Guide to spot fake/counterfeit Galaxy Note 4

[micktwo]

thanks for the heads up

 

[doohsun]

Man i'm so glad that i didn't buy it through Kiijii that was my biggest concern not knowing what to look for.

 

[LaTuFu]

Even the design of the box is fake. My phone did not come in a wood-inspired box... it was white.

Edit: Oops, I was wrong. My S4 came in a wood inspired box.

US Cellular Note 4s come in a box like this:

 

[Joke Adema]

hello
i am sorry this is happened to you
i hope you get your money back i am affraid not
good luck with it

 

[sherlockpui]

No chance of getting my money back from the seller. He has disappeared planning to sell it off as a Clone, hopefully will be able to recoup half of what I lost

 

[mayconvert]

Man, sorry you got a bad deal, that sucks. I do want to thank you for this post. The changes on the outside are so minor, I could see anyone thinking this is real. But, thanks to your very helpful comparison, I now know the difference.

 

[pcdebb]

One thing I might want to add.....match the IMEI on the back of the phone and on the About screen. I almost got burned. I bought an S4 from a cell phone shop. The ear speaker part was a little recessed and I was suspicious. Most times when you check a phone you remove the battery and get the number from there, it was clean, however it's only a sticker. On the about screen it was different and the IMEI was bad. I was able to return the phone and get another. Apparently they changed the innards of the phone or something.

People are getting crafty to steal from you.

 

[kinghu]

Definitely fake. All the things the last poster said, plus it says 16 GB on the label. Note 4 is 32/64. No 16 GB at all.

Posted via the Android Central App

Incorrect. Duos (dual-SIM) variants have 16gb.

But yes, that's an obvious fake.

I still find it amazing some people plump for saving a bit of money whilst simultaneously risking hundreds, and on CL or eBay, without handling the device or having protection.

Regardless of the hardware similarities, one only has to power a fake up to see the obvious low-res screen and laggy performance.

Sent from my SM-N9100

 

[Closingracer]

Good day all members,

Today, something very unfortunate happened to me. My brother and I each met up with our sellers to purchase our pre-owned Galaxy Note 4's ($730 AUD for mine and $720 for his), both claimed to be 1 week old and in as new condition.

When we got home, immediately we noticed both our Note 4's, while highly identical, are a little bit different. After careful examination and running several tests, I was devastated to find out mine is a very well built counterfeit. It's so well built to a point where I was not even a single bit suspicious that mine was a counterfeit while I was inspecting the phone before I made the cash payment, until I compared mine to my brother in law's. The parts that are supposed to be made of metal are made of metal. Please note that I had used galaxy S2, S3 and Note 3 before I decided to switch to a Note 4, therefore I could tell how a genuine galaxy feels like in my hands. Which is why I have decided to create an account here to create awareness that knock off's of this quality do exist.

Please refer below for hardware comparisons:

View attachment 149587

The one on the left is the counterfeit. Notice the difference in screen vibrancy and the 'back' and 'recent tabs' buttons are not lit on the counterfeit.

View attachment 149589

The one on the left is the counterfeit. There are slight differences in the size and shape of the home button and bezels.

View attachment 149590

The one on the left is the counterfeit. Notice the slight differences in the front camera size and position, the size of the font and the shape of the speaker.

View attachment 149591

The one on the left is the counterfeit. Notice the difference in colours and fonts of the notification bar. The type on the counterfeit belongs to an older model, Galaxy S4 or so.

View attachment 149592

The one on top is the genuine copy. Notice the difference in the colour of the sleep button, the one on the counterfeit has silver edges while the one on the genuine copy is all white in colour.

View attachment 149594

The one on the left is the counterfeit. Notice the difference in the shape of the flash, even the shape of the camera lens is slightly different.

View attachment 149595

The one on top is the counterfeit. The original battery has a lot more wordings on it. The sim card and sd card slots are also different.


Apart from the above, I have run a spec test on the counterfeit using the app "spec device". The results show that the RAM is 1gb instead of 3GB, internal storage is 16GB instead of 32GB, screen resolution and PPI are also substantially lower on the counterfeit. Which is why it feels laggier than the genuine note 4 and the screen is not as sharp and vibrant. The S Pen is also harder to pull out on the counterfeit compared to the original one.

I also noted that the firmware of the counterfeit has less features than the genuine note 4. For e.g., the camera lacks selective focus and the ability to download more camera modes and there is no option to change screen sensitivity. They both run on kitkat 4.4.4 but after googling the build number of the counterfeit, I found out that the ROM installed on the counterfeit belongs to Galaxy S5. The boot screens are also different, the one on the counterfeit shows an Android Robot with jelly beans instead of the model name. I did not find this out after I got home because the seller passed the phone to me without switching it off. Should I have realised this during inspection I would have been suspicious.

