We have seen the rear cases, and some of the components of the low-cost iPhone, but this is the first fully built new iPhone we have seen and it is on sale in China now!
While browsing Chinese E-commerce site Taobao for traces of the purported low-cost iPhone we came across more than a few listings for a fully assembled low-cost iPhone which can be bought right now!
Like the leaked photos this low-cost iPhone appears to have plastic rear shell and looks to have a 4-inch display like the current iPhone 5.
Gizchina News of the week
The rear of the low-cost iPhone shows us a black printed Apple logo on the glossy white body. And we can see that the placement of the rear camera and LED flash remain unchanged!
Looking around the rest of the low-cost iPhone we can see that Apple are still using a Sim Tray, and that the base of the phone is still the chosen location for the 3.5mm headphone jack, speakers and Lightning cable.
As the name suggests this iPhone is very affordable with listings of the white model (black is also available) starting at just 300 Yuan ($48)! So what’s the catch? Well like the iPad mini we discovered on sale last year ahead of launch, this low-cost iPhone is actually a display dummy meant for retail stores to use, not an actual functioning device!
So is this really the low-cost iPhone? We believe it is!
how is it low cost device if not functional?
what is the best?
Goophone I5 or Zoophone I5?
I believe, this one is much better
http://techdy.com/shop/basic-bear/
What is it?
i don’t believe this is an original iPhone.. those black color graphics of logo/text is looks soooo cheapo , doesn’t fit with Apple nature… anyone agree ?
Why does a Chinese company have to make a low cost rip off when it can do so much better.
iSuppli Bill of materials for the iPhone 4
Retina Display by LG; $28.5
1400mAh battery $5.80
5MP Camera; $9.75
WiFi, Bluetooth, FM Radio: $7.8
Samsung A4 Processor 45nm, $10.75
Infineon’s $2.33 quad-band GSM/Edge transceiver
GPS chip from Broadcom, costing $1.75
Texas Instruments Inc.’s touch screen controller IC, at $1.23
Cirrus Logic’s $1.15 audio codec
A $2.60 Microelectromechanical (MEMS) gyroscope,
An e-compass ; 70 cents
The accelerometer; 65 cents
The $2.03 main power-management IC from Dialog Semiconductor.
Enclosures, hardware, plastics $10.8
e-Compass 70 cents… and yet 50% of chinese phones don’t have one, what a shame!
And if I ordered 1000 units to be done within 3 months, how much do you want to be paid to assembly those components?
There’s math, and there’s bussiness.
FAEA F1 full review, where is it????
+1
I have an iPhone 3g and since Apple does not support what they see as ‘older devices’ (no app in the app store seems to work anymore on it)… it now has exactly the same use as the dummy in the pictures. I wish I paid 48 usd for it and feel lees stolen than how I feel now. No more apple for me!
Welcome to world of Android where no centralized OS updates
This post is kinda misleading.
You guys don´t read properly or don´t understand english so well. The text is clear and not misleading. It´s written there “This is NOT a functional phone and is only a display dummy meant for retail stores to use, not an actual functioning device!” Really read the fu**ing text to the end without bothering anybody or Andy with stupid questions or remarks!
It’s misleading because the headline lets people assume otherwise
The taobao site linked in the article clearly stated it’s a dummy, in the title of the product itself
“苹果5s廉价版手机模型 iPhone 5S廉价版手机模型 苹果5S机模 1:1 ”
google translate
“Apple 5s cheap version of the phone model iPhone 5S 5S cheap version of Apple’s mobile phone model machine model 1:1”
@Paul: Thanks for the wisdom, I adore you now! You rock!
@Herald: Exactly my point.
On a different note, Techdy deserve a point for this. What they advertised as the ‘next iPhone’ clone, indeed wasn’t false marketing.
Where i can buy it?