Rise of copycats in China: Samsung Galaxy S6 clone at $169 now available for sale

Samsung finally seems to have got things right in its flagship smartphone. After receiving flak for years for using stale design language and cheap plastic material in its Galaxy smartphones, the South Korean technology conglomerate took to the stage last month to announce the metal clad Samsung Galaxy S6 with glass panel at both front and back ends. But if the $679 off-contract retail price seemed exorbitant to you, there is a clone of the S6 out there costing just $169 from a shady Chinese smartphone company.

Called the Goophone S6, the handset resembles the Galaxy S6 and comes in four color options -- golden, white, black, and blue. From the chassis to the design, to the logo, the resemblance is uncanny. As for the hardware, the smartphone comes with a dual-core MTK6572 processor clocked at 1.0GHz or a quad-core MTK6582 clocked at 1.3GHz (if you're happy to shell out an extra $40), and 512MB and 1GB RAM options. The phone runs on Android 5.0 and comes with enticing air gesture control, and heart rate monitor features. Needless to mention that the Goophone S6’s offering is nowhere close to the powerhouse Samsung has launched.

Goophone has earned a name for itself by selling knock off products. Last year, the China-based smartphone manufacturer announced Goophone i6, a $139 knock off of the iPhone 6. The rip off product ran on Android instead of Apple’s iOS. The company has previously also launched rip offs of the Galaxy Note phablets, and a handful of watches and tablets.

This isn’t the first time Samsung, Apple or any other global electronics brands have faced copycats in China. According to rough estimations, most of the big giants are dealing with a few trademark suits at any given time. What’s surprising about Goophone is that it actually offers shipping worldwide. So this isn’t some shady company based in China that sells knock off products in China and other regions close to the nation.

What’s your thoughts on this? Would you recommend anyone purchasing a phone from this company?