Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Android
  4. Mobile
  5. Evergreens

Love the notch? Check out these five weird and wonderful iPhone X clones

Add as a preferred source on Google
Image used with permission by copyright holder
MWC 2026
Read our complete coverage of Mobile World Congress

Remember all the hubbub around the “ugly” notch on the iPhone X just a few months ago? Well, it looks like some Android smartphone makers got a case of notch envy. At this year’s Mobile World Congress we saw a range of iPhone X clones ranging from awesome to absolutely awful. Here’s a few of our favorites.

Asus Zenfone 5

Asus Zenfone 5 review
Simon Hill/Digital Trends

There’s no question that the new Asus Zenfone 5 is an absolutely stunning device. It features a gorgeous 6.2-inch IPS display and a pretty capable dual-camera setup. But let’s be honest, it looks a whole lot like the iPhone X on steroids.

And no, it’s not just the top notch (that Asus wants you to know is 26 percent smaller than the iPhone X); you’ll also find the placement of the rear-camera lenses to look quite familiar.

While the Zenfone 5 has a lot in common with the iPhone X when it comes to design, it comes in at several hundred dollars cheaper than the Apple flagship.

Leagoo S9/S9 Plus

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Can’t decide between the Samsung Galaxy S9 or the iPhone X? Well, Leagoo may have the answer. The S9 sports Apple’s now-iconic top notch, as well as well as the name of Samsung’s newest flagship. Coming in at $150, it’s way cheaper than either of the phones from which it draws inspiration.

While the Leagoo S9 and S9 Plus does pack in 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a dual-pixel camera, you’re never going to mistake this phone for a flagship. We did a brief hands-on with the phone and it was incredibly buggy and slow. To be fair, it is running what we hope is preproduction software, but there was still incredible lag between app changes.

Noa N10

Image used with permission by copyright holder

First introduced at Mobile World Congress, the Noa N10 looks an awful lot like the iPhone X. For its price, $350, it packs some pretty nice specs. The N10 has a dual-camera, 64GB of onboard storage (with MicroSD slot), and 4GB of RAM. It will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo.

While it sounds like a pretty attractive phone for the price, we didn’t have a chance to test it out; Noa representatives were fiercely protective of the phone and kept it under a plexi-glass display throughout the show. The N10 will be available in April or June, according to two different Noa representatives.

Vinci 6205

Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’re not entirely sure you’ll ever see the Vinci 6205 in stores. It appears to be more of a concept phone marketed by a Chinese OEM device manufacturer. The phone should ship with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, though a representative told us we could easily upgrade RAM for $10 a gig. It also features a facial authentication system called FaceID, of course.

We were unable to get exact pricing on the 6205, but one representative told us $120 while another said $340. The device may ship in June.

Ulephone T2 Pro

Image used with permission by copyright holder

At first glance, the Ulephone T2 Plus is quite beautiful. Definitely derivative of the iPhone X, it comes in more color options and has a slightly chunkier bottom bezel.

The T2 Plus features a Helio P70 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also features a dual-camera setup with 21- and 13-megapixel cameras, and a front-facing camera that can unlock the phone.

While it looks pretty good at first glance, we definitely found some issues. We were told the model we looked at was basically ready to ship with the exception of a camera bug that caused a continuous bootloop, but once we tried to actually use the phone, Android apps like Gmail and Chrome immediately crashed. There was also issues with the power button, so it was nearly impossible to turn it on once the screen turned off.

The Ulephone T2 Plus should ship in July. A Ulephone representative assured us the device would be available in the United States if you’re inclined to give it a try. It comes in at $380, which is about $600 less than the iPhone X.

Steven Winkelman
Former Staff Writer, Mobile
Steven writes about technology, social practice, and books. At Digital Trends, he focuses primarily on mobile and wearables…
The $1,500 flagship might be closer than you think
Flip phones already broke the $1,500 mark this year, and slab flagships aren't far behind.
iPhone 17 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro.

In July, a Google executive broke the silence on the ongoing memory crisis, highlighting a more than fourfold increase in RAM prices between 2025 and 2026, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. The prices have gone up from $2.80 in 2025 to roughly $12 in 2026, as mentioned in the same report. Run the math for a 16GB memory package, and the cost to the company has apparently gone up from $45 to $192.

That's not a rounding error; it's the floor moving under the entire industry's feet. Google is not alone in speaking about the ongoing memory crisis. We've also seen Nothing's CEO speak about it, and other brands like Motorola, OnePlus, and Xiaomi make price adjustments across their lineup.

Read more
I’ve used the Pixel 10 Pro a year. I hope Google fixes these nagging issues on the Pixel 11 Pro
Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

I’ve been using the Google Pixel 10 Pro for almost a year now, which means I’ve had plenty of time to figure out what I love about it and, more importantly, what still gets on my nerves. And with the Pixel 11 Pro launching on August 12, just three days from now, my wishlist for Google has gotten pretty long. There’s a lot the Pixel already gets right. The software is still one of my favorite Android experiences, performance is generally solid, and Google’s Gemini features have become genuinely useful in ways I didn’t expect. Those are all big reasons I’ve stuck with Pixel phones for as long as I have.

But spend enough time with any phone and the little annoyances stop feeling so little. Over the past year, I’ve run into a handful of recurring Pixel problems that I really don’t want to carry over to another generation. Some have frustrated me for months, while others have made me question whether I can completely rely on my Pixel when I need it most. So, with the Pixel 11 Pro almost here, I have a few things I desperately want Google to get right this time.

Read more
Apple is testing Chinese DRAM even after CXMT refused to cut prices
Apple may be testing CXMT memory for iPhones and MacBooks
iPhone 17 Pro Max

Apple’s search for more memory supply has taken another step forward. The company is now testing DRAM from Chinese manufacturer CXMT across several products, including iPhones and MacBooks, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple has also held early talks with CXMT about supplying memory for some devices sold in China and is seeking support from the US government before moving ahead.

The timing is particularly interesting. Just recently, we learned that a shortage of DRAM could already be holding up production of the A20 Pro chip expected inside the iPhone 18 Pro. TSMC is said to have around $1 billion worth of finished chips waiting for memory before packaging can continue.

Read more