How to identify a fake Samsung Android phone



How to identify a fake Samsung phone

One of my most hilarious days of 2014 was when a friend of mine was feeling oppressed by my Android phone (not like he knew much about phones anyway) and was determined to outshine me. He’d been checking out some Samsung phones online and was feeling even more oppressed by the price tags…..till he struck a deal. Without consulting anybody, he went and got himself this brand new “Samsung Galaxy S4”. It all started when he wanted to know how to root the Android phone (see https://www.hovatek.com/blog/how-to-root-android-easily-without-pc/ ). When I heard the price, I didnt suspect foul play and decided to check the phone out. To my surprise, it was fake. Just a little more money would have got him an original. What made it even more hilarious was his facial expression when he finally realized / accepted it was fake; more like “Awoof don purge my belle”.

In this guide, I’ll be showing you some techniques which will aid you in spotting fake Samsung phones either when your’re allowed to install stuff or just surf through.

What are the things to look out for when trying to spot a fake Samsung phone?

1. Physical appearance / performance: If you’ve seen the original or can get access to one then a side by side comparison would be a good pointer. You should compare the screen size, buttons, sensors, display quality, user interface, components under the back cover and logo. If you cant get an original then online pictures from different angles should do.

2. Graphics and performance: Reboot the phone then observe the boot sound and animation. Also, try running some games and apps then observe the phone’s performance

3. Samsung Codes: Try dialing the codes below. If the device responds to them then that’s a pass, else, it has failed this test:

  • Knowing SW Version, PDA, CSC and Modem  *#1234#
  • Samsung SW & HW Info  *#12580369#
  • Samsung Test mode  *#0*#
  • Samsung Service Mode *#197328640#
  • Samsung ADC Reading  *#0228#
  • Samsung Bluetooth Test Mode  *#232331#
  • Samsung Bluetooth Address  *#232337#
  • Samsung Ciphering Information  *#32489#

4. Phone specs: Check for the phone’s specifications online to know what to expect in the original then begin comparing by going to:

  • Settings > About to check for Android version, model number, baseband, kernel version and build number
  • Settings > Storage to check the storage allocations

5.  Samsung Kies detection: Samsung KIES is a desktop manager for Samsung phones. If its unable to recognize the device then that’s another red flag. To carry out this test:

  • Download Samsung Kies
  • Navigate to Settings > Applications > Development and disable USB debugging
  • Navigate to Settings > Wireless and network > USB settings and tick Ask on connection
  • Launch Samsung Kies
  • Connect the phone to PC and select Samsung Kies when prompted for a connection mode
  • Kies will attempt to connect to the device, give it some time
  • Kies should display the device’s name and firmware version  if the phone is detected. If Kies can’t detect it after several attempts then that’s a red flag

Where can I get original Samsung phones ?

Its very important you patronize only trusted phone vendors. You could checkout some original Samsung phones by clicking http://hovatek.com/order.php?brand=samsung&model=android

Hovatek….just a button away!



3 thoughts on “How to identify a fake Samsung Android phone”

  1. I think booting into download mode could also work…..one can google how to do that depending on the phone he is going for…..

  2. I think there are some very decent mediatek devices out there bearing the Galaxy s4 logo and they have almost all the features of the original one. But I think the only way to differentiate them is to install could identifying softwares if it is allowed to check the processor running on the phone. If it’s mediatek be sure it’s a fake Chinese model clone. If it spreadstrum then my friend throw it away and forget you ever bought it.. lol

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