-software.
    • Jo9100, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2chinese didn't hear about arial or trebuchet or myriad? only times? i really hate times.
  • MyNameIsJoe, on 10/11/2007, -2/+126I love the fact that it plays the Windows shut down sound when you start it up.
    • bipolar, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17That brings up the question... what is it actually running? It doesn't look like Wince to me.... maybe a heavily customized theme?
      • r3zonance, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1It's running Windows Mobile (at a guess), it has the "minimum required" keys on the front of it to be a Windows Mobile device.
    • kafitz22, on 10/11/2007, -8/+5A form of linux no doubt.
    • Dotcommer, on 10/11/2007, -6/+5Can't apple sue for these kinds of ***** attempts at copies of their products from china? I'm just currious. Its agrivating to me to see these kinds of things because I can't help but think of all the poor bastards that will end up getting this and being dissapointed.
    • meatmcguffin, on 10/11/2007, -6/+3"Wince"
      Man, Microsoft sure know how to name their products :/

      "Can't apple sue for these kinds of ***** attempts at copies of their products from china?"
      They could, but their complaints would fall on deaf ears. The Chinese government aren't exactly against this sort of thing if it ensures a jobs market and a sustainable economy.
    • thomashauk, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1@ dotcommer

      There very little that china has to protect copyright, and what it has isn't done. So no.

      Remember that little thing called Communism that gives everyone shared ownership?
  • SpockGuy, on 10/11/2007, -8/+81Damn man, that thing looks nice for a fake. *****, if that worked and cost only $100, I'd buy that instead... I can deal with the windows shut down sound and backwards logo.
    • Ninjab3ar, on 10/11/2007, -3/+47And the fact that its called a tPhone
    • smackhero, on 10/11/2007, -13/+10seriously, the iPhone is way overpriced. i don't really care about brands. if the device works just as well, then who cares.

      plus, it'll probably be easier to run 3rd party apps on, and i'm sure you can configure the start-up sounds and what not.
    • jeriqo, on 10/11/2007, -15/+13Except.. this phone doesn't do more than a $1 phone
    • redfox2600, on 10/11/2007, -4/+3NVM, send this to hell
    • danewb, on 10/11/2007, -3/+7Sure, it might be easier to run third party apps on. But people need to make those apps first.
      • shattadeya, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Why do people have to make those apps? tPhone runs windows. The last time i checked Windows has millions of applications written already.
    • bradleyland, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2It looks nice, until you turn it on. Then you get to stare at: ugly fonts, an inconsistent interface, poorly laid out menus, and various other crap.

      Hate on the iPhone or Apple all you want, but the aesthetics of their product blows this away. It's not even a comparison.
  • ABadInAlbany, on 10/11/2007, -4/+5Looks like an HTC Touch with an iPhone back and silly graphics slapped on it ...
    • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1I saw that HTC Touch thing: so para gay!
  • linkin1, on 10/11/2007, -40/+55looks/works better than apple, at least it has a removable battery.
    • digggggggggg, on 10/11/2007, -14/+48Dude, are you being sarcastic?

      The interface looks like someone puked on it. Come on, how can you possibly use Times New Roman for a UI font? That's the ultimate "We don't give a damn."
    • superpotential, on 10/11/2007, -3/+12well, actually to be fair, most fonts that have excellent chinese character support have terrible-looking western fonts built into their typeface, that's probably why it's so. switch the interface to chinese and a chinese person will probably think the chinese characters look terrific on the display.
    • danewb, on 10/11/2007, -7/+6I think it looks as good as Apple but I can't compare how well it works until I try both. Definitely feeling the removable battery though.
    • Zippo, on 10/11/2007, -3/+29could be worse... could have used Comic Sans.
    • h4mx0r, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2So far, it seems like I'd take this over the iphone as long as there was a nice price gap.
    • r3zonance, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1How do you know it works better than the iPhone?
  • InstantRamen, on 10/11/2007, -12/+5Seacrest Out
  • Danjamin, on 10/11/2007, -11/+30"Spoil the unboxing fun" are you ***** kidding me? it's a phone!
  • obsoletepower, on 10/11/2007, -18/+9Ewwww that is so ***** gay.....the interface is really bad.....I hate these chinese pieces of ***** fakes!
  • Nachoo, on 10/11/2007, -11/+16Who would want such a thing? The font is insanely awful, and the rest of it just looks bad.


