Xiaomi has been called an 'Apple rip-off' for years, now it has its own copycats

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but China’s top-selling domestic smartphone maker Xiaomi, dubbed “China’s Apple” due to the clone-like nature of some of its products, may not be thrilled about the arrival of iMI Technology.

The brand name of this regional player in the low-end smartphone market sounds like it has borrowed from both the “iPhone” and “Xiaomi”. It uses almost the same typography for its logo as the Chinese brand. 

Whether such marketing gimmicks have helped its success is unclear, but a number of its cheaper handsets, including the pink-backed iMI Lady, are reportedly enjoying robust sales in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.

 

To all intents and purposes, Thailand seems to be the company’s home market, even though it may not be a Thai company.

According to leiphone.com, a news website that specialises in smartphones and mobile internet in China, the brand’s models closely resemble Xiaomi smartphones in both name and appearance.