With the unstable economy, many people are reluctant to let go of their budget for a brand new smartphone. Some consider buying much cheaper smartphone clones.
Must Read
Key to EreborThe Hobbit Offers Fans 3D Printer Blueprint for Key of Erebor
GadgetsCyber Monday UK Deals 2013: Ultimate Gadgets and Gaming Shopping Guide
Paul Walker Car Crash: The Friend Who Drove Him to His Death/Facebook/PaulWalkerPaul Walker Car Crash: Who was Roger Rodas?
Fans gather and place flowers at the scene of a fiery crash that killed "Fast and Furious" actor Paul WalkerPaul Walker Mentions ‘One More Funeral’ in Fast And The Furious 7 Leaked Footage [VIDEO]
Sponsorship Link
If you compare the price of an unlocked Galaxy S4 that can be ordered from Amazon for about $559, or an unlocked Apple iPhone 5s with 16GB of storage for $800 to a Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5s worth $124, it is easy to identify which has the cheapest deal. But is it worth the risk?
Here are some of the problems that you may encounter when buying smartphone clones from Cnet.com.
1. The device may not perform well like the original smartphone.
The reason smartphone clone manufacturers can sell with reduced price is that they use cheaper materials. You might find your phone slower because the processor might also be older and slower. You may need to recharge more often because the battery is lesser quality. There might be cases of overheating devices.
2. China uses a different frequency and wireless technology.
Even if the specifications of the clone claim to be a quad-band, it may not work in your country. Most China devices do not support 4G LTE yet. This means that such phone will not work on AT&T's or T-Mobiles fastest 4G LTE networks.
3. You might encounter a scammer.
Internet scams had been widespread for the past years. You are never sure whether you are dealing with a scammer because you are not transacting face-to-face with the seller. Even if you are dealing with a legitimate seller, delivering your device from halfway across the globe is very risky. There are so many things that your device might encounter and it may arrive as "damaged."
If you are not up to the risk of buying an iPhone 5s or Galaxy S4 clone, you can always buy a second-hand original or buy a cheaper brand like Huawei or ZTE.