5 universal tips on how to distinguish an original Android smartphone from a fake

1. Compare the appearance

The closest attention is paid to the appearance of counterfeit smartphones, because acquaintance with each gadget begins with “clothes”. Clone makers try to replicate the design of the original exactly so that the buyer does not have any suspicions.

But it remains possible to distinguish a fake by a number of seemingly insignificant details: the width of the screen frames, the design of the camera, the placement of the SIM card tray or the shape of the earpiece. In order not to be deceived, it is important to know exactly how it all looks and where it is located on the original smartphone.

You can get an idea of the external features of a genuine device using the manufacturer's official website or reviews on the Web. In the latter, as a rule, smartphones are viewed from all sides.

2. Check device information

Each Android smartphone has an About Phone section in the operating system settings. It always displays the device name, model, OS version and shell, if any. On some devices, the main technical characteristics, which must be checked, are also demonstrated there.

If everything is fully consistent with the original, but you still doubt the authenticity of the device, download the AIDA64 application to it. It will show everything that is hidden "under the hood", indicating both the processor and the amount of memory, and even the exact parameters of the display.

If the smartphone is completely reset and there is no active Google account on it, you can install AIDA64 by transferring the APK file of the application from another gadget via Bluetooth. You can download it here.

3. Check for branded services

It is quite possible to recognize a fake by a number of proprietary services with which most manufacturers supplement the set of preinstalled software. Usually these are branded galleries, theme stores, media players, feedback services, and so on. All this should be present on the smartphone, especially if it has been reset to factory settings in front of you.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to install original branded applications on a fake smartphone. In the best case, it will only be an imitation of them, which does not allow anything to be opened or started.

4. Rate the quality of localization

Low-quality localization can also give out a Chinese fake. Go through the settings and the menu of preinstalled applications, checking the quality of the translation into Russian. Usually counterfeiters do not pay enough attention to this issue.

If some words are translated incorrectly or not translated into Russian at all, this is a serious reason to doubt the originality of the device.

5. Download AnTuTu Officer

The AnTuTu Officer utility is suitable when there is no desire to bother checking the characteristics and firmware. This app does a quick test and gives its verdict on the originality of the smartphone.

You need to use AnTuTu Officer in a pair with another device:

Download and install AnTuTu Officer on the tested smartphone (for this, you can distribute the Internet to it from another gadget).
Open y.antutu.com on another smartphone or laptop - a QR code will be displayed.
Launch AnTuTu Officer on the tested smartphone and, by pressing the Start button, scan the QR code from the AnTuTu website.

Original Smartphone: AnTuTu Officer Test

Original Smartphone: Completing AnTuTu Officer Test

After these actions, AnTuTu Officer will issue its verdict, which will be displayed on the device where the QR code was displayed. If it is a green circle and the inscription "Good" with an indication of the model, then this is the original.

A yellow circle will indicate insufficient device data available to the service. This may mean that the model is too new and is not yet in the database. Or it has an unknown firmware installed. If the circle is red, chances are high that this is a fake.