Spot a fake Samsung S6 – How to

How to spot a fake Samsung S6, here’s my story and how I learned what to look for without even having to turn the phone on.

I have been wanting to start developing End Space VR for the Samsung Gear VR for a while now. Just before Christmas I was browsing E-Bay looking to find a deal on the Samsung S6. I found a auction that didn’t have a reserve price and bid on the phone. I won the auction for 180 euro! I was so excited to get such a expensive phone for so cheap not expecting what would come next. The phone came 2 weeks later, I hurriedly plugged it in to charge it too full. I turned it on and so far everything checked out, it looked great, the phone turned on. I think I got a deal!

Then I tried to use the phone, first I could use touch for the bottom 1/3rd of the screen. Well that seems odd, its used but that shouldn’t happen. Then I looked at the screen, I could see pixels, I had seen the phone in the store before I couldn’t see pixels like this before. Something was up… So I checked in to it a bit more and there was nothing about this phone that screamed quality, and nothing worked right. Turns out it’s a fake! A little research and realized this is a huge problem and there’s millions of these fake Samsung S6’s out there. I wanted to write a guide on how you can quickly find out if that used Samsung S6 you are buying is a fake.

How to spot a fake Samsung S6

If you are buying a used Samsung S6 and have it in hand and want to know if it’s fake, the easiest thing to do is Dial *#06#. This will display the IMEI number for the phone. If this number doesn’t match the number printed on the back it’s clearly a fake. If you don’t have the phone in hand or are looking at pictures of it online here is some more tips on what to look for:

The front:

1. The button is really loose on the fake model. The real Samsung S6 is nicely fixed in place.
2. The 2 sensors on the left side of the speaker are farther apart and larger is diameter on the real Samsung S6.
3. The screen is 2 mm longer on the real model than on the fake.

The back:

1. The back cover on the fake model is made of plastic, you can use your fingers nails and pry off the glued on cover. The real model has a glass back cover. Tap your nail on the cover. Sounds like plastic? It’s a fake.
2. The camera on the fake model doesn’t take good pictures, they are noisy and not sharp. The real one has a amazing camera.
3. Look on the real model, you can see the flash looks a lot different. The 2 sensors are farther apart on the real model. 
4. The Samsung branding on the bottom of the phone is really light and hard to read. The fake one has darker text.

The bottom:

1. Take a look at the USB port. On the fake model it’s upside down.
2. The microphone port is on the right on the real model. On this fake model you see it on the left.
3. The fake Samsung S6 has a sharper edge in the middle, the real one is really smooth. You can see in the picture how diffuse the light is on the real model.

Conclusion:

I hope this guide helps someone help and prevents them from buying a fake Samsung S6 like I did. Luckily buying through E-Bay I was able to get my money back thanks to the E-Bay money back gaurnetee. But it still cost me lost time and a huge hassle. If you know someone looking for a Samsung S6 share this article with them before they buy. If it sounds too good to be true… It’s probably a fake!