Everyone knows that in modern times the electronics market is literally flooded with various kinds of counterfeits that copy products of famous world brands. Phones, tablets and smartphones of the famous Taiwanese corporation HTC are no exception - Chinese “craftsmen” have improved their skills so much that it is almost impossible to distinguish a fake from an original product at first glance.
How can one not “run into” an obvious counterfeit when making this kind of purchase? This is what our article will be about.
The very first thing you should pay attention to is, of course, the appearance of the device. Before going to a store or cellular showroom to purchase HTC products, it will be useful to visit various forums on the Internet, watch articles or video reviews dedicated to this model, or even better, go to the manufacturer’s website and look at photographs and presentations. This way, you will already have an idea of the product's appearance.
Usually it includes such additional accessories as its products:
During the external inspection, you also need to pay attention to accessories such as a charger and a wired headset. An HTC charger always consists of two parts - the power adapter itself, the so-called “charging”, and a cable with two standard connectors: USB and micro-USB. The headset is usually equipped with a flat cord.
Secondly, the original product, specifically intended for import into the countries of the Eurasian Union (which is Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus), must contain the abbreviation EAC. If your device is marked PCT, there is no reason to worry, it’s practically the same.
Let's move on. Now almost all HTC smartphones are equipped with two built-in speakers, but in Chinese counterfeits, on the contrary, there is almost always only one. In appearance, of course, there are two of them - bring each one to your ear in turn, it may well turn out that one of them is just a dummy.
This method of falsification is quite common - instead of aluminum, a very similar plastic is used in the case, which is practically indistinguishable from aluminum in appearance. But they can be easily distinguished by temperature - the aluminum case, even in a warm room, will be a little cool, and the plastic will heat up.
You should also pay attention to the screen resolution. Let’s say the original model’s specifications state a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Take a screenshot by simultaneously pressing the “Power” and “Volume Down” keys (more details) and look at the properties of the resulting image. If the parameters turn out to be smaller, then there is a very high probability that you are dealing with a fake - non-original models often have a screen with a lower resolution installed.
Enter the phone's boot mode, Recovery mode. Uncheck “Quick launch” and turn off the device and hold down two keys for about 5-10 seconds – power and volume down. If the model is original, then the inscriptions in the bootloader will be in English, otherwise you will see incomprehensible hieroglyphs.
Original HTC smartphones do not have the AnTuTu test utility, which is present in Chinese counterfeit models.
And finally, the simplest and most effective advice: buy HTC products only from official dealers or in stores of well-known cellular operators. You shouldn’t make such purchases second-hand or at dubious retail outlets; you shouldn’t skimp on the price – it’s better to save on your nerves!
Samsung is a very popular brand, so it is counterfeited in huge quantities. Sometimes a fake is visually almost indistinguishable from the original. In this case, it would seem, why even know how to check the authenticity of a phone? The phone works - and it works well. Still, you can get certain bonuses from the official manufacturer and distributor.
Only original Samsung phones are serviced at service centers free of charge under warranty, so you should definitely check the model if it was purchased from an unofficial representative.
Before you buy a phone, you need to go to the official Samsung website and see what a particular model should look like. The catalog will always contain all the necessary information: weight, dimensions, color palette, availability of different inputs and outputs. And in the photo it’s worth looking at what stickers and logos should be on the new phone.
Even better than the Samsung website, amateur video reviews will help with this, because they usually begin with unpacking the phone you just bought. This way you can see the packaging, which is important, because it is better to use original branded chargers for any device.
It is clear that the new Samsung smartphone cannot be sold in a simple cardboard box or even in a plastic case.
The packaging of the phone is not only about the “candy” wrapping, it is also about the safety of transporting the device. In addition, the necessary device codes will be duplicated on the box, which will be needed when applying for warranty service - equipment will only be accepted for it in the original packaging.
If we are not talking about buying a completely new phone, but rather a used or new, but unpacked device, then you should definitely try to turn it on. The Samsung logo should appear first on the screen, but not any other. Platform logo - Android. The same label appears on the screen of only one device - the iPhone, which is entirely created by Apple. Samsung uses the Android platform without any shell, so the absence of the name of this brand on the box or in the information in the settings of the phone itself is a 100% indicator that you are holding a fake.
No modern smartphone or even a push-button mobile phone turns on by pressing the power button for twenty seconds or even pressing several keys at once.
Any difficulties with turning on, a stuck and incredibly inconveniently located ON/OFF button indicates that the device is fake.
