For almost a year, the original iPhone clone, the CECT P168, was known pretty much as the premier, best selling clone. I think this is because it was the closest thing to the original, very user friendly, had several embraced bonus features, and was widely available for not much money. That trend has changed though as the manufacturers have been rolling out improvements and upgrades to this well received model. One of the best selling of these newer models is the CECT i9. This article will review it’s features, performance, and price.

Standard Popular Features: The i9 phone has everything the previous clones had and more. It is often thought of as “the best of both worlds” among the clones because it combines the standard popular features of many of the mainstream models with a few of the novelty features that are also gaining ground. As with most all of the clones, this one allows: web browsing; texting and email; full SMS, MMS, and WAP capabilities; MP3/MP4; Bluetooth; a built in digital camera / web cam and an FM radio. So, this is where this phone is the same, but here is where it is different.

Dual Sim Active: Like most of the clones, this one allows you to have two phone numbers or networks on one phone. However, unlike most – many of these phones sold under the name i9 allow for both sim cards to be active and online at once without needing to switch back and forth between the two.

Shake And Tilt Control AKA Swing To The Music: The original P168 did not have this addition. It came later on models like the A88 and the A380i. This means that you can advance music, media, wall papers, etc. by only shaking the phone. You don’t have to look down or scroll. Likewise, the images on the phone will always right themselves no matter which way you turn or tilt the phone. Images go from portrait to landscape depending on which way you are holding or turning it.

Java: If there was any drawback to the original clones, it was that you could not download third party software or games via Java. This one supports Java so this is no longer an issue. Software like MSN, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook Express gives this cell phone so many more productivity and gaming possibilities.

Smaller, Sleeker Size: The i9 is smaller and sleeker than previous models, is dwarfed by a dollar bill, and will easily fit into a small pocket. It weighs only 95 grams with the dimensions of 110 x 60 x 11.5 mm.

More Memory: The original clones were expandable to up to 2GB of memory. The 9 can hold up to 8GB of memory (although it’s more common to see them with 4GB). This is huge in my opinion because it ensures the phone is fast to function and download and you don’t have to worry about it getting bogged down when you download songs, video and information.

Quad Band: The original iClone was a tri band. This one is a quad band, which covers nearly all world wide GSM networks.

Performance: I really like this phone. It performs very well and feels like a solid, high quality gadget. Since it now has Java, dual sim active, and more memory, it covers almost everything you could want in a phone. The slightly size does make it a bit slower to compose txt documents if you have large fingers, but I still prefer a lighter weight, sleeker model and feel this is a fair trade off. I’ve not found any bugs with it and I also like that it includes shake and tilt. I know that some people see this feature as a little eccentric (you either love it or hate it) but I am one of those people who finds it pretty useful.

Pricing: This CECT smart phone averages around $150, depending on how much memory is included. This is a bit more than some of the older models, obviously, but with all of the upgrades, I feel that it is more than worth it.

By: Rae Edwards