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My Master List of Chinese GSM Phones

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Version 0.78
Copyright © 2008-2010 by Zack Smith.
All rights reserved.

See also:
My general overview of the Sciphone i68 and i68+.
My hands-on review of the Sciphone i68 and i68+.

Disclaimer

The information on this web page is provided AS-IS. Use it at your own risk. I cannot guarantee that it is 100% accurate, for two reasons.
1. Chinese phones such as those bearing the generic brand Sciphone, Miphone, Ciphone, Hiphone or CECT can vary substantially in the hardware and software provided. For example, it is known that there are 60+ hardware variants of the Sciphone i68/i68+.
2. I have owned the Sciphone i68, i68+, and the CECT M88 and M89, and played with another person's P168, but not the 100 or more other types of Asian GSM phones in existence.
3. I am not affiliated with the manufacturers of these and cannot provide any support or personal advising.
Buying and using an Asian phone involves accepting some risk. In my humble opinion, the payoffs are worth it, since these phones are cheap, they work with prepaid SIMs, and they have lots of features.

Introduction

What are the Chinese "clone" phones?
These are GSM phones whose features range from simple and basic to generous and even extraordinary compared to phones sold in North America. They are called "clone" phones because they sometimes (but not always) bear a resemblence to phones made large corporations like Apple. The most famous clone phones look similar to the iPhone(TM) series. But virtually all of these phones have different software and hardware than the "legit" phones.
What do the Chinese "clone" phones offer?
They are generally media-centric cellular phones with lots of features, some of which are clunky, some very usable, usually including:
  • The unlocked GSM telephone itself
  • MP3 player
  • Camera
  • Video recorder
  • Video player (plays 3GP and MP4 formats)
  • Image viewer
  • Calculator
  • Voice recorder
  • Support for 2GB (maybe more) micro-SD flash.
  • Bluetooth
  • Text messaging (SMS)

The following features are sometimes present:

  • Quadband GSM therefore usable anywhere in the world
  • A built-in FM radio
  • A built-in analog TV
  • Wifi
  • High resolution display
  • Multimedia messaging (MMS)
  • Email capability
  • Java capability
  • Optical zoom for the camera (rare)

Some of these features are undoubtably awkward to use and/or slow, and, yes there are even software bugs. People nevertheless are very interested in these phones as an alternative to mainstream locked phones.

These phones are considered by many to be a good deal for some key reasons:

  • They are unlocked (i.e. never been locked).
  • They are relatively cheap without a contract.
  • They are often quadband and therefore usable anywhere on the planet.
  • They usually have large, color touch screens.

The Phones

Here is my master list of the major Asian clones with a focus on the phones that I find to be clever or interesting. As you can see, they have a variety of models names. Most resellers stick to the standard names provided by the companies that assemble the phones from parts, but a few resellers invent new names in order to make consumers think they're selling something new.

It's quite possible that even within one model of phone there is variation in the underlying hardware, as with the Sciphone i68 and i68+, which have over 60 variants.

Model # Bands 850 MHz? SIMs Screen Operating System Processor Camera Resolution
P168 Triband ? 2 3.2 inch 240x320 MTK's MT6226, MT6226M, or MT6227 Varies
P168+ Triband Yes 2 3.2 inch 240x320 MTK Varies
P168C Triband Yes 2 dual standby 3.2 inch 240x320 MTK Varies
P168C+ ? Yes 2 dual standby 3.2 inch 240x320 MTK Varies
P168++ Quadband Yes 2 3.0 inch 240x320 MTK VGA
P168S Triband Yes 2 ~3 inch 240x400 MTK VGA
A88 Triband No 2 3.2 inch 240x320
A88+ Quadband Yes 2 3.2 inch 240x320
A380i Triband No 2 3 inch 240x400
A510
With analog TV 		Quadband Yes 2 3.2 inch 240x320 VGA
LH01 Triband Yes 2 2.6 inch 240x400 VGA
Sciphone i68 Quadband Yes 2 simultaneous 3.2 inch 240x320 Nucleus Plus OS MTK MT6225 VGA
Sciphone i68+ Quadband Yes 2 simultaneous 3.2 inch 240x320 Nucleus Plus OS MTK MT6225 VGA
N2
Wifi + analog TV 		Quadband Yes 2 3.5 inch 320x480 ? ? VGA
F003
Wifi + analog TV 		Quadband Yes 2 3.5 inch 320x480 ? ? VGA
Sciphone G2/G2+ Triband No. ? 3.2 inch 240x320 Nucleus Plus OS ? 2MP (not 4MP!)
CECT i9 Quadband Yes 2 simultaneous 3.2 inch 240x320 Nucleus Plus OS MTK MT6225 VGA
CECT i9b (rounded-back) Quadband Yes 2 simultaneous 3.2 inch 240x320 ? ? VGA
CECT i9-3G (rounded-back) Quadband Yes 2 simultaneous 3.2 inch 240x320 Nucleus Plus OS MTK MT6225 VGA
Sciphone N12 Quadband and 3G Yes ? 3.2 inch 240x400 Google Android Marvell Monahans 624 MHz 3.2 MP
Sciphone N19 Quadband Yes ? 2.8 inch Google Android Marvell Monahans 624 MHz 2 MP
Sciphone N21 Quadband Yes ? 3 inch Google Android Marvell Monahans 624 MHz 5 MP
Sciphone S18 Quadband Yes 2 dual standby 3.2 inch 240x320
KingSun V902
Slide-out
keyboard! 		Quadband Yes 2 3.2 inch
Has keypad 		? ? 2MP
N200 Quadband Yes 2 2.2 inch
Has keypad 		? ? VGA
C5000
With analog TV 		Quadband Yes 2 3.2 inch 240x400? ? MTK VGA
TVG3
With analog TV 		Quadband Yes 2 3.2 inch ? MTK VGA
T3
Wifi + analog TV 		Quadband Yes 2 2.8 inch? ? MTK VGA
i-Mobile 902 Triband No. 1 2.0 inch 240x320 5MP
Altek T8680 Quadband Yes ? 3 inch 240x400 12 MP with 3X optical zoom
PT200+ Dualband No. 2 (standby) 3.0 inch 240x320 5MP or 2MP
3X optical
zoom
K98 Triband No 2.4 inch 240x320
Has keypad 		? ?
XPhone Triband No 2 3.0 inch 240x320
007 Classic
(Has barometer etc.) 		Dualband No 1 2.0 inch 240x320
Freerunner
(Price $400) 		Triband Yes 1 SIM 2.8 inch 480x640 Openmoko Linux ARM9 400 MHz N/A?

