Chinese brand LeEco has launched a new smartphone that can only be described as a blatant knock-off of the iPhone 14 Pro series, right down to the design of the triple rear camera and Dynamic Island. But look closer and there are some unwelcome hidden surprises.
Called the LeEco S1 Pro and priced at 899 Yuan ($135), the copycat device is certainly cheaper than Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro models starting at $999, but as you might imagine, the makers have cut different corners when it comes to the specifications.
For starters, the 6.5-inch screen uses an LCD panel rather than OLED, while the resolution is 1600 x 728 with a 60Hz refresh rate. Compare that to the 2556 x 1179 resolution and 120 Hz variable refresh rate on the iPhone 14 Pro, and it’s already clear that we’re comparing apples and oranges.
The Dynamic Island-esque pill shape at the top of the screen houses a 5MP selfie camera, but sadly no Face ID (a fingerprint sensor sits on the side of the phone), though the cutout is said to be fully interactive. But any remaining hope that this could work as a comparable replacement for Apple’s premium phone falls flat when you look at the back of the device, which comes with a huge caveat to functionality.
The triple-lens housing on the back actually only houses one working 13MP camera – the other two holes are completely unnecessary. Still, onlookers would be none the wiser, and that’s clearly the point: owners can flaunt the top-notch aesthetic of an iPhone 14 Pro, only without the expensive hardware or features that underlie its premium status.
The handset comes in titanium black and blue, similar to the gray and sierra blue of the iPhone 14 Pro. Powered by a Zhanrui T7510 chipset, the LeEco S1 Pro comes in a single configuration with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and support for 5G connectivity, courtesy of Huawei Mobile Services.