An interesting trend related to Nokia’s newly released cellular phones has been emerging recently to both fascinate and befuddle the common consumer. I am referring to the increasingly common “fake” cellphones that’s been cropping up around tiangges and electronic stores.

                                             No, there's no official PDA version of the N95.

More and more, (prevalently) Chinese copies of popular handhelds like the  Nokia N81, Nokia 5310, Nokia N95, Nokia N82, Nokia 6120, etc. are showing up in places where they can easily be mistaken for the real thing. Nokia Philippines has been in touch with us to stress the fact that these fakes are to be avoided and that the consumer must be made aware of their existence as to ascertain Nokia’s continuing reputation as purveyors of quality handheld devices. Nokia doesn’t believe that imitation is the highest form of flattery, at least not when it comes to its products.

                                             This one's pretty obvious, but that's not always the case...

Of course, there’s the chance that some people deliberately look for the cheap version of a cellphone, if only for the price advantage and the “prestige” – as long as nobody looks at the device too closely. After all, these “fake” devices actually do work, and are amazingly realistic – looking – and probably also amazingly short-lived, quality wise. Well, these kinds of products cater to certain individuals, and Nokia isn’t stopping anyone from buying these – as long as they are not  mislead by “false advertising” and not sold a fake phone in place of an original. Basically, the customer has to know what they’re getting, and what they’re getting into.

                                             The one at the bottom is the real deal.

The trouble starts when a buyer is suckered into paying full price or at least is led to believe that they’re paying a good price on a supposedly original unit. Nokia obviously will not honor any warranty claims on fake devices, and will not offer technical support for the same. So do watch out.

                                             It's easy when you know what to look for.

In my experience, such fakes can be unnervingly similar to the real thing – but at the same time it only takes a quick look at some certain details to mark a device as genuine or not. The first thing that I noticed in my (quickly aborted) shopping spree was that the software running on the device was definitely not symbian, or something that came from Nokia, at all. Instead, in the devices that I was excitedly looking at at the time (the 6300, N95 and an N81), the software looked and acted like a re-skinned Win 98 desktop OS trying to look like Windows Vista – and failing miserably. Response speed was another telling point, as well as the “feel” of the material and other subtle design mis-cues like different logos and fonts.

Our correspondence with the local Nokia people also produced some official Nokia tips, as follows:  

1. *Warranty*
Nokia mobile phones bought in the Nokia Store or from its authorized dealers have a
blue 12-month limited warranty sticker from Nokia Care slapped on the top or side parts
of the phone's box.

  A Nokia Care Tamper Proof warranty sticker is also found in the mobile phone's
accessories such as the charger, battery, memory card, or data cable.     

2. *Stamp of Approval*
All Nokia phones bought from the Nokia Store or any of its authorized dealers have a
Tamper Proof Type label at the back of each mobile phone along with the NTC logo and
the Type acceptance number as part of one sticker.  Also found in the back of the
mobile phone is the Nokia tamper proof Warranty Seal.   

3. *Battery *
To see if your battery is the real thing, you have to make sure the hologram label
reflects the Nokia Connecting Hands at one angle and the Original Enhancements logo at
another angle. When you angle the hologram on the left, right, down and upsides of the
logo, you should see 1, 2, 3 and 4 dots on each side respectively.

                                             Glamour shot of the fake N95 - I guess they're not bothering to hide it...

More importantly, a modicum of common sense is the most important thing; if a cellphone is selling for one half or a third of its original price, something is definitely wrong. Ask questions, and research beforehand so that you will know what exactly you’re looking at when you’re presented with the device and given its specs. Happy shopping, and see you at Greenhills or online – as soon as I don my Spoofs T-shirt “Bokia – Disconnecting People”. Apt, that.