Samsung phones and tablets are among the most popular in the world. Popularity sometimes goes sideways - perhaps, more often than not, only Apple devices are counterfeited by Samsung. One way to find out if your device is genuine is to check the IMEI: a unique 16-digit code for each device. In addition, using IMEI, you can find out if you accidentally purchased a stolen device.
There are several methods by which a user can find out the IMEI of their device. For example, you can examine the box from the device, use service menu or special application. Let's start with the first one.
Method 1: Branded box of the device
According to the standards adopted in most countries, the IMEI identifier of the device must be printed on a sticker that is located on the packaging box from this very device. 
As a rule, the sticker contains the name and color of the model, a barcode, and, in fact, the IMEI itself. Each item is signed, so it is impossible not to notice or confuse this number with anything else. In addition, on devices with a removable battery, there is a sticker in the battery compartment that duplicates the information from a similar sticker on the box.
The disadvantage of this method is obvious - when buying a used gadget, you most likely will not receive a box from it. As for the number under the battery, cunning entrepreneurs have learned to fake them too.
Method 2: Service Tag
A much more reliable way to find out the device's IMEI number is to enter a special code and access the device's service menu. Do the following.
Using this method gives almost 100% result. However, this is not suitable for tablets due to the lack of a dialer application. In this case, you should use the method below.
Method 3: Phone INFO Samsung
Application designed for common test, and to display information about Samsung devices. With it, you can find out the IMEI identifier of your device.
Ever since Samsung launched its flagship series of smartphones and tablets, the Galaxy S and Note, vigilant counterfeiters (mostly Chinese) have begun counterfeiting the brand's most popular product in droves. According to law enforcement agencies, the growth in sales of fakes samsung galaxy in last years overtook even the fake iPhone.
Among the fakes there are primitive copies and replicas of models as close as possible to the originals. Samsung phones Galaxy S4, S5, S6 and Samsung tablets Galaxy Note 3 and Note 4.
It is easy to fall for a fake gadget when buying from hands or in online stores - before buying, you should familiarize yourself with the differences between the original and the fake.
We determine the originality of Samsung Galaxy
1. Pricing policy and place of purchase
How many manufacturers of equipment say: branded equipment should be bought exclusively in certified stores! Many people continue to buy gadgets on classifieds sites, markets, in subway crossings, or even from their hands on the street. Careless behavior is dictated by the desire to save several thousand on a purchase. But when the Chinese device starts to work incorrectly, there will be no one to complain to.
Remember: the check and guarantee in our time are forged by craftsmen, who then cannot be found to return a poor-quality purchase. And in the official service center and they won't listen to you.
Samsung has repeatedly stated that it does not discount top models (Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, S6; Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Note 4). The price is half the market price (allegedly a sale) clearly gives a fake.
2. Appearance gadget
- The diagonal screen size of the fake Samsung Galaxy often differs slightly from the original. To be able to compare, it is better to know in advance the real dimensions on the Samsung website.
- Samsung Galaxy smartphones of the latest generations have a metal body, and the screen is made of high-strength glass protected by Gorilla Glass technology, which protects the surface from scratches and cracks. Manufacturers Chinese fakes too expensive to use such materials - usually cost plastic.
3. Operating system
Samsung runs on the Android platform, which is freely available and can be used on counterfeit devices. However, the Chinese are trying to reduce the cost of this part of production by installing cheap KitKat operating systems on phones.
To check this nuance, go to the “Settings” (“About device”) section. Or you can just scroll through the menu on the desktop. "Android" 5th generation runs smoothly and quickly. Chinese systems slow down and hang when scrolling.
4. Menu translation
As with any gadgets often counterfeited by the Chinese, there are “translation difficulties” in the fake Samsung Galaxy.
When scrolling through the menu of a fake phone or tablet model, you can see serious fails:
- Incorrect translation of words and whole sentences
- Spelling mistakes
- Chinese characters instead of Russian and English
5. Performance
Processor power (in original Samsung Galaxy S6 it is 8-core), screen resolution, volume random access memory and camera power can be checked by downloading the Google Play and running on the phone special applications type AnTuTu Benchmark.
Preliminarily check on the official website of the manufacturer the real data for verification.
6. Service code
It is installed by Samsung engineers on every smartphone and is not included in the operating system itself.
In the "Phone" application, dial the combination * # 7353 # with the call button. If a menu appears on the screen to check the functionality of the functionality, everything is in order. Otherwise, in your hands - a fake.
7. IMEI number
Authentication method that Samsung experts DO NOT recommend using.
