If you think only premium smart phones are worth faking, think again. The popular Redmi Note apparently has a replica of its own and it looks like the actual unit from the outside.

Someone had purchased a unit from a seller on Mudah which claims to be an original unit. After using it for a while, he noticed something very strange and had discovered that he had been ripped off. Obviously not happy of being cheated, he had uploaded a video highlighting the key differences between a genuine Redmi Note versus the fake imitation copy to serve as warning to others.

Head after the break to find out how to check if a Redmi Note is fake.

From the outside, you can’t tell which is fake as they are both identical except for some minor rough finishes underneath the cover. The only way to find out is by running a couple of benchmark and diagnostic apps to verify its hardware specs.

1. Lower Performance

The first step is to run AnTuTu Benchmarks. The genuine Redmi Note actually comes in 2 models – a High Spec version which is currently sold officially in Malaysia and a Lower Spec version which is available in China at a slightly lower price. For the High-Spec version, it runs on a 1.7GHz MediaTek Octa-Core processor with 2GB of RAM and that should give you around 26,000-27,000 points on AnTuTu. According to the victim, his fake Redmi Note only scored an appalling 9400 points instead. For the best results, it is advisable to turn your device to Airplane mode before running the tests.

2. 4 cores instead of 8 cores

From AnTutu or other benchmark software, there’s usually a tab to identify what processor, RAM and components are installed. For his fake device, instead of an Octa-Core processor with 8 cores running simultaneously, his unit only came with 4 cores instead (Quad-Core).

3. Lower Screen Resolution

Another way for replica makers to save cost is by using a lower screen resolution. The real Redmi Note is having a 5.5″ screen with 1280×720 resolution, which is identical to the Galaxy Note II. On the fake unit, the on-board display is doing a much lower qHD resolution of 960×540. If you can’t notice the difference with your naked eye, you can check the display resolution under Device info under Antutu.

4. Shortage of Sensors

On a modern smart phone, there are tons of sensors including compass, direction, ambient light, proximity, temperature and acceleration. From Antutu, you can tell whether or not these sensors are present on the device. In the video, the fake Redmi Note had lacked several critical sensors such as direction, G-sensor, E-compass and rotation.

5. Doesn’t support 10 multi touch points

The original Redmi Note is able to support multi-touch with up to 10 points at the same time, while the fake unit is found to recognise a maximum of just 5 fingers simultaneously. This can be identified with the Phone Tester app where it comes with a Multi-Touch test.

6. Poor Full HD recording and playback

The last test is a simple and a dead giveaway of the fake Redmi Note’s poor performance. When recording a Full HD video, the video turns out very choppy and surprisingly it uses 3GP format which is commonly used on old feature phones. As comparison, the real Redmi Note has no problems recording and playing back its Full HD 1080p video that’s saved in MP4 format.

Buy from authorised sources

For better peace of mind, we strongly recommend buying smart phones from its authorised channels. If you’re thinking of getting a Redmi Note, it is better to purchase directly from the official Mi Online Store. Their flash sales are happening regularly on a Tuesday at 12PM and for the upcoming one on 12th August, they have 15,000 units of Redmi Note, 5,000 units of Redmi 1S and 2,000 units of Mi 3 smart phones up in stock.

According to Xiaomi, they do not supply their products through suppliers or distributors and if you see anyone selling in stores, it is likely to be either grey-imported units which are bought from overseas. Such devices are not covered under local Xiaomi warranty. If you’re unlucky, some of them could be selling knock offs like one purchased by the victim here.

However there are some exceptions if the Xiaomi device is bought from participating telcos, where in this instance, DiGi, Celcom and Maxis are currently offering the Mi 3 in Malaysia. In some countries, Xiaomi does work with online retailers such as Lazada in the Philippines and Flipkart in India.

Understandably there are those who prefer to purchase a unit by hand where you get to feel the device before parting ways with your hard earn cash. If you do intend to buy a unit on ground, hopefully these tips can help you determine if it is the real deal and not some cheap imitation product. For the victim that posted the video, he mentions that he’s using the video as evidence in his complaint against the defiant phone seller and we hope he can get his money back. As always, if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

Thanks xiaomi buyer for the tip!

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