Psst. Yeah, you. Wanna buy a new iPhone? No, the new iPhone, the one that’s not out yet. It’s not important how I got it, are you in or not?
Apple aficionados may have September 12 circled in their calendars, but those longing to turn some heads in the meantime may want to take a look at Goophone’s new ersatz iPhone. The so-called Goophone I5 takes the two-tone iPhone design that’s been revealed in drips and drabs over the past few months, and shoves some Android-powered hardware into it.
Exactly what sort of hardware is still unknown for now — all Nowhereelse.fr was able to determine was that it actually sports a 3.5-inch display instead of the 4-inch panel, but that’s not to say those crafty Chinese shanzhai artists aren’t committed to crafting a stellar knockoff. The few images of the I5 that have surfaced reveal that Goophone’s latest effort indeed bears a striking resemblance to what the new iPhone is expected to look like, but that’s not really a surprise considering the company’s track record.
Despite the hokey name, Goophone has been churning out some pretty impressive phone clones these past few years — there’s the One S-aping Goophone X1, and who could forget Goophone’s surprisingly faithful take on the iPhone 4S?
I’m no great fan of knockoffs, but it’s hard to look at these faux phones without a bit of appreciation for how slavishly these guys have ripped off other companies’ designs. For better or worse, there’s no word on when this handsome fake will start trickling out of factories in Shenzhen, but my money’s on it making its debut just ahead of Apple’s big announcement.
