We got our first look at Apple Watch knockoffs at CES earlier this year, and while those junky devices were about as basic as they could be, more advanced knockoffs have hit the market since.
From right out of China, behold this shameless Apple Watch clone running Android:
HAX, a startup accelerator with a four-month hardware program in Shenzhen, examined the “Smart Watch.”
It looks just like the Apple Watch Sport model.
The Smart Watch doesn’t seem to copy Apple’s Digital Crown. It has an ugly micro-USB port for charging.
Like most Chinese knockoffs, it’s way cheaper than the Apple Watch at only $45.
It runs some weird version of Android that’s been modified to replicate the Apple Watch’s software.
Its innards are far less impressive than Apple’s compact system-on-a-chip design.
There’s a built-in camera for taking pictures and video, which is something the Apple Watch can’t do. Innovation!
“It’s not even trying to be an Apple Watch. It’s just using some design language,” says HAXLR8R’s Benjamin Joffe in the video below. Right.
You can watch the full video here:
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
11 responses to “Behold this shameless Chinese Apple Watch clone running Android”
WTF! Why would anyone want this piece of crap? Android users are always claiming how much they hate Apple, so why would they want to walk around with some crappy AppleWatch clone. Maybe it would a nice gift for a child to play with but that’s about it. Gosh, that microUSB port is so freaking ugly just sitting there on the side like a big mouth. I don’t care if they want to clone AppleWatch. I just want to know why and who buys that sort of junk. They’re selling it for $45 but I bet it cost half that amount in terms of component costs.
Anyone notice the auto industry within the last 10 years or so? Except for body style, the rest of the car is almost all the same. Yet, when it comes to electronics, Apple consumers and investors seem to believe anything made by Apple cannot be duplicated. I don’t get where this loyalty comes. Clearly, Apple in not losing money because some other company duplicates an Apple product. I have Apple products and I could give a crap what the Androids or the Chinese are doing.
Do you realise that the chinese are making ripoffs because they eventually sell? You, may not buy it, but there are many who do.
What does that say about the Asian market that buys these cheesy, cheap knock-offs?
Are they that uneducated about what’s real and what’s fake or do they just not care and will just buy anything?
SAMSUNG IS AT IT AGAIN!!!!
I really hope you’re joking.
Yeeeeeeeeees.
Seems like the whole tech world wants to be Apple. Started from Samsung… LOL
Take my money!
the logic of these chinese manufacturers is beyond me, if they want to sell a knock-off to iDiot users they need to make it more expensive than the original, surely?
There is a market for everything. Someone somewhere will buy. I presume that Apple took all this into consideration before they inked the deal with Chinese to make their watch or even build their beautiful new Apple facility there. Im certain the cost to make the watch in China is considerably cheaper than it would be to make in the US.