And in this case, convenience is not a subjective concept. Many people work not only on iPhones, but on any top models from leading brands, improving the comfort and usability of the device.
You can see which languages a particular phone supports on the Samsung website, and the firmware versions released differ for different countries. Any typos or errors, even on the packaging alone, should alert you, not to mention the fact that the original device, when turned on, will not prompt the user to “crawl to turn it on.”
This may sound funny, but on the Internet there are many screenshots of the screens of fake smartphones that “communicate” with their owners in broken Russian. Each country must have its own localization and firmware; moreover, for example, a Xiaomi phone is not an international or localized version, and it is not always possible to reflash it in the official service.
The most famous and at the same time the most unreliable way to understand whether a Samsung smartphone is original is the serial number of the device, which should be indicated on the box and in the warranty card. Why isn't it considered a good option? Firstly, it is difficult to recognize and register a real serial number on a fake, but it is quite possible. And secondly, on the Samsung website the system does not show information about models older than Samsung galaxy 7.
Nevertheless, The IMEI code will still help determine the reliability of information about the device, which is given on the screen or even known only from the words of the seller. If the information on the site does not coincide with the realities of the phone in your hands, then someone here is definitely lying and you shouldn’t buy an iPhone after a Samsung from this seller.
Using special applications is a great idea, but it can only be implemented at home. To do this, you will need a smartphone, one of the benchmark applications and information from the official Samsung website.
For automation of restaurants, bars and cafes, the POS Sector automation program is an excellent solution.
The most famous authentication program is Antutu. It analyzes the indicators and system status of the device and displays detailed data on the screen. If any numbers do not match what the manufacturer stated for this model, then, unfortunately, this means that the phone is fake. Other popular benchmark apps are GFXBench and Geekbench.
Processor and device performance indicators can be shown by CPU-Z. And GPS Test will accordingly help determine the condition of the GPS sensor, which very often is not present at all in fake phones.
But the phone itself, on which no third-party programs have yet been installed, can do something. There are several simple commands that you can run on Android to get comprehensive information about the device. Especially notable among them is *#7353#, because the Android platform itself does not initially have it. This command is entered directly by Samsung engineers, so if you can call up the smartphone menu in this way, then it is the original. On another platform, this number does not work; for example, you cannot check an iPhone this way, because Apple developers do not install this.
Another useful command, almost equivalent to checking by IMEI code, is *#1234#. It displays a lot of information on the screen, including model, release date, build number and much more. These data must match those indicated on the box and in the instructions for the phone, with the information on the website and, of course, with the words of the seller. Because if a smartphone in all respects is a Samsung original, but for some reason a person is lying about some characteristics, then you should give up this dubious idea and contact an official distributor that provides all guarantees.
Apple devices annually bring huge profits not only to the company from Cupertino, but also to scammers around the world. How many “gray” Chinese are they trying to sell to fans of the Apple brand under the guise of the original iPhone!
However, it would seem, “seven troubles - one piece of advice.” If you bought your iPhone from a reputable retailer, there shouldn't be any problems. However, unfortunately, not everyone can afford a new iPhone, so you have to go to the used market, where every second person is a scammer. However, we have great news! The rule “seven troubles - one advice” also applies in this situation - only the advice will be different. No matter where you bought your iPhone, we will help you make the right choice!
There are a lot of articles on the Internet about how to purchase an original used smartphone from Apple with a million rules - where to look and what to find. However, give up this endless search, because by and large you can perform only one action to absolutely understand whether this is the original or not, and this action is checking the iPhone by IMEI or serial number. We will tell you how to check the authenticity of an iPhone using these codes in this article.
IMEI is an acronym that stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. Translated, this means international mobile equipment identifier. Simply put, IMEI is a unique code for a mobile device; it is assigned to it at the manufacturer’s factory. For a mobile device, this code is like a fingerprint for a person. Now it’s probably starting to become clear to you why if you check an iPhone by IMEI it will become unambiguously clear whether it was made by Apple or not.
It is likely that the question is now ripening in your head - how can an ordinary user check an iPhone by its IMEI for authenticity, since the number is assigned by the manufacturer. Where can I get the database of these codes and how can I find out the IMEI of my equipment? Don’t worry, there are a lot of special services on the Internet where you can specify the IMEI and check the authenticity of your iPhone, and you can do this completely free of charge.