If the seller insists on the authenticity of the gadget, referring only to the IMEI, this is a reason to be wary. The numbers of the original devices often fall into the hands of scammers with experience.
Almost every owner faces the abbreviation IMEI mobile phone. If you haven't experienced it yet, it's only a matter of time. Each smartphone or even push-button has its own identifier (read IMEI). In other words, this is the number mobile device in the operator's network.
What is it for?
At least to identify the device. If someone steals the phone, the owner will be able to contact the police. Those, in turn, will be able to find the stolen phone by checking its IMEI. They will be able to manually dial a combination of numbers to find out the number, or they can determine it using mobile operator. As soon as the user makes a call, the IMEI of the mobile device automatically enters the operator's network. Having learned who the sim card is registered to, the police can easily figure out the attacker.
If we draw an analogy, then the IMEI of a mobile phone is like a car license plate. By this sign, traffic police officers can identify to whom the car is registered. The same is true for the phone's IMEI.
How to check IMEI on Samsung?
Usually, all IMEI phones are checked in the same way, but there are exceptions. For example, let's take a smartphone that is now very popular. The first obvious way to check is to find it on the box or in the documentation. It must be indicated. Also, the numbers are recorded in the warranty card. And if it is not indicated in the coupon, then the guarantee will be invalid. But the third way is to dial the key combination * # 06 #.
The last method allows you to check IMEI not only on Samsung, but also on phones from other manufacturers. After entering this code, the screen immediately displays serial number. Exceptions are rare. In 90% of cases, this combination works.
How to check the authenticity of Samsung by IMEI?
Let's say you entered the key combination * # 06 # and a code was displayed on the screen. What to do with him next? Its presence still does not mean anything, because this code is easy to fake. It is more important to determine if the given code matches the phone itself. That is, it must be checked for authenticity.
Make it easy. There is a special identification form on the official Samsung website, with which you can easily check Samsung IMEI. Just enter it in the line and click "check". If the code is found and confirmed on the official website, then this means that you have a genuine Samsung smartphone. Otherwise, the response on the site will be: "Electronic warranty not found."
If someone offers you to buy such a phone, be sure to find out the serial number and check it. Perhaps they are trying to deceive you. Fortunately, now you know how to check Samsung Galaxy by IMEI.
What do all these numbers mean?
The serial number can be 11-20 characters long. Most often it is 15 digits, which mean the following:
- The first 6 are the phone model code (the first 2 digits are the country code).
- The next 2 digits are the code of the country where the phone was assembled (FAC or Final Assembly Code).
- The next 6 digits are the serial number.
- The last digit is almost always 0. Denotes SP (Spare).
Do they change IMEI?
Yes, you can change it, which is why phone manufacturers have special services for checking IMEI for authenticity. There is special programs, with the help of which they change the serial number, but the developers are not asleep either. Every year, manufacturers improve protection against IMEI changes, but hackers do the same - they improve their software for hacking serial numbers. This war goes on forever.
How will IMEI help if your phone is stolen?
If your phone was stolen, then, first of all, you should go to the police and write. In the application, you must indicate its serial number. We already wrote above how to check IMEI on Samsung, and if you really are the buyers of the phone, then you should keep the box or warranty card, technical documentation.
Law enforcement agencies will accept the application and start looking for your device. Ideally, they should contact carriers and send them the IMEI in order to identify the person using the phone. This would speed up the search process. But in reality it won't be. They will just personally check the IMEI of the phones of people they think are suspicious. There is little chance that they will be able to find your specific phone in this way. Therefore, we recommend not to lose your gadget corny. Operators are rarely involved in the search for a lost or stolen phone. This is logical, because this is what the police should do.
And yet there is no law that would oblige them to do so. So the police can check the IMEI on a Samsung or any other phone, but nothing more. Only in this case will save the serial number of your smartphone.
Therefore, we can only recommend that you do not lose your gadget. Alas, modern the legislative framework does not allow law enforcement search phone efficiently. In some advanced countries, this is easy for the police, but not with us. Still, if the mobile is stolen, then go to the police with Device IMEI. There is currently no alternative. So it remains to rely on law enforcement agencies.
Some useful tips about how to check Samsung Galaxy S7 for authenticity. Suitable for Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Plus, Galaxy S7 Edge, and more top smartphones companies.
Some Samsung Galaxy S7 authentication methods work in any conditions, even if you buy a smartphone remotely on the Internet, others only when you have the opportunity to feel the handset with your own hands. Of course, no one will give a 100% guarantee that you will buy the original, but you can definitely determine most of the fakes, especially of low quality.
