Leading PC and competitive mobile phone maker Lenovo may have been overly influenced by Apple’s iPhone 6 when it was looking for inspiration for its new S90 smartphone. As reported by Gizmodic (via The Independent), Lenovo’s S90 ‘Sisley’ smartphone closely resembles the iPhone 6 with a marketing push that is almost identical to Apple’s own promotional materials.
Though there are small differences between the two devices, the overall styling of the S90 is remarkably similar to the iPhone 6. Both phones include a rounded metal casing and measure up with the same 6.9mm thickness and 129g weight.
The mimicry didn’t stop with the hardware design, as Lenovo also borrows heavily from Apple’s unique marketing style. The Chinese manufacturer uses an almost identical product layout and brightly-colored, people-focused images that Apple typically uses in its advertising materials.
Lenovo addressed accusations that it had copied the iPhone 6’s design, stating that though there are clear “external similarities” between the two devices, there would have been no time for the company to emulate the iPhone’s design so soon after its launch.
Lenovo has responded by admitting that while there are “external similarities […] Considering the product design lifecycle of any smartphone – at least a year in planning and prototyping – it’s not possible to copy a design so quickly.”
This isn’t the first time competitors have copied Apple’s iPhone. The Cupertino company waged a multi-year battle against rival Samsung over patent and trade dress infringement claims. Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has also been accused of copying the iPhone and the iPad in its line of inexpensive smartphones and tablets, with Apple’s design chief Jony Ive going so far as to call the similarities in design “theft.”
