goophone-iphone-5c

GooPhone is back with another Apple knockoff that may threaten the iPhone 5C's success in China. The company made headlines last year with an iPhone 5 clone and announced a Goophone 5S earlier this year. The 5C clone will launch in China next month with similar specs and design to Apple's rumored low-cost handset… though with Android instead of iOS 7.

Based on countless leaks, we expect the iPhone 5C to sport a 4-inch display and scaled-down specs compared to the upcoming iPhone 5S. Meanwhile, the Android-powered Goophone 5C will reportedly come with a 4-inch 960 x 540-pixel display, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. The iPhone clone is listed for $99 on AnyBuying, though it's currently out of stock.

With past iPhone launches, Goophone has often released clones ahead of Apple's official announcement and hinted it might sue over patent infringement in China, though it has never pulled the trigger. Meanwhile, Apple has let Goophone skirt under its radar as the iPhone-maker struggled to gain a foothold in the Chinese market. However, the iPhone 5C appears to be Cupertino's big push into emerging markets, with CEO Tim Cook visiting China in an effort to lock up a deal with the country's biggest carrier, China Mobile, earlier this year.

Considering how much is riding on the iPhone 5C, it should be interesting to see how Apple responds to the latest Goophone clone.