Latest Android-based iFauxne caught on video

Here's a video clip of the latest iPhone clone to hit the streets of Mainland China, the Aphone A6. You'll notice straight off that there is one glaring addition that will no doubt help it stand out the crowded market place; a very blackberry-esque trackpad. Like an increasing number of shanzhai smartphones out there, this one also features a very Apple-looking Android OS. Check out the video after the break.

You be forgiven for thinking that this baby is running a iPhone OS, but you would of course be fooled, for the truth is that this new iFauxne is loaded with Google's Android OS, in fact a specially tailored version which does a very good job, at least from the outside, of looking and feeling like Apple's smartphone OS. The A6 runs Android version 1.5, which might not be the latest and greatest (ala Droid), but represents the most commonly used version in China right now.


In terms of hardware you've got a decent 3.5 inch, 320 x 480 pixel screen. Other than that all we know is that it does the usual (though probably non-US friendly) GSM bands and Wi-fi. The comparison shot above compares the new A6 with its A5 predecessor. As you can see it marginally more compact, and though it's not totally clear, it's apparently thinner too. In terms of processor, again it's unclear which ARM-based SoC is used, but the video below shows that it does struggle at times to run Android's sliding scrolling menu system.

The addition of a blackberry-like trackpad is an oddity in itself and could simply be a ploy to differentiate in what has become an increasingly crowded space. To be fair the reviewer in the video doesn't actually use the trackpad at any stage. This is probably because he's so used to using touch screens that he plain forgot about it. There's possibly a market segment that would prefer to have a second navigation function to compliment the touchscreen, but as far I can see it's largely cosmetic.

It's encouraging to see the shanzhai experiment still with what must be considered a very mature design. The fact that it's also a mite slimmer and smaller is also encouraging and points to the continued evolutionary progress of the shanzhai generally.

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Gadget Types - Phones