I have bought a new Samsung smartphone online, but how do I check if it is really an original Samsung smartphone or a fake one?
If you have ever been curious about this, and yes it is most commonly asked by many people who are deciding to buy a refurbished or used smartphone. Here we have the answers to help you to identify whether your Samsung phone is original or fake.
Undeniably, the best quality and largest manufacturer, Samsung, never fails you with latest technologies and features in every new phone model, hence the price has also been premium. At its premium built quality and features, major phone buyers wish to explore the market to get the phone specification that they wanted at a cheaper rate.
With desperate buyers and cheaper rates confused by tricky sellers, fake phones have entered into the market and have scammed the buyers who are not aware. This is why you should read this article before you proceed buying any Samsung smartphone. We are here to assist you in determining the fake phones and signs to check if the Samsung smartphone is original or not easily.
How To Check My Samsung Phone Is Original?
All you need to do is to launch your device Setting:
Setting > System Menu > Properties > CPU,RAM, ROM, Battery detail, Front Facing Camera configuration, and more. You can compare the specification shown in the settings of your phone with the specification listed on the box.
How to use Code to Check Is An Original Samsung Phone?
You can key in code on the dialer to check whether your Samsung phone is original or not. All you need to do is just enter the code in the dialer:
*#0*# or #32489#
When you finish typing the code, your Samsung phone will automatically enter into the secret diagnostic mode and don’t worry, this will do no harm to your Samsung phone, all this does is to enter into the checking section. You can check a lot of things available displayed as follows, and you will identify what information you suppose to have in your original Samsung phone or devices.
How To Identify My Samsung Phone is Original Based on Looking on the Display?
First of all, the screen brightness of Samsung phones is very bright and vivid compared to other cheap display phones. You can easily identify Original LCD Samsung screen is very bright as you observe closely its brightness level, whereas the fake screen is comparatively lower in the brightness level.
If you are not sure how bright it should be, just compare your Samsung phone with your friends one, definitely you will notice the original one shall look brighter. Due to Samsung’s display being usually known for amazing quality, you can understand it directly by looking at the display easily.
More Ways To Check If Your Samsung Phone is Original Or Fake?
It is sad but true, that clone smartphones are now looking just as real as the original one and identifying them at first glance can be difficult. You Can use these signs to check if your Samsung phone is either a clone or fake one.
TIPS No.1: Check Originality of Samsung Phone Secret Codes
Samsung secret special codes can enter into checking mode to check the hardware in your Samsung devices. You can use the code below to check your Samsung devices, since these codes are available only on original Samsung phones. If the Samsung phone you claim to be using can’t access the checking mode using these secret codes, then it is most likely that you are using fake Samsung devices.
To check the originality of your phone, you just have to go to your phone dialer app, enter the following codes. Once you have typed the code, it will automatically enter into checking mode to show the important information of things you can check.
TIPS No.2: Visible Signs To Check For Physical Characteristics.
With current advancing technologies, manufacturing processes are getting smarter and higher quality production of smartphones were built much better than the old days. You may check if the phone’s appearance is similar to the original or not, but that won’t be much help. Therefore, it is best you identify these signs at first to recognize the originality of your Samsung phone.
A.) Perform checking on the screen brightness and vibrancy quality. Original Samsung smartphone display should look much brighter and vibrance, while the fake one should display dull colors and lower brightness.
B.) The space between screen to the edges shall be able to show a wider gap for fake phones, whereas for original phones shall show lesser gap or none.
C.) Check the power and volume button should be at a reasonable distance for the original Samsung phone. For the fake phone shall have abnormal distance between both the buttons.
D.) Identify the devices’s display glass material. You can gently brush your finger on the display & feel the plastic more than a glass, then it probably is a fake product. Though both materials should be on the harder side, but plastic displays from fake phones shall possess softer material rather than on the harder original side.
E.) Check your original Samsung phone’s sensor, there are sensors that are supposed to have based on the specification you bought for your phone, but usually you will not find those sensors on the fake Samsung phones.
If you still could not verify the originality of your Samsung devices, then proceed with the next method.
TIPS No.3: Check Specification Written on the Box.
You should be able to match the specification of your phone similar to the one mentioned on the back of the phone box. You can find out your phone’s specification in the Settings > About Phone. Just compare the details on your phone “About Phone” list with the one listed on the phone box. There, if you discovered something unmatched, you probably own a fake Samsung product.
TIPS No.4: Double Check Samsung Phone’s IMEI Number
You may have heard about IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identify) number, which is a unique ID code being assigned to every device & there will never be two phones sharing the same IMEI. Usually the fake phones will not have a valid IMEI number or will be using a fake one. You can identify the 15-Digit IMEI number on Samsung phone, just by doing this:
A.) IMEI Number in Phone Setting:
You can find out your phone’s IMEI number by just going to your phone settings.
