Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – or so they say. That’s certainly true in the world of phone design, where a trend started by one company can echo through the industry in months or even weeks.
One of those trendsetters is Apple, which sends shockwaves through the phone market with the reveal of each new generation of iPhone. Last year’s iPhone 17 series was no different, and the new designs for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, as well as the new iPhone Air, have served as – ahem – inspiration for plenty of other phones already.
However, there’s a point where inspiration goes a bit too far, but for some phone makers being accused of taking design elements from Apple’s latest handsets doesn’t seem to be a worry.
In fact, I’d say there are some phones on the market now that are just blatant iPhone 17 series clones (we’re including the iPhone Air as an iPhone 17 series model as it came out at the same time). Keep scrolling for a list of the five most shameless iPhone 17 series clones from other phone makers — just keep in mind that none of these phones are available in the US.
Honor Magic8 Pro Air
Let’s start with the new kid on the block, the Honor Magic 8 Pro Air – no prizes for guessing which iPhone this Android handset takes its inspiration from.
Announced in January 2026, the Honor Magic 8 Pro Air looks conspicuously similar to the iPhone Air, and Honor’s naming scheme makes the link pretty obvious. What’s odd about the Honor Magic 8 Pro Air (apart from its long name) is that, on paper, it’s a more capable handset than the iPhone Air in a couple of key ways.
The Magic 8 Pro Air has three rear cameras and a 5,500mAh battery – larger than even the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s battery capacity. For reference, the iPhone Air was widely criticized for its single rear camera and limited battery life. With that said, Honor’s slim flagship isn’t quite as thin as Apple’s, as the Magic 8 Pro Air measures 6.1mm thick compared to the 5.6mm iPhone Air.
Still, it’s hardly the most original design we’ve seen, and near enough copies the ‘plateau’ motif from the iPhone Air as well as the orange color of the iPhone 17 Pro.
It’s not even original enough to be the first Honor phone to nab design ideas from the iPhone Air – that title goes to the Honor 500 (released in China in November 2025), which arguably looks even more similar to Apple’s thin flagship. For now it seems that the Magic 8 Pro Air is a China-exclusive release, and the Honor 500 has only launched in select Asian markets – we’ll be on the lookout for a global launch for either or both handsets.
Honor Power 2
Double trouble – we’re sticking with Honor for the next entry on this list, the Honor Power 2, which despite being a mid-range handset takes more than a few cues from the most expensive iPhone on the market.
While the name of this phone doesn’t give quite as much away as the Magic 8 Pro Air, once you get your eyes on the Honor Power 2, it becomes clear that someone at Honor’s R&D department has a bit of a thing for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
What makes this so obvious is that the Honor Power 2 has the same plateau at the top of the phone, housing a triple-camera setup in a triangular pattern. With how simple phone design is these days, that means it already looks almost exactly the same as the iPhone 17 Pro. And did I mention it’s also bright orange?
That’s right, Honor didn’t just stop at construction – the brand has also nicked the quirky orange color scheme from this year’s flagship iPhone. How imaginative.
Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max
I’m torn about including this next entry in the list, because despite a good helping of Apple inspiration, I do think the final product has some original and worthwhile ideas.
I’m talking about the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, released in China in late September 2025. On the surface, these phones aren’t that similar to Apple’s top-end handsets. The biggest difference is in the rear display on the Xiaomi flagships, which takes cues from the cover display on flip phones to offer a convenient way to check the time, receive messages, or take photos with the rear camera system.
However, we can’t ignore the name scheme here, which is not just similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but absolutely identical. What’s more, Xiaomi skipped over the Xiaomi 16 Pro entirely just to catch up to Apple, jumping straight from the 15 series to the 17 series.
I’m a fan of the best Xiaomi phones, and understand the need to keep pace with the big names in the industry, but this just seems desperate, even if the phones themselves are both cool and capable.
Poco F8 Pro and Poco F8 Ultra
Sticking with Xiaomi, we’re heading over to gaming-focused sub-brand Poco for the next iPhone-inspired models on this list, the Poco F8 Pro and Poco F8 Ultra, released in November 2025. Once again, the giveaway is the raised camera plateau, which houses three cameras and a flash module in Xiaomi’s typical square arrangement.
How similar these mid-range phones look to the iPhone 17 Pro depends on how it’s configured. In the silver colorway, the Poco F8 Pro very much resembles a silver iPhone 17 Pro, but the other color options are less directly tied to Apple’s models.
And considering that there’s no basic Poco F8 to speak of, it’s possible that the ‘Pro’ suffix was added to bring Apple’s high-end flagships to mind alongside the similar design.
As for the Poco F8 Ultra, the Bose speaker on the plateau and optional denim material option help to differentiate it from Apple’s design. I can’t see Apple releasing an iPhone that feels like a pair of jeans any time soon.
Inifinix Note Edge
Infinix isn’t a brand we talk about much here at TechRadar, as it’s mainly focused on releasing phones in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. But I had to include the recently announced Infinix Note Edge handset on this list, as it’s another clear-cut iPhone Air copy with a dose of iPhone 17 Pro design in there for good measure.
We’re talking about another thin, large phone with a camera plateau – but Infinix goes one step further with an Android wrapper that looks almost exactly like iOS 26.
However, Infinix seemingly at least had the good sense to withdraw its bright orange color option by the time of the phone’s official announcement (via GSMArena). I also find the name – Note Edge – pretty humorous, as it brings to mind the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge or older Galaxy Note phones much more than it does any Apple handset.
And to give credit where credit’s due, the Infinix Note Edge does sport some impressive specs, especially when it comes to its 6,500mAh battery capacity, which more than doubles the iPhone Air’s 3,149mAh capacity.
By the looks of these iPhone clones, it seems that Apple’s influence on phone design is set to continue – be sure to check out our list of the best iPhones if you’re thinking about picking up the real thing anytime soon.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