    Dont underestimate the fact that the iPhone runs OS X, some chinese Wallpaper stealing wont be able to compete with that.
    • wangtian, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0it has an awful font because that's a font for chinese......the english letter rendering in it is not well considered...it should look good when UI is switched to Chinese (as it's supposed to be).
  • Poopoopants, on 10/11/2007, -13/+12It actually functions, does some good stuff, and doesn't look that bad. Could it be a good fake?! Even though it has crap Chinese design flaws in it.











    HOLY *****! 3D SOUND!
  • FlatFeet, on 10/11/2007, -13/+8But the interface is *****. Looks so annoying and un-Apple like.

    OS X interface > ChinaOS
  • mbthompson, on 10/11/2007, -3/+23I really want to go to China just to find all this fake crap and take it home with me. I'm not expecting it to work well, or even work for that matter but still, it would be one hell of a hobby.
    • stklaw, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10The fact that while the pathetically fake crap gets to the news,
      there are also some perfectly working fake crap :D
      I got a few at home and works well at a really cheap price
      believe it or not
    • dankCIA, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8I wonder how much they cost. A friend of mine visits his family in China for several weeks each year and he is just about to leave. He has brought home alot of fake products that work surprisingly well and for a long time. Also there are a few that i doubt ever actually functioned.
    • romeosc, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3You have to sneak it past customs... They will confiscate it if they see it!
    • Riotblade, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2You can usually do that by throwing away the box.
  • Poopoopants, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2Is that a DS stylus? Well, a fake one anyway.
  • SonofMaug, on 10/11/2007, -4/+27Apparently this guy spent the money on the phone that he should have spent on a ***** tripod. That video gave me motion sickness.
    • kernelhappy, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12Dude, it's like what, 2007, everyone has a digital cameras, and they're all Ansel Adams or Cecil B. DeMille but they don't know how to use macro/closeup function built into pretty much every consumer digital camera and camcorder sold in the last 10 years?

      I guess I'm being too hard on them, it's very confusing, I'm sure they look at the icon and say "oh I use that mode if I am taking pictures of flowers, got it".
  • sohosid, on 10/11/2007, -10/+5Why would anyone, except maybe a spotty 14 year old, want a fake iPhone?

    Good luck in that business meeting,

    "Oh, you have an iPhone, can I see"

    "Err, actually it's a tPhone, it's Chinese! No, it doesn't run OS X..............."
  • saintdesy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+33I just feel bad for all the poor people who will be paying $1000 for an "unlocked iPhone" on eBay and getting one of these in the mail.
  • dunkyp, on 10/11/2007, -1/+13I thought it looked pretty decent to be honest a lot better than it could have been
    • 3dom, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Yea, I'm amazed that they actually went to the effort of designing a whole OS and putting in video/audio playback functions. I mean the PSP ripoffs they have over there usually just play Tetris in black and white or something..
  • slapthemonkey, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1LoL.....good one.
  • SilverRocket, on 10/11/2007, -5/+8What? Counterfeit products from China?

    Next you'll be telling me they've been counterfeiting other things and selling items like poisoned toothpaste, poisoned drugs and poisoned ingredients for dog food!

    Oh, wait....
    • thurows, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1That's what you get for taking production to China.
  • zyl0x, on 10/11/2007, -14/+1This just in! China creates knock-offs!

