Fake iPhone 6s sold in China ahead of official launch

Blatant knockoffs: Fake iPhone 6S and 6S Plus models are already available in China. — Reuters

The latest Apple iPhone is due to hit shops Sept 25, but counterfeits are already on sale behind closed doors in southern China.

The shops inside a bustling technology mall in the southern Shenzhen city do not openly display fake iPhone 6S at their counters.

But at one mobile phone stall, the sellers went to their inventory to fetch two fake iPhone 6S's when Reuters reporters requested them on Sept 21. The trip to fetch them took about half an hour.

Priced at 580 yuan (RM395), a tenth of the price of a real phone at 6,088 yuan (RM4,145), the gold phone appears authentic, complete with the letter "s" engraved on the back.


The sellers said it runs on the Android system even though its display appears similar to iOS.

But it is slow for a new phone and the photos it takes appear fuzzy.

The sellers also described their sales as mediocre, having sold fewer than 100 units since they arrived less than a week ago.

Some Chinese consumers, such as 22-year-old Zheng Zhuangjian who works as a wholeseller of Apple products and is using an iPhone 6, said they would not buy counterfeits.

"I think if some people are short on money and want a 6S, then maybe they'll consider buying a fake phone. After all its appearance is 99.9% similar to a 6s. So it depends on the buyers. But I won't buy it. If you support fake goods, it means you're hurting the real ones," Zheng said.

Outside the mall, over 30 stores along a one-kilometre stretch of shops carry Apple's giant white logo. But Apple only has one official store in Shenzhen and five authorised dealers in that shopping area.

With signs that read "authorised Apple resellers", some of these stores resemble Apple's signature white outlets, with clerks wearing blue uniforms and wooden tables displaying an array of Apple product dummies from the iPad to the iWatch.

A local resident, 40-year-old Mark Li, said the Apple logo still draws the younger crowds.

"Many people, especially people in their 20s and 30s, really like Apple. The Apple logo attracts them. When they see a shop sells Apple (products), they will go inside the shop, and if they don't sell Apple maybe they won't go inside. Even if the shop doesn't sell real Apple products, they think getting a pirated or refurbished one is not bad either. They think they have face (status). Face is very important for many people," Li said.

Store clerks and phone vendors say these shops often resell genuine iPhones, sourced from official channels in China and overseas markets like Hong Kong and the United States, to consumers who can't wait for weeks for their new gadgets to arrive.

Several shops charge almost double the official price tag for consumers who want to get the latest iPhone models as early as this Friday (Sept 25).

Buyers who pre-order an iPhone 6S Plus at Apple's official website in China will need to wait for three to four weeks, whereas those buying an iPhone 6S will need to queue for one to two weeks, according to the site.

As of Sept 21, many knock-off Apple stores covered their Apple logo with banners or cards because of a raid on fake Apple stores last week.

Even so, a couple of workers continued furnishing a storefront with a huge Apple logo hanging on its wall. One of them denied the shop will sell phones and claimed it will exchange currency instead.

Although shoppers strolling along the streets say they know counterfeits are common, some such as Hong Kong tourist Maggie Tsang said the sheer number of fake Apple stores blows her mind.

"It's a bit shocking, but that's just what the culture is like here. They (knock-off stores) make us lose confidence and we won't think about buying a phone here," Tsang said.

Apple has 22 stores in China in the third quarter and aims to increase that number to 40 by the middle of 2016.

It more than doubled its revenue from a year earlier in China to over US$13bil (RM56.50bil) in the third quarter. The company grabbed about 11% smartphone market shares in China in the second quarter with 12 million shipment, according to IDC.

Market and Quality Supervision Commission of Shenzhen, which monitors trading activities in the city including the breach of intellectual property rights, did not respond to questions faxed by Reuters.

Apple declined to comment. — Reuters