Goophone i5S Debuts For $149

The Chinese development team at Goophone have made it their business to rip off Apple designs with a Google Android feel. On Tuesday the company announced the Goophone i5S, the company’s Apple iPhone 5 ripoff.

The Googephone i5S is a surprisingly accurate take on the Apple iPhone 5 design while featuring the Google Android 4.1 ‘Jelly Bean’ mobile OS.

The i5S features a 4-inch high-res 1136×640 IPS display with a pixel output of 854×480. The $149 device also sacrifices performance, replacing the Apple based A6 chipset with triple-core PowerVR graphics with the 1GHz MediaTek MT6577 dual-core CPU.

While the iPhone 5 features 4G LTE connectivity, the Goophone i5S connects over 3G networks. The Goophone also features a 5-megapixel rear facing camera in place of the iPhone 5’s larger 8-megapixel camera.

Wi-Fi is also limited on the device with 802.11 b/g capabilities. The i5S also features Bluetooth 2.0 and is a GSM based device which lends itself to international travel.

Power users will likely steer away from the device and it’s limited 8GB internal memory. On the other hand gadget addicts might enjoy playing around with a cheaper but still capable Google Android 4.1.2 ‘Jelly Bean’ device.

Be warned that the materials used to manufacturer the iPhone 5 ripoff are plastic to the touch. While the device may look like an Apple device it fails to meet the craftsmanship put Apple-based smartphones.

Perhaps the best part about the Goophone i5S is the fact that it only costs $149 off-contract. In comparison a non-contracted iPhone 5 can easily run upwards of $600.

If  you break your locked smartphone and need a cheap alternative until your contract expires take a look at the Goophone i5S, otherwise pony up the extra $50 and purchase a new on-contract iPhone 5.

Have you ever purchased a Goophone model? What type of experience did you have with the Apple smartphone ripoff?

[Image via gadgetslane]