Awesome May 18, 2010 posted by Nigel

MiPhone A3 – hands on with the Android powered iPhone super clone

miphonea3b small1 MiPhone A3 hands on with the Android powered iPhone super clone

The MiPhone A3 is an Android powered iPhone clone which comes with probably the best specification of any clone handset on the market at the moment. We got our hands on one to test, and found the phone to have a surprisingly well built feel, while suffering from a number of software glitches which made it a little frustrating to use at times. Read on for our review and video hands on covering the good and bad bits of this fascinating $245.50 handset.

First Impressions

Well you can’t accuse the manufacturer of spending too much on packaging or marketing flim-flam. The handset comes in a simple brown box with just the name of the retailer on the top. Inside, wrapped lovingly in acres of bubble wrap, is the phone, car, plug and USB cable charger, two 1600mAh batteries and a set of white earphones. That’s it. No manual (manuals are for wimps, apparently) and no glossy ‘well done for buying this product’ bumpf. Yay for saving the planet we say.

And what’s to need? Just slide off the back plate, dump in a battery, slot in your SIM and microSD cards and plug it into the nearest USB receptacle to charge. First small glitch is the software charging indicator doesn’t really give you any sign of how far along the charge process you are. But after a few hours you make a guess and the battery reads 100%, so you’re happy. An overnight charge is your safest bet.

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About the Author:

Nigel is the managing editor of the Red Ferret, as well as a freelance columnist for the Sunday Times newspaper in London. Loves tech and fancies himself as a bit of a futurist, but then don't we all?

Nigel – who has written 5154 posts on The Red Ferret Journal.

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http://intensedebate.com/people/sirron sirron

There are zircons, then there are diamonds. iPhones are diamonds. Why buy a fake?
- http://twitter.com/Zilog8 @Zilog8
  
  Because your "diamond" has a closed and repressive app store, controlled by two megalomaniacs (Steve-o and AT&T).
  - http://intensedebate.com/people/sirron sirron
    
    Just wait until early June when the new iPhone is released. Wonders will never cease.
    You just go ahead and get your fake crap.
    - http://twitter.com/Zilog8 @Zilog8
      
      Unless you're implying that during the June release Apple's going to announce the ability to run any app obtained outside the appstore, or that they'll back down on the draconian rules they impose on developers, or that they'll codify the rules of the currently highly cryptic approval process [In which case I'd say you're highly delusional, or have a terminal case of optimism]; your reply did not really address my objection.
      
      I understand that some people like living in gilded cages (remember how long it took for the iPhone to get Copy-Paste?), but don't befuddlement when some people proclaim their preference for living free.
    - http://twitter.com/Zilog8 @Zilog8
      
      That last sentence was supposed to say "don't claim befuddlement when some people proclaim their preference for living free."
  - holly
    
    This has a good in it. Users less likely get a fake app contain spywares that blow out of the proportion risking our security.
ben

What version of Android?

Is there a reason why you couldn't go to the official Android Market instead of AndroidLib?

Finally, on the manufacturer website, it says its for CDMA (sprint, verizon, etc), but here it uses a sim (GSM).. do they have both??
http://www.vkamobi.com Vkamobi

Like i spot in Vkamobi
http://intensedebate.com/people/sirron sirron

So, over a quarter of a million app developers are blowing smoke?? No they're making money from being able to write apps that don't screw up the phone.
- http://twitter.com/Zilog8 @Zilog8
  
  See, you're still deflecting. Nowhere did I say that app developers were "blowing smoke" (whatever the heck that means). I said that Apple treats them like their personal masochistic b*tches. The developers let themselves get subjugated exactly for the reason that you stated: they get paid. That doesn't make the way Apple treats them, or the iron-handed grip they have and what should be the USER's phone, right or defensable.
  - http://twitter.com/Zilog8 @Zilog8
    
    Case in point: http://shiftyjelly.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/sente…
http://intensedebate.com/profiles/otm4l otm4l

Hi,
Really good review! I bought the "updated 800mhz" version of the phone from Mobino1.com but I got the version you reviewed. Really annoying, the shippment was fast but the service after when I told them that I got the wrong phone was awful.
Like they didn't care at all, and that pissed me off. They just said, we made a mistake, sorry for that. Hope you understand. That's all when I told how do we fix this.
After that I've tried to reason with them, I know that if I tried to send it back, it would take me forever, and the phone is actually pretty good. Instead of that, I tried to get them to send me the ROM for the firmware, but no luck there either. Now they just ignoring me, after a few. Thanks for all, have a nice day. When I tried to talk with them over msn. Anyway, the reason I write this comment, is first I really like this blog, and second if someone know were I can find the ROM for the phone.

Cheers!
- Guest
  
  Bought from Mobino1 myself, terrible customer service and a nightmare t deal with. Would not recommend.
Motorcycleboy

Thanks for the great review. I am so use to reading disparaging comments about smart phones intended for the Chinese market it is refreshing to read something that is fair and balanced. Remember, all you people who want to sneer at 'fakes', this is intended for Chinese consumers with Chinese income levels. For the price I think that this phone offers amazing performance and hardware and as the reviewer wrote it would only take a firmware upgrade to make it something really great. The Chinese are learning fast and it is only a matter of time before we see the world conquering Chinese smartphone.

Can someone provide the URL for the manufacturer's website?
- Guest
  
  Bought this phone and it is rubbish, carera is very poor, speaker is very poor also. Build quality is sub-par. Software is not complete. I could go on and on and on…….. Eventually I paid about 10% more for a proper smartphone by a major manufacturer and could not be happier. Also be aware you will probably have to pay customs tax if buying in USA or Europe so the price differential is nothing. GET A PROPER PHONE!
http://www.chinamobileseurope.com John Dekenz

Hey guys,

we are starting a new website where we reviews chinese phones and suppliers (wholesellers).

It would be great if you guys can give your opinions about it and maybe even become members on our forum.

The URL is http://www.chinamobileseurope.com
Thank you in advance!

John Dekenz
Jez

Anyone know if the screen on the A3 is solid, as opposed to the soft creaky LCD screens you get on some Chinese 'touch screen' mobiles (e.g. Miphone M89)?

Also, whether Android allows synchronisation with Microsoft Outlook (calendar and contacts) like Windows phones do? Thanks.
oleg

Miphon A3 do not advise anyone. Bought and is very sorry about this – do not spend money you do not get the fact that the stated
Fred

It's great to see reviews of reasonably priced phones. There's a market for decent phones (not apple fakes) with good software for those of us not interested in the apple hype & restrictions.

It would also be good to see recommendations for legitimate stores selling stuff like this – ie good products, fair price, good service
OBURA EDWIN

How can i unlock my mi A300 phone?