Cheap Chinese knock-offs of popular products are no surprise anymore, and more clones of the Apple Watch have now surfaced before the original even hits retail.
Apple unveiled its upcoming Apple Watch back in October 2014, and it didn't take too long for Chinese knock-offs to pop up. The Apple Watch still hasn't hit retail just yet, but the company just held a special event during which it offered more details regarding its first smartwatch.
Following Apple's big event on Monday, March 9, more Apple Watch clones have surfaced out of China. While some of them sport a nearly identical design, but meager specs compared to the original product, others actually come with surprising specifications.
According to a new report from the South China Morning Post, several Chinese manufacturers have started selling Apple Watch clones in the Shenzhen Huaqiangbei commercial area, as well as online.
The knock-off with the most uncanny resemblance to the original Apple Watch seems to be the Zeaplus Watch (pictured above), a sleek smartwatch with an aluminum body and three color options - silver, gray, and gold.
A post on the company's forum notes that the Zeaplus watch can detect heart rate, and also comes with a pedometer to measure fitness activity. The smartwatch further boasts a micro-SIM card slot, which means that it will allow users to make and take calls or messages straight from their wrist, without the need to pair the gadget with a smartphone. Moreover, the Zeaplus Watch is apparently compatible with both Android and iOS. The smartwatch also has a 2-megapixel detachable camera at the bottom, and is also dust and water resistant.
"Mainland-based company Zeaplus' aluminium-bodied Zeaplus Watch could easily be mistaken for an Apple product if you don't get past its appearance and try out its functions," notes the South China Morning Post.
The Zeaplus Watch is apparently set to launch at the end of March, which means that it will hit the market sooner than the actual Apple Watch, which will become available in April. It remains unclear at this point just how much the Zeaplus Watch will cost, but it's expected to retail for less than $100.