    /sarcasm

    Seriously, no one ***** cares.
    • smackhero, on 10/11/2007, -0/+12then why did you bother to take a look at it and make a comment?

      no one is really shocked that there are Chinese knock-offs. we're just _interested_ in them. some of these are surprisingly well made, which makes you wonder why these hardware manufacturers don't just create their own brands but would rather piggyback on the brand recognition of other companies.

      i think it also gives you some perspective on how inflated the prices for some brand name gadgets are. the technology obviously isn't that expensive, and if a small obscure Chinese company can produce a cheap knockoff so easily, then you have to start questioning how much of this Apple iPhone hype is really justified.

      besides, it's just interesting to see what these knock-off companies can create in the absence of the vast resources that Japanese and American corporations like Apple and Sony have at their disposal. sometimes they end up providing better features just because they don't try to exploit customers by locking them into proprietary technology or with planned obsoletism.

      i think this kind of sophistication from a knock-off company is really quite amazing. shows you how far they've come and how fast the blackmarket tech industry in China is developing.
  • Kindjal, on 10/11/2007, -4/+6Hillarious, those Chinese are awesome. Windows PDA that looks like an iPhone. In your face Microsoft!

    Buy one now: http://agenow.diytrade.com/sdp/471448/4/pd-2575465/2839686-1274384.html

    Only $135.
    • Gman1223, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3IPONE.....

      FPS Doug helped them come up with the name....
    • statix, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1iPone?...as in iPWN?
  • insomniac8400, on 10/11/2007, -12/+8Thats hilarious, the knock off is better than the original.
  • cklol, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6The fonts are horrendous
    • chubbsdeluxe, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Everything from Asia always looks like that font wise. I think it's because it's the default when it's translated to English?
  • nephilonic, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5nice font.

    If it was really cheap, I'd buy it as a gag gift.
  • StandardsDT, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2Can some one say lawsuit on the horizon?
    • AustinGoodchild, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8if only it was that easy when dealing with china
    • SpenceMasta, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2uhh no, how can there be a lawsuit if the law doesn't protect copyrighting, china couldnt give a ***** about apple even if they complained
    • topapito, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Who they going to sue? They probably could find anyone to accuse. The knockoffs will continue to run because in China, everyone gets a kickback. It's par of having been a communist country for so long. They will never be able to run a capitalist society honestly. Hehe.
    • Soulhuntre, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4This is Digg remember? Digg doesn't believe in intellectual property, trademanrks, patents or copyright.
    • RoboPimp3000, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3@Soulhuntre, unless it involves Apple, Google, or some poor starving artist. Selective IP Law Enforcement is what Digg is all about! :)
    • mikesum32, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1@spencemasta
      @Soulhuntre
      @dbblondon

      I think you mean trademarks. Trademarks protect thing like logos and things unique designs(the look and feel), like the curvy Coke bottle, or brand names like Xerox. For example, I probably couldn't make a Caco Cola in a bright red can in the distinct cursive style because people would buy it because it looks so much like Coke. I could copy the Coke recipe and sell my own formulation, but I can't call it Coke. Copyrights apply to music, movies, software and writing. I can't legally burn thousands of cds and sell them to FYE, nor can I print up thousands of books and sell them to Borders.
  • kern6960, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Haha, I saw one of these at WWDC....I was wondering how some guy got a hold of an iPhone ahead of launch...not to mention that it had those extra buttons.
    • zdiggler, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Buttons and Knobs could not be replaced in most situations.
  • erikfotherland0, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0Looks like we found ou what happened to the old Dell Axims that were discontinued.
  • cyfer2000, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2That's CECT P168
    http://www.slashphone.com/69/7339.html
    http://www.myitablet.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=940&c=8