IMEI iPhone - be it iPhone 5S, iPhone 6S or any other model - can be viewed in two ways:
To find out the IMEI on an iPhone through the “Settings” menu, you need to find the “About this device” line in this very menu, and then find the IMEI parameter in the new window that appears.
You can also view the IMEI of your phone by dialing the combination #06#, call - IMEI will appear on the screen.
Well, we’ve come to the most important question - we identified the IMEI of our phone and found out that there are a lot of services where you can check its originality. Now, actually, let’s answer the question - how. Very simple! We follow the following instructions:
That's all! As you can see, it is very easy to determine the authenticity of any smartphone - iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and others by name!
Any phone, in addition to IMEI, has another unique code - a serial number, and it also allows you to identify the authenticity of the smartphone. Moreover, Apple even has a special service for such verification. So if you don’t trust third-party IMEI checking services, you can check the authenticity of your iPhone by serial number on the official Apple resource.
Checking an iPhone by its serial number is done as follows:
By the way, you can find out more about the iPhone by serial number if you use a third-party service, for example, this one. Interested to know where your gadget was made? Using this service, you can even track in which factory it was “born”.
At the beginning of the article, we said that there is one universal way to check the authenticity of an iPhone - checking by IMEI or serial number. However, a non-original iPhone is not the only risk that exists when purchasing an Apple gadget secondhand. You can buy an original iPhone, but still get into trouble. In which case? That is, if you manage to purchase an original iPhone that is locked to work with one operator.
Yes, the operator can block the iPhone, and in America buying such an i-gadget is a very common practice. The user can only deal with one operator in this case, but he gets the device for much less money.
But does a Russian user need a phone that is programmed to work with a single American operator? Of course not! But many scammers are not averse to making money by buying such a locked iPhone for next to nothing (they don’t even have to think about how to block the device, everything is done by the official operator) and selling it under the guise of a smartphone that can work with any operator.
How can you check if they are trying to sell you a locked smartphone? Ask the seller to allow you to insert your SIM card into the device and check if it will work with it. Are calls going through, are SMS being received? So everything is fine!
By the way, if the seller, when asking to insert your SIM, says that he is blocked from working with one operator, but unlocking an iPhone is a nonsense, but he is ready to give a discount, run away from this dishonest person! It’s not easy to bypass operator blocking - you need a professional and a special R-SIM chip. And even after the lock is lifted, you will not be able to update, or rather, you can, but for each version of the platform you will have to purchase a new R-SIM.
As you can see, the IMEI and serial number of your smartphone, which previously seemed to you to be a useless set of letters and numbers, can be of great benefit. What can you track using these parameters? Not only the authenticity of the smartphone, but also its other characteristics, such as the obvious ones - color, memory capacity, model; and not so much - the manufacturer's factory, for example.
IMEI - International Mobile Equipment Identifier
If no one has ever dug into your phone, then you can be sure that it has the factory IMEI.
Typically you can see it by typing *#06# .
Usually, this same number is visible on the label under the phone's battery (and on the phone's shipping box).
A discrepancy between the internal and “label” IMEI can occur in several cases: the phone case was changed (broken), it was “altered”, etc.
Example IMEI: 4 4 7 4 0 2 - 5 1 - 5 4 3 7 6 5 - 0
FAC = Final Assembly Code:
(01.02 = AEG)
(07.40 = Motorola)
(10.20 = Nokia)
(30 = Ericsson)
(40,41,44 = Siemens)
(50 = Bosch)
(51 = Sony, Siemens, Ericsson)
(60 = Alcatel)
(61 = Ericsson)
(65 = AEG)
(70 = Sagem)
(75 = Dancall)
(80 = Philips)
(85 = Panasonic)
SNR = Serial Number.
SP = Spare - spare, almost always = 0.
IMEI - quick reference
Abbreviation IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identifier, which means "international mobile equipment identifier". In other words, IMEI- this is a unique serial number for each GSM phone, which is automatically transmitted by the device to the operator’s network when connected. That is, if someone inserts their SIM card into your stolen cell phone and makes at least one call, law enforcement agencies, through the telecom operator, can find out who the SIM card is registered to and seize the phone. However, before that, it can gather dust in the windows of some store for months.
You can find out the IMEI of your phone by typing the key combination *#06# on the keyboard. In this case, a 15-digit number will be displayed on the screen, which must be remembered or written down. Also, IMEI indicated on the box under the barcode and under the battery on the phone body. Therefore, when buying a hundred square meters, it is always recommended to compare these numbers so as not to get into trouble.
