Quad Band IPhone Clones - P168+ Vs SciPhone - Both Are Unlocked and Dual Sim, But What is Different?

By Rae Edwards

Last year in the fall, I began covering the CECT line of unlocked iPhone clones. Although I personally loved the phones and absolutely saw the need for them, at that time the economy was still very robust. I figured there was probably a 50 / 50 chance that these Chinese knock off phones would catch on.

Sure, there will always be people like me who love the latest technology and become absolute giddy at the idea of not having to pay anywhere near full price for it. And folks like me hate the idea of being tied to an expensive carrier / network or a long term contract, but not every one worries about networks and I fully realize this.

Even so, this time last year my assertions that the Chinese iPhone clones were actually better in some ways than the original fell upon some deaf ears. Yes, the clone manufacturers allowed for a removable battery, added more speakers, and also added an FM radio an additional sim slot, but this was still not enough to intrigue those who wanted the original, which is still absolutely understandable.

But, as the economy soured and the iPhone clones became more mainstream, the tide began to turn. People who had actually laughed at my talk of clones before are now asking me about which ones they should maybe consider buying. The market has grown so much that the tri band models were expanded upon to include models that support all MHz bands (quad bands).

So, as I write this nearly a year later, I’m very grateful to be writing about the differences between two quad band knock offs, because that means that this market is going very strong. Now, onto the SciPhone versus CECT P168 Plus.

Quad Band Version of the iClone P168: The original CECT P168 was (and probably still is) the best selling, most well known iPhone clone on the market. It was the original and in my opinion, it is still among the best. (And it is by far the easiest for which to obtain accessories.)

However, if there was one complaint to it, it was that it only supported networks on 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz bands. A few carriers (like some rural A&T customers) are on the 850 MHz band, as well as are carriers outside of the United States. To address this, manufacturer CECT rolled out the updated, version of the 168 (called the Plus or 168+) that included the 850 MHz band.

Today, this quad band has new, updated: slide unlock feature; web cam; e book reader; and slight improvements to the camera, MP3 / MP4, and software. Additionally, the touch screen on the new version feels a bit more like glass.

So, How Is The SciPhone Different? This one is called many different names, including the CECT i68, Java 32, or the Y32. Some people consider this the latest update to the P168 Quad Band. Although there are some similarities, I consider the changes to this one much more significant than the 168 adding an additional band.

The SciPhone is a shake and tilt model, which means that you can advance music, media, photos, etc. by only gently shaking the phone. You can take the images to wide screen by only tilting the phone. There’s no scrolling involved. This feature is a bit controversial. Folks either love it or don’t see what all the hype is about. (I love it and find that it makes the phone very intuitive.)

But, in addition to shake and tilt, there are three major ways that the SciPhone is really different, as follows: 1) It’s a bit smaller and sleeker than previous clones; 2) It’s slightly faster than previous models. (Slightly is the operative word here. I’m only talking milliseconds, but I know some people consider this important.) 3) It has the latest version of Java which opens so many productivity and gaming doors, like PowerPoint, Word, and Excel to name a couple. The gaming download possibilities are numerous here.

Both phones are high performers with very solid customer satisfaction. I like them both. Price wise, you will typically pay $20 - $30 more for the SciPhone, but if you consider the additional productivity and gaming possibilities, this does not seem so bad. And, most times you can get either for under $150. If you know you need a quad band phone and want a clone, which of these you prefer really depends upon whether you want the latest version of what has been the best seller or the new, (but very loaded) kid on the block.