How to tell if it is a clone or not

[Saintor]

I see a lot of offers on Marketplace of affordable S23+ or even Ultra. Here, a S23 Ultra will command almost CA$2000 with the taxes. No thanks.

But some of them are around CA$800, no tax.

Here is an example (as a 512Gb version , would be CA$2175 with taxes).

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Any possibility that it could be a clone? What to watch for?

 

[B. Diddy]

If you can compare a photo of the phone or its box directly with the real thing, and find some discrepancies, that would be a red flag (although the box might differ a little depending on the region it was sold in). Otherwise, you'd need the phone in hand so you could run various hardware test apps that report what the device actually has inside. And some of these apps can still be fooled. The YouTuber SMOOREZ, who likes to order cheapo knockoffs from Wish and Aliexpress, and then demonstrate how much they lie about their specs, has to use at least 3 hardware info apps to show the true specs.

A good rule of thumb, though, is that if it looks too good to be true, then it's probably not true (i.e., it's a knockoff, or it's a genuine phone but faulty, like maybe it took a bath at one point).

 

[mustang7757]

Go to settings>about phone>status info>phone status says official?

Go into download mode
Check if it says official and Knox 0x0

You would need to have the phone in hand to tell if it's legit

 

[Saintor]

Can somebody if these steps work?

How to check if your Samsung phone is original

Learn how to check if your Samsung phone is original with our step-by-step guide. Avoid falling victim to counterfeit devices and ensure that you have a genuine Samsung product.

stealthoptional.com

 

[mustang7757]

The 2 steps I mentioned for Samsung applies for all Samsung devices and best way to tell if it's original the other ways I'm not too confident in

 

[mustang7757]

You can tell also here where the device originated /if has Esim /someone put another firmware stock wise

 

[mustang7757]

But you need to be more experienced to understand those there

 

[Mooncatt]

I'm personally seeing enough red flags to pass on that one just based on the packaging. If I can't see the device being offered in the listing photos, I move on. That means if it's "sealed, new in box," I'm immediately skeptical. You can buy 100 official looking S23 tamper seals on Alli Express for just a few bucks. At the very least, require being able to open the box and examine the actual phone prior to completing the transaction. If the seller hesitates, hard pass. Breaking the seal when it's already being sold at a steep discount isn't going to change the value and refusal screams scam.

The box itself looks fishy to me as well. Someone with more knowledge than me would be better to confirm, but that particular style of box shouldn't have a seam/line running down the sides of it when compared to other boxes I could find images of. Having the seam bisecting the text in an uneven way also indicates a fake. It's odd to see text divided like that in packaging, but should at least be even if it does. On one side, it cuts just above the middle of the text, but the other side runs along the bottom of the text. That's a pretty glaring mistake for the manufacturer to make, but counterfeiters often make such mistakes. I could be wrong here, but still something questionable to me. If that is how the legit boxes are designed, then shame on Samsung I guess.

There's other signs as well, so I suggest you Google how to spot a fake S23 Ultra. Here's a link to get you started, but I found other posts commenting about the box too.

Fake / Clone / Counterfeit Samsung S23 Ultra Phones - Don't get caught out.

Don't get caught out, there's a number of these fakes circulating now. Please make sure even if it's a sealed phone you review my comparison of the packaging further down just to be sure. Even then to avoid being scammed always ask for the device...

xdaforums.com

I'd be tempted to flag the listing as a scam/fake.

 

[mustang7757]

I'm personally seeing enough red flags to pass on that one just based on the packaging. If I can't see the device being offered in the listing photos, I move on. That means if it's "sealed, new in box," I'm immediately skeptical. You can buy 100 official looking S23 tamper seals on Alli Express for just a few bucks. At the very least, require being able to open the box and examine the actual phone prior to completing the transaction. If the seller hesitates, hard pass. Breaking the seal when it's already being sold at a steep discount isn't going to change the value and refusal screams scam.

The box itself looks fishy to me as well. Someone with more knowledge than me would be better to confirm, but that particular style of box shouldn't have a seam/line running down the sides of it when compared to other boxes I could find images of. Having the seam bisecting the text in an uneven way also indicates a fake. It's odd to see text divided like that in packaging, but should at least be even if it does. On one side, it cuts just above the middle of the text, but the other side runs along the bottom of the text. That's a pretty glaring mistake for the manufacturer to make, but counterfeiters often make such mistakes. I could be wrong here, but still something questionable to me. If that is how the legit boxes are designed, then shame on Samsung I guess.

There's other signs as well, so I suggest you Google how to spot a fake S23 Ultra. Here's a link to get you started, but I found other posts commenting about the box too.

Fake / Clone / Counterfeit Samsung S23 Ultra Phones - Don't get caught out.

Don't get caught out, there's a number of these fakes circulating now. Please make sure even if it's a sealed phone you review my comparison of the packaging further down just to be sure. Even then to avoid being scammed always ask for the device...

xdaforums.com

I'd be tempted to flag the listing as a scam/fake.

Good point on the box I didn't realize OP left a link to the Facebook of the seller, the security tape I never seen north and south but round east and west

Here's a unboxing :

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

Execute order 66. If it is a clone, it will attempt to eradicate the Jedi.