Chinese smartphone manufacturers often don’t even hide the fact that they copy various design elements from Apple, whether in the physical or software aspects. The only question is what limitations are they willing to surpass to achieve this feat? Honor recently reached a milestone in this regard, as the former Huawei sub-brand was found to have added a rear dummy camera to its Power2 just so it could resemble the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Thankfully, not all aspects of Apple’s latest flagships have been copied, such as the massive 10,080mAh battery.
The Honor Power2 takes it one step further by allowing users to toggle its own version of Apple’s Liquid Glass UI called ‘Transparency mode’
The ‘camera plateau’ was the prominent design change that Apple added to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is now found on the Power2. In addition to the triple camera cluster at the back, Honor has incorporated the Cosmic Orange paint job, and just to complete the ‘copy the iPhone’ design language, the company added a dummy camera, which doesn’t operate at all. Top-tier technology YouTuber MKBHD compared the Power2 and the iPhone 17 Pro, with both devices looking strikingly similar.
There’s a strong possibility that you may not have been able to discern between the two smartphones from a certain viewing distance. Honor’s Power2 also has its own version of Liquid Glass baked into Android, with the images below showing that the company has named it ‘Transparency mode.’ While it is definitely a knockoff of Apple’s UI, we’ll give Honor credit for giving Power2 owners the flexibility to switch between the two aesthetics, since not everyone is a fan of Liquid Glass.
If you like Apple’s Liquid Glass so much but don’t have any of the company’s products, Honor has baked ‘Transparency mode’ into Android for that very purpose / Image credits – MKBHD
Now, for the hilarious part, the Power2 only has two rear cameras, which is strange to hear because there’s a third sensor present too. It turns out that Honor incorporated a dummy unit so that its device can mimic the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max design. We reconfirmed MKBHD’s information by checking the specifications on GSMArena, and sure enough, the Power2 is equipped with a single 50MP main shooter and a 5MP ultrawide-angle sensor. The YouTuber hasn’t been able to use the third sensor, meaning that it’s just a placeholder.
Luckily for you, Honor covered it up by using a massive 10,080mAh battery on the Honor2, which can double as a powerbank to top up other devices. The Chinese phone maker achieves this feat while making the Power2 thinner than the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 7.98mm. Of course, you’ll have to make do with non-flagship specifications, including MediaTek’s Dimensity 8500, 12GB RAM, and an LTPS OLED panel, but those are necessary trade-offs.
News Source: MKBHD
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