There is a possibility that IMEI can be changed using special programs. However, mobile phone manufacturers are improving their products every time, which is why changing the serial number is becoming more and more difficult and the possibility of finding another phone with the same IMEI is unlikely.
So, if you have cell phone stolen, in your application to law enforcement authorities you will have to indicate it IMEI. This data must then be sent to telecom operators so they can check if anyone else is using the stolen phone.
In theory everything is very simple, but in reality it is much more complicated...
1. There is an organization located in Ireland (Dublin) that maintains IMEI blacklist all over Europe. To “connect” to this base you need to invest in software in the amount of 1 million dollars.
2. If the mobile operator is Russian connect to this database, they will automatically disabled from their network, those subscribers whose phones were imported into Russia through gray channels, as well as those phones that are listed as missing.
That is, for example, if MTS connects to this database, it will block the order in its network 1 million subscribers, which hypothetically could go to Beeline or Megafon. Therefore, it is necessary to connect this database to all operators at the same time.
3. If track IMEI locally, i.e. only in Russia, there is equipment for this, but again, all operators need to enter into an agreement that they will all do this at the same time. Which is also quite difficult.
4. Operators do not want to do this, because... believe that tracking theft is police functions, which should be dealt with by law enforcement agencies. Those. By analogy with cars: if a company has installed an anti-theft alarm for you, this does not mean that if the car is stolen, then this company will look for it.
5. It is also believed that this whole undertaking is not worth a damn, since IMEI flashing on an industrial scale it costs about 500-700 rubles.
There are only two ways to achieve this from operators:
1.Globally: Issue an order from the GSM Association obliging all operators included in the Association to do this.
2.Locally: Issue an order from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs obliging operators to perform police functions.
Determining the GSM phone model by its serial number (IMEI):
|
First 6 digits of IMEI number |
Phone model |
|
Motorola MicroTAC Select 3000e GSM1900 |
|
|
Nokia 5190 GSM1900 |
|
|
Alcatel One Touch Pocket |
|
|
Alcatel One Touch Gum DB |
|
|
Mitsubishi Trium Astral |
|
|
Vodafone EB-3811 GSM900 |
|
|
Motorola PT9s (Flare Flip) |
|
|
Siemens S4 Power |
|
|
Panasonic G500 GSM900 |
|
|
Motorola SlimLite |
|
|
Motorola 8850 (e-Plus) |
|
|
Motorola International 8900 |
|
|
Philips Twist GSM900 |
|
|
Motorola StarTAC 130 |
|
|
Motorola cd928 GSM900/GSM1800 |
|
|
Siemens S8 PCN GSM1800 |
|
|
Siemens S10 active |
|
|
Motorola d520 GSM900 |
|
|
Philips Diga GSM900 |
|
|
Siemens C10 GSM900 |
|
|
Motorola StarTac 130 |
|
|
Panasonic EB-G520 |
|
|
Motorola 2000 (D368) |
|
|
Philips Savvy DB |
|
|
Nokia 3210 GSM900/1800 |
|
|
Nokia 3210 GSM900/1800 |
|
|
Motorola Timeport L7089 |
|
|
Siemens C25 Power |
|
|
Philips Savvy DB |
|
|
AEG Executive GSM900 |
|
|
Telital GM410/GSM900 |
|
|
Sony CMD-C1/GSM900 |
|
|
Nokia1611 GSM-900 |
|
|
Nokia 2110 GSM900 |
|
|
Ericsson GF768 GSM900 |
|
|
Ericsson GF688 GSM900 |
|
|
Nokia 6110 GSM900 |
|
|
Nokia 6110 GSM 900 |
|
|
Ericsson GA628 GSM900 |
|
|
Nokia 9110 communicator GSM900 |
|
|
Nokia 6150 GSM 900/1800 |
|
|
Ericsson a1018s/GSM900/1800 |
|
Based on materials from the sites www.gsmtelefon.ru
When purchasing a mobile phone or tablet from a well-known or unfamiliar brand, the consumer is primarily interested in the real country of origin of the device. Many famous brands locate their production in other countries, most often China, for example, the same Samsung can be produced both in South Korea and have apocryphal Chinese “roots”.
In the article:
But don't be skeptical about electronic devices manufactured outside the vendor's countries. Manufacturers value their reputation very much and will never allow low-quality goods to be sold under their brand. But still, the buyer wants to be sure that he has chosen an original smartphone, to establish the origin of the device he is purchasing second-hand, or to make sure that the information specified in the documents regarding a specific device is up-to-date. These nuances and a whole range of other useful data about the gadget are stored in a special IMEI code of the device.