I also did an IMEI search for the counterfeit on several different websites. 2 of them say my phone is a Nokia registered in 2009 and 2 other websites say my phone is an S4.

Samsung Kies and Odin won't recognise the counterfeit but the computer does.

At this stage, I am trying to obtain a refund from the seller but the chances are slim as this was a cash deal so I am not covered by paypal or ebay. Can only hope for the best.

So, beware fellow members! Knock offs are getting better and better. Nowadays they can't be differentiated just by spotting spelling mistakes or build quality. You have to really inspect or know the phone inside out before making a purchase. Lesson learned

Personally this is why I never buy stuff on Craigslist which is basically the same thing. I'll sell on it but never buy stuff. I prefer to spend full price new at a reputable store like say the Apple store or etc then save a few bucks and have this possibly happen

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[eborg9]

Maybe I'm daft, but I don't understand why anyone is buying feature phones distributed worldwide by international companies from private dealers and on the street? And at full price too?

If the phone isn't available in your country yet, seriously...what are the odds that some dealer is going to have the genuine device? Pretty slim to me.

Furthermore, even if it is a matter of the phone not being available where you are just yet, you purposely set out to obtain it by means other than from a authorized source. So why are you so shocked that a criminal ripped you off?

I mean seriously, how many used Galaxy Note 4's could there be out there. The phone JUST came out. That story sounded suspect from the beginning. Even if they happened to be real, odds are that they are probably stolen. Not used. And you probably suspected that going in anyway.

I feel bad that it happened to you, but you knew buying a phone on the "black market" was a risk in the first place so the probability of something like this happening was already pretty high. You didn't get ripped off. You just ended up on the wrong side of the scam that you were trying to pull in the first place.

JMO of course.

 

[Closingracer]

Maybe I'm daft, but I don't understand why anyone is buying feature phones distributed worldwide by international companies from private dealers and on the street? And at full price too?

If the phone isn't available in your country yet, seriously...what are the odds that some dealer is going to have the genuine device? Pretty slim to me.

Furthermore, even if it is a matter of the phone not being available where you are just yet, you purposely set out to obtain it by means other than from a authorized source. So why are you so shocked that a criminal ripped you off?

I mean seriously, how many used Galaxy Note 4's could there be out there. The phone JUST came out. That story sounded suspect from the beginning. Even if they happened to be real, odds are that they are probably stolen. Not used. And you probably suspected that going in anyway.

I feel bad that it happened to you, but you knew buying a phone on the "black market" was a risk in the first place so the probability of something like this happening was already pretty high. You didn't get ripped off. You just ended up on the wrong side of the scam that you were trying to pull in the first place.

JMO of course.

Umm I was attempting to sell my note 4 on t-mobile instead of returning it lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[sherlockpui]

Maybe I'm daft, but I don't understand why anyone is buying feature phones distributed worldwide by international companies from private dealers and on the street? And at full price too?

If the phone isn't available in your country yet, seriously...what are the odds that some dealer is going to have the genuine device? Pretty slim to me.

Furthermore, even if it is a matter of the phone not being available where you are just yet, you purposely set out to obtain it by means other than from a authorized source. So why are you so shocked that a criminal ripped you off?

I mean seriously, how many used Galaxy Note 4's could there be out there. The phone JUST came out. That story sounded suspect from the beginning. Even if they happened to be real, odds are that they are probably stolen. Not used. And you probably suspected that going in anyway.

I feel bad that it happened to you, but you knew buying a phone on the "black market" was a risk in the first place so the probability of something like this happening was already pretty high. You didn't get ripped off. You just ended up on the wrong side of the scam that you were trying to pull in the first place.

JMO of course.

1. The phone was released in Australia early November. When i made the purchase, note 4's been in the country for 2 weeks.

2. $730 is not at full price. They retail for $916 here. Pre owned mobiles, even a week old are discounted by at least $150.

3. Not sure how the market is in your country but in Australia, you dont have to pay an upfront payment for a mobile plan. U pay $80 a month for 2 years and the phone is yours along with $700 credit and 3gb a month. So a lot of ppl actually upgrade to new mobiles under their plans when theyre eligible to and sell off the phone for money.

4 Many people simply cant afford to pay full price for a new mobile. Who wouldnt wanna buy from authorised retailers for the extra comfort? Unless in your opinion, if u cant afford it, dont ever dream of owning one, not even a pre owned unit.

5. My brother in law bought his unit for $720, 1 week old and came with original flip cover. Its a vodafone model. So im not lying about point no. 3

 

[05GT]

Thanks for the very informative post. I'm sorry that you were ripped off. The community knows to keep an eye out now.

 

[Liquidretro]

I would be interseting to see comparison benchmarks. I wonder if it's like bstock.

 

[RamonJr17]

Devastating man. Hope you get your money back.

