Samsung's long-awaited flagship phone launched this week, with shiny new features including a heart rate monitor and fingerprint scanner. However, at an expected retail of $550-$650 off-contract, many will simply not be able to afford the Galaxy S5.
Cue Goophone S5.
Copycat phone maker Goophone introduced its smartphone two days after the Galaxy S5 was unveiled. The Goophone S5 has a design and perforated casing akin to the Samsung phone, as well as a 5-inch HD 1920 x 1080 resolution screen, 32GB expandable storage and a 2GHz octa-core processor.
Compromises
The phones aren't a perfect match, however. For instance, Goophone S5 only has 3G network support while Galaxy S5 has 4G capability. Its camera is 13 megapixels compared to Galaxy's 16MP and its accompanying 0.3-second autofocus. Furthermore, the Goophone version runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, not the most recent 4.4 Kitkat.
Then again, at $299.99, Goophone S5 is a full 50 percent less than it's high-end counterpart.
Supply v. demand
The Goophone S5 is already out of stock. In the mean time, why not check Goophone i5S? It is priced at $160 and bears a resemblance to Apple's iPhone 5S with its gold, black and grey colors.
The Goophone culture
Though not many people totally comprehend the Goophone culture, everyone can agree on this - it's unique.
Take the following, for instance, posted on the Goophone S5 page:
"The Next Big Thing Is Almost Here. Goophone has always been forward best smartphone. With new design, this new generation Goophone S5 you have never seen it. Goophone S5 is world's first smartphone powered 2GHz Mediatek MT6592 true octa-core processor, along with 2GB DDR3 RAM, bring better operating experience to us."
