Ever since Apple announced the iPhone back in the day, someone in China has had a crack at copying it. Those early reproductions were pretty terrible to say the least, but the current generation of clones really pack a punch!
This is Part 1 of our GooApple Vs. iPhone 4 showdown. This first part concentrates on the external differences and gives a quick look at some of the specifications of both the real iPhone and it’s knock off the GooApple 3G. Thanks to Shanzhaiji for allowing us to translate their work and post it here.
Back in the early days of iPhone cloning some companies were happy enough just to glue a reflective Apple logo to a clamshell phone and misspell iPhone on the case and call it an iPhone clone.
As time moved on though, iPhone clones (and other smartphone clones) got better and better, with bodies which looked the same as the real thing!
If you head to one of the âphone citiesâ located in any one of Chinaâs larger cities you will not only get to see the bad clones of yesteryear, but you will also be treated to the current crop of iPhone clones.
What is the GooApple?
GooApple is one of the new breed of iPhone clones, in this case an iPhone 4. The name comes from the two companies used as the inspiration of the device.
âGooâ from the name Google, who lends its Android operating system to the phone and âAppleâ for the iPhone 4 design.
Why is the GooApple better than previous iPhone knock-offs?
Previous iPhone clones were only interested in mimicking the external appearance of the iPhone, the GooApple takes things a few steps further, by introducing the same functions as the real iPhone with a popular and well supported operating system.
Thatâs not to say the GooApple 3G is every bit as good as the iPhone 4, it canât simply because the budget isnât there, but if you want a solid smartphone with the look of an iPhone the GooApple is where itâs at.
GooApple 3G vs. iPhone 4 at a glance
As you can see from the table above there are areas the real iPhone 4 wipes the floor with the GooApple such as screen resolution. The iPhone 4âs Retina display is far clearer and crisp with itâs 960 x 640 resolution compared to the GooApples 480 x 320.
Also the iPhone 4 has a little more processing grunt thanks to the 1Gh Apple A4 CPU, the GooAppleâs CPU is only clocked at 600Mhz.
But look closely and you will also notice some areas the GooApple not only matches the iPhone 4âs specification, but even beats it!
The rear camera on both the iPhone 4 and GooApple 3G are 5 mega-pixel units, but the front camera on the GooApple is actually a much better 1.3 mega-pixel lens! The iPhone 4âs front camera is VGA quality at best!
The dimensions of both phones are the same, 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm, but the GooApple weighs in at only 120 grams.
Whatâs in the GooAppleâs Box?
The GooAppleâs packaging isnât far off the iPhoneâs and you even get a few familiar accessories.
There is a âpaper clipâ sim card tray pin, headphones, USB to 30pin dock connector which can be used to transfer files as well as charge the GooApple, a wall plug adapter and also full colour instructions (something which the iPhone 4 lacks!)
The USB 30pin transfer wire is pretty well the same as the iPhone 4âs, the two can actually be interchanged and used on either device!
The headphones that come with the GooApple are very similar to the iPhone 4âs, even down to the remote. However the quality is much poorer and the the copper wires are easily broken if not cared for.
Full colour instructions are a nice touch, not only in Chinese either! There is an English version too!
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Letâs Compare faces!
Here they are, the iPhone 4 sat next to the GooApple 3G. Go on tell us which is which.
Even on closer inspection you would be hard pushed to tell the difference between the two. In this case the GooApple is on the left of the picture, but we could have easily told you it was on the right, itâs impossible to tell from this photo!
Only when you get very close to the two do you see differences in quality. The iPhone 4 (on the right) has a much smoother and cleaner finish.
Take it from behind
Looking at the two from behind shows up the only major tale telling sign that one is real and the other is fake.
The now iconic Apple has been embossed on to the front of the cheeky Android robot on the GooApple.
Also we have the GooApple name instead of iPhone, and the claim that the GooApple was designed in California... Well I suppose it was in a roundabout way.
Spot the differences!
Despite GooApple doing a superb job of imitating the iPhone 4, they have done it all the same as Apple. Some differences are due to manufacturing method, while others come down to the companies personal choices.
From the top of each phone you can see the iPhone 4 has a thinner, more distinct gap between the external antennas, also the ring around the headphone jack is smaller.
The GooApple looks to have had the âantennaâ gap added for looks rather than function.
Which is which? from the bottom we canât see any differences. 100% perfect!
From the left you can see again the designs are pretty much identical, except again the GooApple has a slightly larger gat between the two metal bands.
Also worth mentioning are the controls. On the GooApple the mute switch actually acts as a toggle switch between modes. When the mute is switch to the âoffâ position the volume buttons act as they would on an iPhone 4, increasing or decreasing the volume. Toggle the switch to the âonâ position and the volume buttons act as the back and option buttons which are used in the Android OS.
On the right you can again see the larger gap, but also a larger SIM card tray.
GooApple have chosen to retain the older mini SIM design rather than the micro SIM design of the iPhone 4.
That’s if for our external look at the iPhone 4 Vs. the GooApple. Next time we will have more details on the differences in the screen and the Android operating system.
Keep posted for part 2 of our GooApple 3G vs. iPhone 4 Showdown!
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