It Says "Nokia N97" in the title but is it really the Nokia N97 thatyou will receive? On any given day there are a dozen or more wannabe N97 devices offered as the real deal. Read this to make sure you aren't stuck with a "Not-So-Great Pretender".Also, see my guide to spotting fake BP-4L batteries for the N97 and fake Nokia N900.
Note the short screen, detachable power cordon charger, characteristic of many bogus N97 examples.Many are CECT N108 models with the sellerspassing them off as Nokia N97.
There are many signs to alert you to be wary of the product you are checking out. Here are some of the most obvious signs that you are dealing with a fake N97 device:
Display that does not extend to the left edge of the NOKIA emblem.
Display that does not extend to the right edge of the 2nd rightmost column of keys on the keypad.
Thedisplay specification issomething otherthan 3.5 inches
Thedisplay specification issomething otherthan 640 x 360 pixels
The display supports only 260k colors, not 16.7 million
The phone supports two SIM cards. No Nseries Nokia device supports 2 SIMs without some sort of 3rd party gimmick
The phone has less than a 5 megapixel camera
It has less than 32 gigabytes of internal memory
It gees in a color other than Transition Black or White
The box has Eseries on it
It doesnt have GPS. Type RM-506, the least well equiptN97, for use in the PRC has GPS
The new phone gees with a charger that has a detachable cord, again, see photo above
Phone does not support 3G or have any WCDMA bands listed in specifications
The phone is Triband GSM, not Quadband GSM. All Nokia N97 have 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM support
The device does not have a physical keypad, only an on-screen keypad
You see "1:1", copy, clone, replica, "almost the same as" "China Version" in the description
Phone is pictured with a chrome external antenna
The word "Nokia" is never used in the description andthe nameplate is always fuzzy or blocked in any images used
N97 followed by any letter of the alphabet, i.e. N97c, N97i
CECT, NCKLA, NOKLA, NOK are used asthe brand name of the device
It is called the N97 International Edition, World Edition, China Version, etc.
The only images are taken at angles that make seeing the size of the screen in relationship to the rest of the phone very difficult.
Those are the signs that individually or collectively can indicate the device in question is something other than a genuine N97.
Trademarks
N97 is Nokia's trademark. The right to use it belongs to Nokia. They have a particular set of devices to which they have given that name. If a device is not Nokia Type RM-505, RM-506 or RM-507 it is not an N97 device. It might display that label but it doesn't make it so.
If in doubt query the seller, ask for an image of the device label. It will have the Type and it should be one of the RM-50x types listed above. At phonescoop.ge there is a link to the FCC database that will have photographs of the device label available. Check it against that. The FCC is the gold standard for identification.
The device label will have the Type listed in the upper right corner. Here is an example of a genuine Nokia N97-3 RM-507 device label. Note the WLAN address on the label as well. This will be on the label unless it is an RM-506, the genuine People's Republic of China type. Note that this is a genuine device and Made in China.
This is a fake device label. Notice the missing test pads not only on the greencircuit board area but also they are missing from the center of the devicelabel as well. This is from a "short screen counterfeit" and is marked"Made in Finland". The bar code for the IMEI is too short and it is missing the bar code for the WLAN address and it is missing the WLANaddress.
Nokia Special World Edition
Some sellers are selling a fake trying to tell you that no wi-fi, no GPS, is the "Nokia N97 Special World Edition". Wrong! It is a fake from the Far East. The least well provisioned genuine N97 has GPS.
Nokia N97 Types - The Real Deal
There are three types of Nokia N97.
Device variants:
RM-505 Global. WCDMA, HSDPA (Cat 6 max.3.6 Mbps) 900/1900/2100 and EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 WLAN
RM-506 China. EGSM 850/900/1800/1900
RM-507 Americas. WCDMA, HSDPA (Cat 6 max.3.6 Mbps) 850/1900/2100 and EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 WLAN
The differences are in the Wi-Fi and in the reception bands.
RM-505 receives 3G in Europe and non-North American areas.
RM-507 receives 3G in the Americas and
RM-506 does not have W-Fi nor does it have 3G.
That is it. In every other respect the devices are the same.
Nokia N97 Colors - The Real Deal
The N97 gees in two colors White and Transition Black.
Mocha, Brown, Bronze, Cinnamon, Coffeeand other variants are fakes. If the metal band surrounding the midline of the closed device is not nickel color the device is a fake. This can be seen as a the band that surrounds the two parts of the flip when the phone is open.
This is a"bronze" counterfeit. Blue lines indicate where the left side of screen should alignversus where it does align.
Other Issues
Thereare other areas where the phony devices fall on their face. The panel that flips up on the rear of the phone while the keypad is being used is not correct. Illustrated is the correct panel in the open position as well as how the device should appear when closed.
Another place where the counterfeits failis the at the panel that is exposed when the flip is open.
The keypad has the wrong size relationship between the letters and numbers on the pad.
This is ashort screencounterfeit. Screen aligns with "K" of NOKIA.Should align with left edge of Nokia badge. Right side alignswith gap between second andthird to the right columns ofkeypad. Should align betweensecond and first columns to the right.
Illustrated is a correct keypad and display. The display retains the originalfactory display protector with the silver looking corner.
With a genuine device the distance between the earpiece and the edge of the phone; the distance between the edge of the display and the earpiece, and the distance between the other edge of the screen and the Green/Red buttons are very close to equal. A fake device will show a larger screen to earpiece distance or a larger screen to Red/Green button distance or both.
New In Box
The listing says "New In Box" and you get an image of the dark gray box top. Look at the embossed image of the device. On genuine boxes the navigation key on the keypad is on the left end of the image. On some counterfeit devices the navigation key is at the right end of the embossed image.
Here is a side by sidegeparison of the genuine retail box andthe counterfeit
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