Inferior iPhone build quality?

[kikkumal]

I have an iphone 3gs which I bought in the UK in 2009. My brother bought the same phone from India last year. And it seemed to have somewhat inferior build quality than my iphone. Then my father bought one last month (from India, I know they have been stopped but they are available here) and it too is like my brother's. They bought them in different cities but from official reseller stores and the phones are genuine Apple. The differences are:

1) Their screen is less shiny than my phone's
2) Their plastic body feels slightly cheaper.
3) The USB cable is definitely of inferior quality.
4) Battery life is lower than my phone even though my phone is older

The touch response and other functionality is exactly at the same level.

Now either of the following is true:
1) Apple reduced its build quality of iPhone 3gs (sourcing cheaper components) so the phones bought circa 2009 are of better quality than those built circa 2011.
2) Apple sells different quality phones in different countries and as India has very little quality control, it supplies inferior quality products here.

Now I know that most people here are not from India so I would to know whether you too have experienced the same, I mean with respect to the year the phone was bought. If the build quality has also reduced in USA/Europe etc then the first point is true else it is the second.

Thanks!

 

[Bula]

Can you load some comparison pictures of the iPhones...

 

[kikkumal]

@Bula: It won't be possible to upload the pictures as we all live in different cities.

@Stc: If you too have heard about this then it might be that Apple is supplying inferior quality products to India while they are charging more than they charge in most other countries. That's pathetic.

I've also noticed the same with Gillette Mach 3 blades. The ones in India (made in Germany) are of much lower quality than those available in the UK (also madein Germany). While they are cheaper in the UK.

I think if a company is advertizing something under the same brand-name and model throughout the world, they should also provide the same quality to all markets.

 

[Bula]

It's like anything in life... someone is always out to make a quick buck by making a cheap copy and selling it as real deal....I remember reading about Apple accredited stores in China selling rip off Apple stuff for a top price....

 

[kikkumal]

It's like anything in life... someone is always out to make a quick buck by making a cheap copy and selling it as real deal....I remember reading about Apple accredited stores in China selling rip off Apple stuff for a top price....

The problem is they are NOT rip-offs but genuine Apple products. They've been bought from official Apple resellers mentioned on Apple's website. And I have confiremed with apple that the serial number and the imei number are genuine. Also, no rip-off can reproduce the apple software and functionality. It's the same with Gillette. I got it confirmed from them that the blades are genuine and it wasn't the first time I bought them. You buy Mach3 blades from anywhere in the UK and then compare them with those bought anywhere in India.

Also, I spoke about this to one my uncles who works for Sony in India. He confirmed that Sony uses a lot of inferior components for Indian market. He said that a Sony TV bought from the US is of better quality than that bought from India even if it is exactly the same model number. The picutre quality would be the same but the Indian one would develop more faults over time and wouldn't last as long as the one bought in USA.

So agreed that Indian authorities are not too interested in enforcing quality controls but companies shouldn't take advantage of that. There would people making those decisions and getting components sourced from different suppliers for different markets. And most products are more expensive in India.