 

[MightyMike]

Just curious. Did you ever call Samsung? I am Not suggesting they would give you a phone...What I an saying is this is propritory to Samsung and I am sure they would like to know. Who knows...in a perfect world they would offer you an $825 dollar credit. I know, we don't live in that world..but maybe. Any updates?

Posted via the Next Big Thing, My Galaxy N4

 

[sherlockpui]

Just curious. Did you ever call Samsung? I am Not suggesting they would give you a phone...What I an saying is this is propritory to Samsung and I am sure they would like to know. Who knows...in a perfect world they would offer you an $825 dollar credit. I know, we don't live in that world..but maybe. Any updates?

Posted via the Next Big Thing, My Galaxy N4

Hello,

Yes I contacted Samsung not long after the incident, provided them with some details and informed them to have a look at this thread for detailed comparisons. I was telling Samsung that if someone bought a counterfeit thinking that it is a genuine article, it might actually harm Samsung's reputation because the performance of the counterfeit would be subpar. You are right, we don't live in that world, no store credit given. Just a "thank you for letting us know".

Updates:

- No news from scamwatch
- Tried to sell off the phone for $250 by listing it as a Clone on the same website which got me scammed but my ad got removed because I listed it as a counterfeit and that is not allowed (so much for being honest eh?)
- Listed it as a Clone on eBay for a no reserve auction, a very nice lady pm-ed me to advise me to take the listing down as she had done the same thing last year with her counterfeit Galaxy Note 3. The winning bidder paid with paypal, got the phone, reported her to ebay and paypal for selling counterfeits, got refunded and kept the phone. Poor lady got double scammed.
- Currently I am appealing gumtree's decision to take down my ad. My argument is "would you rather I list the phone as genuine and scam another person? Is that what you want on your website?"

 

[LaTuFu]

Hello,

Yes I contacted Samsung not long after the incident, provided them with some details and informed them to have a look at this thread for detailed comparisons. I was telling Samsung that if someone bought a counterfeit thinking that it is a genuine article, it might actually harm Samsung's reputation because the performance of the counterfeit would be subpar. You are right, we don't live in that world, no store credit given. Just a "thank you for letting us know".

Updates:

- No news from scamwatch
- Tried to sell off the phone for $250 by listing it as a Clone on the same website which got me scammed but my ad got removed because I listed it as a counterfeit and that is not allowed (so much for being honest eh?)
- Listed it as a Clone on eBay for a no reserve auction, a very nice lady pm-ed me to advise me to take the listing down as she had done the same thing last year with her counterfeit Galaxy Note 3. The winning bidder paid with paypal, got the phone, reported her to ebay and paypal for selling counterfeits, got refunded and kept the phone. Poor lady got double scammed.
- Currently I am appealing gumtree's decision to take down my ad. My argument is "would you rather I list the phone as genuine and scam another person? Is that what you want on your website?"

None of those sites are going to let you sell that phone listing it as a counterfeit.
People didn't start counterfeiting phones with the Note 4.

One of the ways Samsung and other manufacturers attempt to prevent counterfeiting is by monitoring websites like eBay. When they find counterfeit listings, they notify the sites. If the sites ignore the warnings, legal action can be taken.

 

[kinghu]

Personally this is why I never buy stuff on Craigslist which is basically the same thing. I'll sell on it but never buy stuff. I prefer to spend full price new at a reputable store like say the Apple store or etc then save a few bucks and have this possibly happen

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

100% this.

Why on earth people buy premium devices from non-reputable sources, just after release, for a little saving is beyond belief.

Jeez don't just eyeball the build and glance over the UI - give it a thorough test drive regardless of where you buy from! No use checking for low res screens and lag when you've already thrown your cash away. Just buy from a reputable place where you know problems can get sorted. Even then check, check, and check again.

Don't like saying it but this person should have at the very least ran a simple benchmark app or refused to buy. It's common sense!

Then again, common sense isn't common.

Sent from my SM-N9100

 

[sherlockpui]

People who buy from Gumtree are looking for pre-owned items, it's not a market place for non-reputable dealers to sell new products. True, people shouldnt buy brand new products from non reputable sources to save a few bucks, but there is nothing wrong with trying to save 20%-30% by getting second hand items in good conditions. There will always be high demand for second hand electronics, cars, photographic equipments and furniture because not everyone could afford brand new.

I admit i was naive to think that there arent countefeit mobile phones here in Australia, which is why i didnt think too much before making the purchase. I had purchased a few pre owned dslr lenses from Gumtree users and it was all good.

Normally, people who get scammed wouldnt talk about it on forums because its not something to be proud of and they might get judged by some. I couldve kept quiet about it and carry on with my life but i thought i should do something to create awareness.

I know there are people out there like me who dont mind buying second hand to save some money. This thread is intended to provide some guidance to those people before they make their purchases. So those people who are too smart to be scammed, you could help by just keeping quiet if you dont appreciate what I'm doing here. Thank you.