With Nokia N81 cloned like this the fake N96 is just around the corner

Designing a new mobile phone is a demanding task. But what happens when someone steals months of design work in a matter of days? Well nothing, if you happen to be a Chinese handset maker.

Lately, we’ve spotted the fake “version” of Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s stylish music and gaming phone - N81. As you’ve just seen from the image above, this ripoff looks almost identical to its original “brother.” As a matter of fact, it took me few minutes to figure out this is actually a clone and not the real thing. Next step will probably include cloning of the N96 as the two devices (N81 and N96) share some design elements. It’s easy to imaging people returning from their trip to China with the Nokia N96 which they bought for next to nothing, only to realize it’s a fake once they return home and demand some advanced functionality.

The danger for Nokia and other handset makers is the moment when Chinese companies start implementing open-source Android instead of their own mobile OS. The end result could be quite capable device, despite the poor built quality. But that’s another story… More photos follow after the jump.

[Via: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]