Luxury for less: 4 gadgets that mirror popular tech products
Aspirational tech comes at a price, but what if you could get a similar look for less? Here are four gadgets that capture the essence of premium brands.
Some tech brands do create aspirational products. Take Apple, for example. Most of its product surprises come at a premium. The branding and marketing over the years have certainly positioned the company as an aspirational premium brand. People generally aspire to buy its products, especially the iPhone, the Mac lineup, and more.
Similarly, there are speaker companies like Marshall and Bose that also create premium-category products, and their speakers aren’t exactly affordable.
This isn’t just a gadget industry trend. We see it in other industries as well. Take automobiles, for instance—certain cars resemble the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon while making the aesthetic accessible at a significantly lower price. A price point that is affordable for most middle-class Indians.
Keeping this strategy in mind, multiple brands across the tech industry have introduced products that are quite reminiscent of premium offerings. This is particularly noticeable in wearables and the audio category, as well as smartphones.
1. Boat Stone Opus
If we compare the Boat Stone Opus to the Marshall Acton 3, you’ll notice striking similarities—similar curves, buttons, and textures. The differences are subtle enough to classify it as a different product, yet the design clearly takes inspiration from Marshall.
This again facilitates a premium design at a lower price point. The Boat Stone Opus costs ₹8,999, whereas the Marshall Acton 3 is currently listed at ₹31,999 on Amazon but is available for ₹27,999 after discounts.
The Marshall Acton 3 has been around for a while and is quite a popular product, positioned firmly as a premium speaker at around ₹30,000. However, the two products do differ significantly—Marshall Acton 3 is a wired speaker that requires power, whereas the Boat Stone Opus is a wireless speaker with battery support.
Both speakers feature a retro-style design, a style that is currently quite popular. They also come in various colours that closely resemble each other. Even the marketing copy is quite similar—Boat highlights "room-filling clarity," while Marshall describes its speaker as a compact Bluetooth-enabled speaker that delivers “room-filling sound.”
In terms of connectivity, the Boat Stone Opus supports Bluetooth 5.3, auxiliary out, USB, and TF card support, and charges via Type-C. It also offers multi-device connectivity, allowing two devices to be connected simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the Marshall Acton 3 features Bluetooth 5.2 (one version older than the Boat speaker) and supports Bluetooth LE Audio. It also has a 3.5mm auxiliary input.
The power output differs as well—Boat claims a peak power output of 80W, whereas the Marshall Acton 3 has a total output of 60W, with a 30W amplifier for the woofer and two 15W Class D amplifiers for the tweeters.
2. Amazfit Active
The Apple Watch is another aspirational product—it can only be paired with an iPhone or, more recently, an iPad. The most affordable Apple Watch, the SE, starts at ₹24,900.
Meanwhile, products like the Amazfit Active offer a similar design, with comparable bands, a rectangular watch face with subtle curves, and even similar watch faces. In fact, the Amazfit Active’s Amazon listing features a watch face strikingly reminiscent of Apple’s ‘Numerals Mono’ watch face.
However, the Amazfit Active (42mm) costs just ₹7,499—a fraction of the price of the Apple Watch SE, let alone the higher-end Apple Watch Series 10 or Apple Watch Ultra.
Functionally, the Amazfit Active covers most of the essential smartwatch features—you can track calories, steps, and temperature (something the Apple Watch cannot do). It also supports call notifications, is water-resistant, and features an AMOLED display, just like the Apple Watch. Additionally, it offers sport tracking options and support for multiple watch faces.
3. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds lineup once had a distinctive design. However, with the launch of the Buds 3 Pro—especially in the white colourway—they now bear a striking resemblance to Apple’s AirPods Pro models.
The Buds 3 Pro now feature a stem design, something Samsung’s previous earbuds lacked. The overall shape of the buds and the feel of the charging case are also quite similar to the AirPods Pro. Samsung even faced criticism for this design shift when the earbuds launched last year alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6.
That being said, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are an excellent pair of Bluetooth earbuds, and they’re a great choice, especially if you’re using a Samsung phone, or any other Android phone, for that matter.
Note: Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are premium earbuds, and are not budget-centric (unlike other products mentioned in this article), coming in at ₹19,999.
4. Infinix Note 40X
The triple-camera design of the iPhone Pro models is one of the most recognisable smartphone aesthetics. If you spot a phone with three lenses arranged in a triangular layout at the top left corner, chances are it’s an iPhone Pro.
So, how do Android brands tap into this recognition? By creating devices that mimic the iPhone’s aesthetic, appealing to customers who want an iPhone-like design without actually buying an iPhone.
The Infinix Note 40X, for instance, features a camera module that closely resembles the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro. It sports a triangular camera setup in the top left corner. If you saw this phone from about 10 metres away, you might struggle to distinguish it from an actual iPhone.
Additionally, the Infinix Note 40X features glossy sides reminiscent of the stainless steel finish found on iPhones up until the 14 Pro series.