Comments:

  • The Ciphone C5 has built-in GPS. Note that the case of this phone has an Apple logo on it. Therefore you cannot import this phone into the USA.
  • The 007Classic is claimed to have built-in barometer; altimeter; thermometer; compass. But it is only dualband so it will not work in North America.
  • The XPhone used to be unique in that you can get it with red/blue/silver/gold back plates.
  • Now however the i9b and Sciphone i9-3G (the rounded-back iPhone clones) are available with black/white/red back plates.
  • The P168+, P168C, P168S, and LH01 that are sold to North Americans should have 850 MHz but you need to verify that with the seller.
  • The T32 has Wifi and costs around $300.

Tips

Which Ebay seller is good?

People often buy Chinese phones on Ebay, but this is risky. Some resellers have good feedback but are still untruthworthy. For instance, it is common for bad Ebay resellers to claim that the phone's camera has high megapixels when it does not. That's kind of a red flag.

If you use Ebay, read the feedback comments carefully. You may learn that a reseller with 1000 positive feedbacks got them all by selling baubles instead of Chinese phones, or they may have been selling other phones than the one your want. Do your due diligence as a consumer.

If they do not have an email address listed on their Ebay page, you probably should not deal with them. If they make wild claims, avoid them. And please don't buy a phone from a seller who has zero feedbacks, since more than likely you will never receive a phone from them.

  • CectUnlocked has most of the interesting phones.
  • Zydaglo and DealExtreme have the P168C.
  • Zydaglo also has the "official" Sciphone i68+ as well as the newer i68-3G, i9-3g and i9b.
  • MySciphoneShop specializes in the Sciphone i68+.
  • MySciphoneShop claims it will have the Sciphone N12.
  • People have complained in forums about Fastcardtech.
  • People have complained in forums about Hiphones.

Where can I rate web-based resellers?

At ResellerRatings.com. If you look at that site, you will see they are good at ensuring that both companies and reviewers are honest.

Which phone do you suggest?

Different people have different needs, but clearly the newer phones that have 320x480 resolution displays are preferable.

Of these, I consider the F003 to be risky since there are multiple versions of it being sold. The newer N2 phone may be a better choice but I haven't used it.

Where can I take a look at one?

Unless you know someone who has one, or can find one for sale on Craigslist and arrange to meet the seller, the main way to become familiar with these phones is via YouTube and similar video hosting services.

Example videos:

What frequencies does GSM generally work at and where are these frequencies used?

GSM phones work at some or all of:
  • 850 MHz = North America both coasts
  • 900 MHz = Most other places
  • 1800 MHz = Most other places
  • 1900 MHz = North America East Coast

Note, Europe and China use 900 & 1800 MHz.

Are the triband phones a problem?

Early on, some triband phones sold in North America supported 900-1800-1900 MHz: thus lacking 850 MHz. Now, supposedly they are all 850-1800-1900 triband, but you should do your due diligence as a consumer and verify with the reseller that that is the case. Remember:
  • On the West Coast: 850 MHz is absolutely essential.
  • On the East Coast: 1900 MHz reception is available but may be limited.
Thus for North America, you actually need both 850 and 1900 MHz.

Where can I get a bigger/better stylus to use with the phone?

DealExtreme has a 4-in-1 combination stylus, pen, LED light, and laser pointer for less than $4, here.

CectUnlocked has a similar pen for $10.

How do I download or update the firmware?

  • You probably cannot obtain newer firmware except from other owners who have downloaded it from their newer phones. A few people have begun to modify the firmware using a program called Spiderman.
  • You will need to buy a serial cable to transfer the firmware to/from your PC. It costs about $15 from resellers. Your computer must have an available 9-pin serial port which typically only desktops and older laptops have.
  • You will need to use a free program from Mediatek (who make the processor) called MTK FlashTool that allows transferring the contents of flash to your PC and re-flashing.

Online forums for Chinese phones

Leaving so soon? All right, here are the forums where you can ask questions.

Phone links

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