Xiaomi is about to become a $40 billion company. Photo: Xiaomi

Thanks to its cheap, Apple-esque devices, Xiaomi has quickly become the world’s third-largest smartphone supplier. Now all that copying is about to pay off big time: The Chinese startup is raising $1.5 billion in capital, the largest private financing deal since Facebook in 2011.

Negotiations haven’t been finalized, but investors include Russian Internet company DST — which backed Facebook, Airbnb and Alibaba — with a valuation expected to top $40 billion, CNBC reports.

It’s easy to point a finger at Xiaomi, the Chinese phone maker that clearly draws a lot of… inspiration from Apple. And there’s Samsung, of course. But there’s another copycat offender out there that’s almost just as bad, if not worse: Lenovo.

The Chinese manufacturer has a new phone coming out called the Sisley S90. Excuse the fact that the device looks just like an iPhone 6; its website is basically a carbon clone of Apple’s.

Echo is a speaker that doesn’t just play your music. Photo: Amazon

Amazon’s built a crazy Bluetooth speaker that wants to be a part of your family. It’s called Echo, and not only will it play your tunes, it has a built-in virtual assistant that will provide all kinds of information when you need it. It’ll even work for you by creating reminders, setting alarms, and more.

WhatsApp finally provides read receipts. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging platforms on the planet, finally offers one of the most basic messaging features — the ability to tell you when your messages have been read. The app will now display blue checks instead of green ones next to messages that recipients have seen.

The new Google Maps is bold and beautiful. Screenshot: Google

Google Maps for Android is the latest Google app to get a Material Design makeover for Android 5.0 Lollipop, following the improvements to Calendar on Monday. It’s not just more colorful than it was before, however; you’ll also find new services built–in, including Uber and Open Table.