Launch Phone Settings > About Phone > Show IMEI Code.
B.) You can also find out your phone’s IMEI number by typing *#06# in your phone’s dialer app and IMEI number will show up on your screen.
C.) If you have an older phone, the removable battery when removed will show you the IMEI and serial number on the back side of the phone. Usually the original Samsung’s IMEI number is to be seen beneath the battery. However this method can be used for phones that have removable batteries. For newer phones with non-removable battery, you could not use this method
If you have the IMEI number, that will help to tell you the model associated with the device, where its network compatibility & you can find out if the phone has been stolen & then illegally sold to you. So, if you have a 15 digit IMEI number, this is usually legit IMEI number of Samsung’s devices, otherwise you should worry.
TIPS No. 5: Carry Out a Performance Test
This performance test is mostly a great way to identify if your Samsung phone is original or fake.
A.) Take Some Photo:
This is the most usual way to test if your phone is original, since the original Samsung smartphone will not take photos that are at very low resolution or lousy graphic photo quality. Usually fake phones are equipped with a lousy low resolution camera, even taking photos in bright sunlight, the photo could still look dull.
B.) Play High Graphic Games.
For a fake Samsung smartphone, it will not be able to load high end games such as Grand Theft Auto, Star Wars, Vice City, Asphalt 8 and more high end games.
C.) Count the Speed When Restart Your Phone
A fake Samsung phone normally will take a significant amount of time to turn off or when starting up.
D.) Open Multiple Apps Once.
Normally fake Samsung phones will respond slowly when you switch from one apps to another apps.
FAQ About Original and Fake Smartphone:
Question 1: Is it easy to duplicate original Samsung phones?
Samsung phones were developed based on Android OS, which is an Open Source platform. Thus, anyone can use the open source platform, so it is getting easier for counterfeit companies to duplicate or make fake copies of Samsung phones.
If you are planning to buy a new Samsung smartphone while you don’t know how to check if the Samsung phone is original or not, you should keep reading.
Question 2: How to Check If The Samsung Phone Is New or Refurbished?
If you have recently purchased a Samsung phone, but you are not sure it is new or refurbished, the you can check it by following the steps below accordingly:
For older Samsung Phone with lowered than Android 4.0, use this method:
Open you phone’s dialer apps > Type ##786# > View & Reset.
You will then be displayed with your phone’s information, stating the words: “Reconditioned Status” which is a refurbished phone.
If it shows “NO”, then you don’t have to worry because you have bought a new Samsung phone.
For newer Samsung Phone with higher version than Android 4.0 use this method:
Download “Phone Info SAM(Samsung)” from play store, then copy your Samsung phone’s serial number in your phones (Settings > About Phone) and copy it to paste into the Phone Info Samsung apps at the side menu of Refurbish check.
You will get a message of “Your Phone is Original” if your Samsung phone is original.
However, if your phone is a refurbished one, you will get a message saying “It Looks Like Your Phone is a Refurbished One”.
*A refurbished phone means it has been returned to the factory from a cell phone company and rebuilt, so that customers can get a refurbished one.
If the phone you purchased was used one, then most likely you would see that “Your Phone Is Original” message by checking with the apps.
Q3. What Should I Take Note To Prevent Buying A Fake Samsung Phone?
All you have to do is to keep in mind are these factors to ensure you do not buy a counterfeit smartphone again:
Make sure you buy your Samsung phone from a registered manufacturer or trusted retailer.
Buying phones online is very tricky, so ensure you buy from the famous local e-commerce website and make sure to choose the positive seller with a good ratings and reviews of the products. You can always check here to learn how to spot fake reviews on E-Commerce shops.
You normally get attracted by the huge discount on newly launched smartphones, but sadly that is the fishy part because newly released smartphones don’t normally get discounts.
Every original or genuine mobile phone manufacturer will offer a limited time warranty, usually one (1) year warranty.
To recap this, you should be aware about buying smartphones either locally or online, where scammers are everywhere, possibly waiting for you. So make sure if you know someone who is planning to buy a new phone, but was confused or worried about how to check if the on sale Samsung phone is original or not, just ask them to read this article quickly to verify the authenticity to avoid your hard-earned money from drowning into the drain. We really hope that you were able to learn how to identify your Samsung phone’s IMEI and secret codes. You should also share this article with someone who you think might need it when they are desperate to buy a new Samsung smartphone.
In summary, if you want to do a quick check, is your Samsung phone original? Then you should check for the physical specification such as screen brightness, gap between the display to the edges, screen glass hard/soft material, smartphone’s sensors and more. After that, you need to verify the phone’s specification with the box written. Lastly, do not forget to check Samsung’s IMEI number. These tips can help you to identify whether your Samsung device is original or fake. If you have more questions regarding the originality of your Samsung phone, just ask us in the comment below, we are more than reluctant to answer you as soon as possible.
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