    http://www.cectelecom.com/
    http://finance.google.com/finance?q=QXM
    • cyfer2000, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I just found out CECT doesn't make this product. So some underground factories made this phone and put a "CECT P168" brand on it. I can believe this, with the effort they put into this totally faked product, they can make their own phone.
  • orangetiki, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Oh Red China, what will you do next
    • SlpingInsomniac, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Eat your dog.
    • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Trow your baby girl in the river.
    • orangetiki, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Chickety China the chineese chicken, have a drumstick, and your brain starts cricken
  • commiecat, on 10/11/2007, -4/+3Looks like someone needs to trade their new tPhone for a tripod. :)
  • jon1012, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10Two sim slots, that's just great !
    Imagine, you have two girlfriends, one per phone number, one per sim :)
    Just a button to switch between Girl1 and Girl2 modes ;) (if you store sms on the sim that's just perfect)
    • smackhero, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5or to switch between work/personal numbers. but whatever works for you, heh.
    • televisible, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2two sims is for travelling Hongkong and China. It is very common in China to have two separate sims
    • Evi1d33d, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2You'll be lucky if you can get just one.
  • chrisdancy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Duplicate from the video fourm, where a fierce debate regarding YouTube comments.
  • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -9/+1OMG, if I was still in 4th grade and this kid was in my class, he would be douche bagged for the rest of his career for being poor and using fake stuff etc.

    OMG, why would you even want to pay anything for this man. I mean, wont you get teased on your work?
    • redfox2600, on 10/11/2007, -2/+91. It can probably run 3rd party applications
      2. It cheaper than the iPhone
      3. It works what more could you ask for?
      4. It fun to have knock offs.
    • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -6/+05: It looks rediculous and so do I;
      6: I like fake toys;
      7: I have no friends so nobody will bug me about it;

  • ipodman, on 10/11/2007, -5/+3


    Closeup of the back:
    http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=mobilestyle.jpg&category=Computer&date=2004-03-30


  • svenjick, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6Felt sick after watching that. The guy needs a tripod...
    • anti_hax0r, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4Yeah, and people should learn that autofocus is a bad thing.
  • SilverBack101, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1So what are the chances of me getting poisoned by this because of antifreeze of benzene products being used in it's manufacturing?
  • 04TL, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1the trademark info on the back is wrong...apple logo is backwards...windows shutdown sound plays on boot up...red quicktime logo...labels for each icon don't fit on the screen...

    nah, that isn't a fake...it says 'registered by Apple Inc in USA' on the back...it must be real...
  • Silthrim, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I liked the fact that the whole time this guy is doing everything with one hand like the 30 second break where he tried to get the stylus out of the phone. haha
  • nemobushido, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1awesome!!

    i like how there is a dead pixel out of the box =P
  • my10cent, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I dont care if its fake, if I can save money I want one.
    • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Buying none, will save you even more money. You could also cut one out on a cartboard and use it as an overlay on you existing phone.
  • DblTap, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0No iPhone for the Donger
  • guyperson, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2http://digg.com/videos/educational/Video_of_First_Apple_iPhone_Knockoff_from...ready_for_it...China_of_course

    Without the blogspam too. Digg me down if you want.
  • Ricky8765, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2"This is clearly a fake, if you look at it carefully you can see the text on the logo which is tPhone not iPhone" -http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/video_of_the_first_iphone_ripoff.php

    That guy is a ***** genius... human intelligence has reached an all time high
  • macewan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Looks like Qtopia is being used.
  • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0Note that on the cover of the box and the manual (which will be in chinamen language) the Apple logo is done in the correct way. You could almost dream you had bought a real Apple product.
  • clarient, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2It'll only be recalled in a few months for lead-based paint.
  • iStunT, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Man, I guess Steve was telling the truth about those 200+ patents on the iPhone lol.
  • horvatic, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0I know one thing, that's the worst copy I've ever seen. Apple would never package a product in a box like that, ever! Even refurbished products have nicer boxes than that. Oh and the backwards Apple logo just proves it is a really piss poor fake.
  • martinsulistio, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0You know all too well that the Chinese doesnt respect copyright, and these money-hungry corporations are outsourcing all their work to China and getting ripped off in the process.
  • TimRogers, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I would buy it anyway.
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