Spain's iPhone killer actually a rebranded Xiaomi – new claim

Zetta handsets might have been marked-up Chinese phones

An Android phone maker in Spain is facing allegations that its flagship product is just a rebranded Chinese model.

The Zetta handset had been advertised as a smartphone built in Spain's Extremadura region, and was considered the country's own answer to the iPhone, with more than 80 shops selling it.

However, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais, "Zetta founders were allegedly buying them cheap, altering their look, and then reselling them for a much higher price."

Consumer watchdog group FACUA has called for an investigation into the company by local authorities to determine whether the Zetta's makers have in fact been taking Xiaomi handsets, replacing the back cover and other hardware pieces, and then reselling them for €145–€155 (US$160–$171).

"If you've bought a Zetta cellphone, they have to give you a refund," the paper's English edition quotes FACUA as saying of the smartphones.

"They've shut down their website. Let's hope that prosecutors and the government of Extremadura will take action."

As El Pais notes, being outed for re-selling Chinese-made hardware would be disastrous for the company and its portrayal of the Zetta as a locally produced smartphone that competes with the Apple iPhone for a fraction of the price.

Despite earlier reports that Zetta had taken down its website, the Zettaeuropa site now appears to be back up and running without any comment on the allegations. ®