meaning - "similarly to" in the sentence beginning



Similarly to the previous version of this product, this version contains the same feature and .... (a long description of the product)



Is the usage of "similarly to" in the sentence beginning correct? Or is there any better alternative? How would English people say this sentence in formal language?



Answer



This is a typical awkward wording I see in Japanese-English translation.


If you want to use an adverbial phrase, you need something like the following:



As with the previous version of the product, this version also contains feature XXX



I suggest something like:



As with


As in


As was (is) the case with



A related awkward structure is the following:



Similar to John, Bob lives in Tokyo.



Literally, this says only that Bob is similar to John and that Bob lives in Tokyo, but nothing about where John lives. If both live in Tokyo, then:



Bob lives in Tokyo, as does John.



Or something along those lines


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