Cellular clones (generic, 1.1) vs. originals: Differences? Are good?

A clone cell is a cheap counterfeit of a particular cell model. It looks very similar to the original, so it is easy to get confused between the two. Its price is much lower, but also its technical specifications, which is why these cell phones tend to perform very poorly.

Generally, these “generic” devices or those with common components, are camouflaged under the name of recognized brands, such as iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. They are not recommended because they run out of storage quickly, they get too slow, they die suddenly and there are not enough resources or information to help you in case of problems.

Difference between clone and original

Currently cell phone clones are as well made physically as at the software level, so that at first glance it is very easy to confuse them with their original versions.

Physically, a clone may be very similar to the original, but the materials used in the first one are cheaper and vulnerable to damage, including here the screen, which is the most delicate component. The only way to perceive this difference is to observe the original version in person, which looks and “feels” better.

But the most worrying thing is the internal components. Being of much less “power” or capacity, a clone cell phone can be or become very slow. As it can be a physical problem, it will not do much to restore your factory settings. Memory or storage can fill up very quickly with just a few applications (even though the system information indicates that there is still a lot of space available).

A clone can also fatally fail at any time due to a bad soldier or assembly, something that even brands of hierarchy have suffered. If it is a software or Android system problem, it can be very difficult to find online to reinstall it.

Avoid being sold a clone

Price

The first thing to look at is the price. If a cell phone has a cost too good to be true, it is probably like that and you are facing a clone.

Visible details

AUTHENTIC Galaxy S8 Plus (left) vs. Galaxy S8 Plus CLONE (right)

You must also be very observant. The difference is in the details of the exterior design, the typography, spelling, sharpness of the logo and text engravings, for example. Clones are not perfect and there are always little things that fail, both externally and in the Android software or system and factory applications.

If you are not very clear where to observe exactly, I advise you to look at photos and videos on the Internet of the original device, its box and accessories. That is, you know him very well physically. Look on YouTube for the “unboxing” or unpacking and “review” of the equipment.

Performance test

Galaxy S8 clone cell phone (left) vs. original Galaxy S8 (right). The clone’s score (23,000) is absurdly lower than the original team (165,000). Fountain: Youtube

If possible, install the Antutu Benchmark application (APK) on the device, run the performance test and check the number or “benchmark” you get with the device’s Internet score (on the Antutu website, kimovil.com or by searching Google for “computer model + antutu benchmark”). If the first value is too low compared to the second, then surely you have a replica or clone in your hands.

The Antutu test is one of the most effective for internally evaluating a cell phone, because it scores its “power” based on the performance or processing capacity of its critical components, such as CPU, GPU and memory. A clone will be fully exposed in this test with a ridiculously low score compared to the original, due to its poor components.

Don’t trust the technical specifications

Technical specifications of a Samsung Galaxy S8 CLONE. They are identical to the original equipment in the Antutu app.

Previously, I used to recommend reviewing the technical specifications of the equipment with applications such as Aida64, CPU-Z or the Antutu Benchmark itself and comparing them with those of the original device on the Internet, on websites such as GSMArena. The clones showed their real components and you could easily tell. But since these apps extract this information from the Android system, the replica manufacturers are now also in charge of manipulating the system and replacing the real specifications with those of the original equipment. Therefore this method is no longer usable.

What does 1: 1 mean on cell phones

Authentic Grade is a perfect replica of the original product, while 1: 1 and lower replica categories are reducing its quality and also its price. Fountain

Just as there are unscrupulous people who can sell you a clone cell phone as if it were an original, there are also slightly more “serious” sellers who recognize that their product is a replica of the original. Now, you will surely wonder how similar to the original that product is. And to determine that there are different types of clones or replicas, as seen in the image above.

To give you an idea, Authentic Grade replicas are basically mirror products or identical to the original. The 1: 1 products will surely only be able to tell the difference in person and in certain details, the Ultra A, 4A or AAA + with “more or less” quality, AAA what anyone understands as a replica (which will be quite obvious at first glance ) and the AA and A that you definitely don’t want to buy. Obviously, the more authentic a product is, the higher its cost.

When it comes to cell phones, I personally haven’t come across these clone cell phone marketing terms, but I can dare to assume they are just that: marketing. I find it very difficult for a clone cell phone to be «authentic grade». If physically it is practically the same as the original (something that would be enough to ask), internally I doubt that it is so, because the cost of the replica would rise too much. The case of 1: 1 cell phones would be similar. Incidentally, in some markets the terms “true grade” and 1: 1 they mean the same and are used interchangeably to refer to an exact copy of the original product.

Conclution

If you cannot opt ​​for a high-end original cell phone, look for a low-end original one, which will be a better guarantee than a high-end clone. To save yourself a little more money, you can buy it from Xiaomi.

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