Attack of the Clones: 5 totally shameless iPhone 6s ripoffs

Spot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic

Spot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic

Jony Ive sure hates rival companies ripping off the iPhone for their latest flagship handset design. Which is why we’d respectfully suggest that Jony doesn’t click the link below, unless he wants to ruin his Wednesday before it even starts.

From the curved edges and color options to the prominent antenna lines, all that’s missing is the Apple stamp of quality. And Jony’s permission, of course.

HTC One A9

HTC's new flagships is a beauty. But it looks familiar. Photo: HTC

HTC’s new flagships is a beauty. But it looks familiar. Photo: HTC

What do you do when your smartphone brand is declared valueless? Look in Apple’s direction, of course. HTC CEO Cher Wang has said the One A9 brings “a balance between beauty, performance and simplicity.”

And, for legal reasons, probably some small print about the balance between inspiration and total copycat design, too.

Vodafone Smart Ultra 6

Vodaphone's latest handset. Photo: Vodaphone

Vodaphone’s latest handset. Photo: Vodaphone

What do you mean it’s an iPhone 6s ripoff? It’s, err, not got antenna lines and, um, has a different logo on the back, doesn’t it?

Meizu MX5

The MX5 is a stunner. Photo: Meizu

The MX5 is a stunner. Photo: Meizu

Chinese gadget maker Meizu’s aluminum-shelled MX5 boasts a sleek unibody design, iPhone-style rounded corners, and an “mTouch 2.0” fingerprint scanner. Cease and desist letter from Apple’s lawyers come as an optional extra.

Lenovo Phab Plus

Lenovo S660

Déjà vu is a glitch in The Matrix. Photo: Lenovo

Rocking a 6.8-inch display, the supersized Lenovo Phab Plus might intimidate you into thinking it’s not an iPhone knockoff, but deep down we all know the truth. Not only does it boast the now-standard aluminum unibody design with rounded edges, but it also comes in handy silver, grey, and gold color options.

And, hey, check out those iOS-style square icons while you’re at it!

Lenovo Sisley S90

The most shameless ripoff of them all? Lenovo.

The most shameless ripoff of them all? Lenovo.

Perhaps the most shameless example of an iPhone clone yet, Lenovo’s Sisley S90 doesn’t just hit all of the usual touch-points when it comes to an Apple handset ripoff, but it steals its advertising, too.

Lenovo has acknowledged certain uncanny resemblances which it describes as “external similarities” with the iPhone. However, according to the company, the whole thing is just one crazy coincidence.

“Considering the product design lifecycle of any smartphone – at least a year in planning and prototyping – it’s not possible to copy a design so quickly,” the company has claimed. Because, you know, nobody had the slightest idea what the new iPhone was going to look like until the day it shipped. (Read: sarcasm.)

One More Thing

Then again, since this is “Back to the Future Day,” maybe Apple ripped off all of these handsets — and somehow managed to beat them to market, too. Damn Tim Cook and his time-travelling DeLorean!