How to spot fake Samsung Phones

Samsung is the leading mobile brand worldwide, no wonder there are lots of fake Samsung smartphones in the market these days. A friend came to see me the other day with his new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and within minutes of touching the phone I knew it was fake. When I told him he doubted till I showed him how I knew it was a fake Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Today I want to also share with you how you can easily spot a fake Samsung phone whether it is Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5 or even Note 2 and Note 3 etc. This method applies to several other phone brands and models.

If you do not look very closely you may never spot the fake phones in the market these days as their manufacturers are becoming smarter in conceiving their differences. After reading this article you will be smarter as well so as not to fall victim of the fake Samsung smartphones or any other phone brands flooding the market today.

So let’s see how we can spot fake Samsung phones. We will be looking to identify the differences in hardware and software.

Hardware:

Before you proceed to buy any Samsung smartphones or any other smartphone brand, ensure to read up the device specifications and information before you leave the house. This will equip you with the right information to the device you are about to buy.

While many of the differences in hardware may not be easily noticed, a careful look will always reveal them all. Let’s see some of the things to look out for under hardware to spot fake Samsung phones.

Brand Name: Often times most fake Samsung phones spell deliberately spell SAMSUNG wrongly. Beware of spellings like SANSUNG, SUNSUNG, SAMSAMG, SINGSUNG etc. Quickly bring out the phone from its packet and physically examine the name on it and the battery as well to be sure it is correctly spelt. If it is not, then you may just be holding a fake Samsung phone on your hand.

Brand Seal: Look out for Samsung genuine seal before you purchase any Samsung Phone. While I know the counterfeits also come with look-alike seals, if you really look hard you will see the difference.

Design & Weight: Most fake Samsung phones tend to be heavier, less compact and different dimensions from the original Samsung phones, this is another way you can spot fake Samsung phones. When you feel a Samsung phone is being unnecessarily heavy or wider, go ahead and check out other tips I will list below to see if it is original or cloned Samsung phone.

Absent of Typical Samsung Features: The awesome Samsung features such as Face recognition, image stabilization, smile detection, HD Video, S-Beam, S-Health, S-Pen, Smart-Stay are often absent in the fake Samsung phones.

So anytime you want to buy a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5, Note 2, and Note 3 or any other Samsung phone or any other brand entirely, look out for the Samsung features or those features unique to that brand.

Screen: Most fake phone manufactures cannot use AMOLED screen to make their fake phones. Samsung uses AMOLED technology to make their screens scratch resistant, hard and smooth. So if you want to buy a Samsung phone, take a good look at the screen to see if it is AMOLED or scratch-proof.

Software:

After physically examining the phone, you can perform some software checks to ascertain the product is original. First you can run a benchmark test to see how your newly acquired Samsung phone performs against the benchmark standards.

Compare the imei with the label on the battery or back of the phone to see if it corresponds to the one you will get when you dial *#06#. Make sure the IMEI number on the sticker matches the IMEI number in the settings > “about phone” > “status” menu. If it does not match, then you may just be holding a fake Samsung phone in your hand.

Connect your Samsung phone to your computer and see if Kies can detect it. If it does not then you phone is a fake Samsung phone.

Perform an LCD test on the phone, dial *#0*#, if the LCD test appears, all the boxes should be fit in the screen, else your phone is fake.

Visit Samsung website, create a login and click on the ‘register a product’ using the IMEI number of the phone, if it is authentic Samsung will notify you but if it has already been registered, then you should know that your phone may be fake.

Go into the phone Settings > About Phone and check the phone configuration. Correspond it to the one published online by Samsung to see if they matched.

How not to buy fake Samsung Phones:

Avoid buying smartphones from non-licensed dealers, that way you won’t have to buy a fake smartphone.

Samsung phones usually come with a 1 year warranty from date of purchase. So ensure any phone you are buying has a valid warranty so you can return it if you find out its fake.

Do not buy Samsung phones online except from a Samsung site or only trusted sites.

Spend some time with your new Samsung phone before you leave the store where you bought it. You just may identify its originality before you leave the store.