Checking the characteristics
First and most important parameter, by which you can check the authenticity of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the processor. All original Galaxy S7 are made either on the basis of their own (8 cores) or (4 cores). All options on other chipsets (for example, Mtk) and with a different number of cores are exclusively fakes.
The amount of RAM is also a good way to check the Samsung Galaxy S7 for authenticity. It should be exactly 4 Gb - no more and no less. On the this moment not a single variant for developing countries with a smaller amount of memory, and not a single "premium" variant with a large one.
Support for 4G LTE networks must be available. The screen resolution is QHD (1440 x 2560 pixels).
In general, if you have the opportunity to hold the device in your hands, then for Samsung checks Galaxy S7 for authenticity, it will be useful for you to install a simple and convenient utility for analyzing the hardware stuffing of the CPU-Z device.
Price
An important parameter if you are interested in how to check the Samsung Galaxy S7 for authenticity. Even if you buy a second-hand device or order it from another country via the Internet, it cannot cost 10,000 rubles. No way. Unless you buy a non-working "brick" for spare parts. Even if the cost is 50% of the market, then it is worth thinking carefully.
“Grey” carrier options that have been unlocked usually cost about 75-80% of the market price of the Samsung Galaxy S7. Model numbers in these cases have suffixes A, T, V, etc. (cm. ).
Samsung service menu
If you have the opportunity to hold the device in your hands, launch the Phone application and enter a special combination there to call the Samsung service menu: * # 7353 #. This combination is not standard for Android OS and, as a rule, it is absent in fakes.
Due to the fact that some people want to save a lot on buying a new gadget from a well-known brand, Chinese craftsmen churn out a large number of fakes, and sellers who want to earn extra money on naive and little understanding citizens actively import copies to local markets and sell them. on trading floors, auctions, in transitions, stalls or just on the street. They did not bypass the Samsung Galaxy S7 either. Now copies this smartphone enough in the CIS countries. If you are thinking of buying this device from your hands or in little-known retail outlets, and at the same time do not want to be deceived, read a few tips on how to distinguish a fake Samsung Galaxy S7 from the original.
Distinctive features of a fake
Life hack: How to check the authenticity of a smartphone when buying
- Take a look at body materials. The shell of the phone should consist of glass and metal. No plastic with zakos under these materials. It is also worth paying attention to how accurately the elements are placed and the holes are made. Warped and dangling parts of the body should not be.
- Evaluate the quality of the display module. On the original screen, you will not be able to see the pixel grid in any way due to the high resolution and high number of pixels per inch. Unless you will consider it under a magnifying glass. From any viewing angle, the picture on a genuine display should be bright and rich in colors. The sensor must instantly respond even to light touches.
- Check system localization. Samsung completely localizes firmware for its smartphones, so there should be no English inscriptions on the desktop, in the notification shade or in the settings menu. Of course, there is such an option that they are trying to sell you an operator version intended for sale in the European or American market. However, in this case, the seller must warn you about this.
- Take a look at the Android OS version. A genuine Samsung Galaxy S7 must run at least Android 6.0.1. Get version information operating system You can do it in your smartphone settings.
- Check specifications . Full information about the hardware of the smartphone you can get using applications such as AnTuTu Benchmark and CPU-Z. If they are already present on your phone, we recommend that you remove them and reinstall them from the Google Play Store or via APK files. The fact is that a fake gadget may have specially prepared versions of these applications with fake information about it. When viewing the characteristics of a smartphone in programs, you just need to pay attention to the name of the processor and the screen resolution. Inside the real Samsung Galaxy S7, there may be an Exynos 8890 or Snapdragon 820 processor. The screen resolution should not be lower than 1440 x 2560 pixels.
- Use service code . To check the smartphone for authenticity, you can use the special code * # 7353 #, which calls the service menu. You need to enter it on the dialer of the Phone application. However, please note that it may not work on custom firmware.
- Check IMEI. There is no complete certainty that you will detect a fake with this check, since skilled copy manufacturers have learned how to fake IMEI. But it's still worth doing. To do this, you need to contact the official support on the company's website, send the IMEI specialists, which can be seen under the barcode on the phone's box, or get it using the *#06# combination.
There are many nuances when buying a smartphone by hand, as well as in unknown local and online stores. In such cases, the chances of encountering a fake are extremely high. Especially if the price of the phone is decently underestimated. Therefore, when choosing a new device for yourself, do not fall for the tricks of sellers, keep a “cold” mind and use our tips to check the smartphone for authenticity. And best of all - buy a phone from an authorized point of sale. This will save you headaches and wasted time.
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