Review: Sciphone i68 ‘3G’

Everything about this phone is  …-ish

Sciphone-clones are interesting. Many people are looking for this kind of phone, as Sciphone seems to clone everything. Including Android (the Sciphone G2).

Briefly after this Android-clone, the company discovered that the popular OS is Open-Source and they will launch a real Android device soon.  Whilst we’re waiting for the Sciphone N12, I’ll provide you with a mini-review of another popular clone:

iPhone clone #1: Sciphone i68 (3G). Because of some inquiries by non-Dutch readers, I decided to do this review in English. I’ll be able to answer your questions in Dutch, German, English, Spanish and French.

Have fun and beware: if you see this phone anywhere for more than $ 100 or € 70,- simply do not buy it. Refer to the info in this review, or contact the manufacturer.

Specifications

Model: Sciphone i68+3G

OS: Nucleus (common on regular (non-smart) phones, calculators, etc.)

Screen: 3.2 inch Touch Screen, resolution:240×320

Runs; Java (JAR,JAD, MIDLETS), handy for games and apps

Sim/Network: Quad band, works anywhere in the world

Extra’s: Bluetooth, Dual SIM (supports two simcards online at the same time), has webcam functionality

Comes with: Wallcharger, 2 li-ion batteries (1200 mAh)

First impression

This phone looks really impressive, has a crisp screen and some nice features. A motion sensor enables you to shake ‘n shuffle, change wallpapers or play video in full screen. The phone has bluetooth, adding the remote control function, among other cool stuff (e.g. usage of stereo bluetooth headsets).

First questions that emerge after opening the little black box:

- ‘Is this an iPhone 3G shell?’

Most probably, yes. Looks and feels the same, albeit cheaper. The screen is not covered by glass and scratches easily. Removing the back cover is easy: just push the cover and slide it down (until it goes click).

- ‘How do I insert the Sim cards?’

Easy does it. Remove the battery and you’ll see something that looks like one slot, though it’s two on top of each other. On the right, you’ll find a microSD slot with a 2GB card pre-installed.That’s cool.

Now the confusing part

Mmm…just ‘Phone’ on the back, ‘16GB’ and our famous ‘designed by Apple in California’ message. I owned an iPhone 3G and this does seem like a good clone. No power button on the top though, just a home button and two volume buttons on the side of the phone.

A proprietary ‘mini-usb’ connects to the headphones and USB to PC (headphones and USB cable are provided).

The Quick Start Guide says ‘1800mah battery’ although this is incorrect. You’ll get two 1200mah batteries with this phone. Also, the standby-time seems a bit exaggerated (the guide states 210-300 minutes): this thing drains a battery pretty darn fast.

Okay, let’s turn this thing on. Pressing the home button for a few seconds does the trick.

Good stuff

The screen is bright and sharp, although you instantly see that the resolution is …modest. You can Slide to Unlock, which is nice.

The touchscreen is less responsive than what you are (probably) used to, unless you owned a WM device (some of which use 80-90% of their processor-power just to operate the touchscreen -Courtesy of Microsoft).

Although it responds reasonably well to fingers, I would suggest using a stylus pen. As you can see, it shows two sim cards: a Spanish one from Movistar (I live in Barcelona) and a Dutch one from T-mobile (I am Dutch).

When you shake the phone it will change the wallpaper, nifty little feature that I like.

The OS looks a lot like iPhone OS X mobile but looks can (and will) deceive in this case. For example, open the calculator app and it will resemble the scientific calculator for iPhone (it even expands when turning the phone). However, the ’scientific functions’ on the calculator simply do not work, they’re fake.

More goodies?

Yes. Please consider the fact that this is a 60 EUR or 90 dollar -phone. It is a clone and therefore completely different with regard to an iPhone. Having said this, it has some fancy features of its own.

Connect the USB cable and you’ll be presented with three options: Mass Storage (two removable drives appear, one’s the phone’s memory, the other is the MicroSD card), Webcam and Pictbridge. I personally do not take much interest in PictBridge but the other features are cool. These are plug and play and require no additional software.

The quality of the webcam suffices and is better than my built-in laptop cam (I have an Acer Aspire One, A150). It is very sensitive to light, though.

Java enables you to install apps and games, for example Opera, MSN (pre-installed) and Age of Empires (a cool, yet stripped-down version).

Verdict (after using it one week)

This phone is cheap. I bought it straight from the manufacturer and received it within 6 days. You’ll get a Quick Start Guide in English although you can set it up in a jiffy. The phone scratches easily and has some issues (beeps that you cannot turn off, lack of playlist-support) but in general I would recommend it.

To give you a general idea (after one week, more to come!) here’s a brief summary:

Features:

- Bluetooth support (remote control, etc.)

In order to fully experience bluetooth compatibility, download the latest drivers from Widcomm for PC. Naturally, you’ll need a bluetooth adapter for your PC (from China, these are cheaper than 5 EUR).

- Motion Sensor

- Webcam functionality

- Mass Storage functionality (acts as a removable drive, or actually..two)

- Java (you can install games & apps)

- Cheap

- MSN

- Radio

- Dual Sim (two sim cards online at the same time)

- It makes phonecalls as well! I almost forgot to mention this. The quality is okay in Spain, both of my Simcards work extremely well.

Please note: if you found this review, it probably means that you’re into gadgets and iPhone-clones. I presume you have basic knowledge of phones in general. Therefore, I did not list functions such as the camera, e-book reader, mp3/mp4 player, album app, etc. These are very, very standard on (Chinese) phones. Hope you enjoyed this mini-review, I might add a video-review soon.

Thanks for visiting, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions! Click on ‘Wat is jouw mening’ and while you’re at it, try to pronounce it. It’s a great first sentence for your holidays in The Netherlands. Cheers!

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Lees ook:Sciphone drops N16, N17: keeps the shells for other models

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