The Internet assistant Tarif-online.ru will tell you how to find out the country of the phone manufacturer using IMEI and what features of the code you should pay attention to. We will also describe an alternative way to obtain reliable information about the country of origin using the device serial number.
The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numeric identifier consists of 15 digits and is a unique identification marker for each piece of mobile equipment (phone, smartphone, tablet, modem, router) regardless of the country in which it was manufactured. By focusing on the structure of the international IMEI identifier, you can unambiguously establish not only in which state the factory is located, but also who the manufacturer of the phone is, its model, release date and serial number.
Important! IMEI is a unique identifier for each GSM and UMTS mobile phone and serves for accurate and complete identification in the cellular networks of providers. Today, many devices have been developed that can simultaneously use 2 or more SIM cards from different operators. Such devices have several IMEIs, the number of which depends on the number of SIM card slots.
Each device owner can find out their international mobile equipment identifier from four standard sources:
To find out the identifier registered in the gadget’s memory, you need to generate a request * # 06 # .
After this action, a 15-digit code will instantly appear on the screen. For example, for devices with two SIM cards, the representation of the numeric code may look like this:
IMEI 1: 357885051455122
IMEI 2: 357885051455130
Please note that authorized organizations and manufacturers are constantly trying to improve the protection of mobile equipment from unauthorized IMEI changes using special software. In particular, this resulted in the fact that the identifier is now stored in the gadget’s memory in a special, one-time programmable zone. In addition, in 2004 the format of the IMEI itself was changed.
On older devices, the international mobile equipment identifier was represented as follows: 357885 05 145512 0 (IMEI 1 from our example with the last digit replaced):
The new IMEI format, on the one hand, is simplified, on the other hand, it uses a complex algorithm for checking check digits. On modern devices, the international mobile equipment identifier must be grouped as follows - 35 788505 145512 2:
Regardless of the IMEI writing standard, knowing the seventh and eighth digits of the identifier (except for the digits 00), you can determine the country in which your phone was manufactured. Codes with two zeros (00) are transitional between two IMEI standards and do not allow identification of the country of origin.
We already know which numbers of the international mobile equipment identifier indicate the country of origin. It is quite difficult to link the seventh and eighth digits of the IMEI with the real country, since there may be contradictions between the real origin of the device and the country for which the equipment was manufactured. For example, German-made mobile phones have a country code of 07, but the new South Korean Samsung Grand Prime smartphones, which were originally sent to Germany, received the same code, and then were distributed throughout Europe without any IMEI changes.
The online assistant site will try to systematize the available information by IMEI codes so that you can determine the country of origin of the phone as accurately as possible.
| IMEI code of the country of manufacture | Phone manufacturer country |
| 01 | Finland |
| 02 | South Korea, United Arab Emirates |
| 03 | China |
| 04 | Hungary, China |
| 05 | India |
| 06 | Germany |
| 07 | Germany, South Korea |
| 08 | Germany |
| 10 | Finland |
| 13 | Azerbaijan |
| 19 | England |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates |
| 30 | South Korea |
| 40 | Scotland |
| 41 | Scotland |
| 49 | China |
| 60 | Singapore |
| 67 | USA |
| 70 | Finland |
| 78 | Germany |
| 80 | China |
| 81 | China |
| 92 | China |
| 93 | China |
Returning to our example IMEI 35 788505 145512 2 with country of origin code 05, we see that this device is manufactured in India.
In addition to our table, you can also use a number of special services that allow you to find out the origin of the device online, using not only the IMEI, but also the phone’s serial number, which is also indicated on the case and in the documentation. “IMEI TOOLS” and “SNDeepInfo” are especially popular.
The results of searching for the place of manufacture of a mobile phone must be identical to each other, regardless of whether data from the packaging box or the gadget case, analysis of IMEI or serial number are used for this purpose. If the documents say that the phone was made in South Korea and the IMEI shows Chinese code 80, most likely this device is a fake.
The Tarif-online.ru website hopes that this article was useful to you in solving the question of how to find out the country of origin of a phone by IMEI. For a better understanding of the material presented in the review, do not forget to watch our training video.
If you have questions or would like feedback, please use the comments on this article. We will also be glad to see your correct additions to this complex and confusing topic.
