Oh, the streets of Shenzhen, where you can be automatically fined for jaywalking and the fine extracted from your messenger/social app account before you have reached your destination. The other things you can buy there are electronics' parts. Lots and lots of cables, boards, cameras, housing, memory and plenty of other geeky paraphernalia that would make Inspector Gadget proud.
Remember that viral video of Scottie from Strange Parts who managed to concoct his own iPhone by just strolling the streets in Shenzhen and buying spare parts? Well, fast forward two years, and, with a bit more experience in the country, and a bit more Mandarin, that same guy is now trying to replicate the success with an Android phone.
Funnily enough, the task is not easier, as he initially wanted to build a Galaxy S10 but the phone is too fresh on the market, so logic boards and other basic stuff are hard to come by. There were plenty of S9 and S8 parts, though, so the guy went for an S9+.
The process, though, is worth watching in its entirety, and one can suddenly realize why it would be so hard for any company to move production completely out of China. Since iPhones are manufactured there, Scottie from Strange Parts deduced that more than half of the parts for sale in Shenzhen's sprawling underground components market are for Apple's finest, and the rest is for all Android manufacturers combined.
Samsung's phones that are sold in the US are mostly made in Vietnam, for instance, which might explain why he had a hard time putting together a Galaxy S10, and went for the S9+ instead.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: