Nowadays, shopping is mostly done online, but there is a risk that your product is fake. It’s useful to check the authenticity of Xiaomi products, especially. As you know, Xiaomi doesn’t just manufacture smartphones. Xiaomi offers products to users in all areas. Main reason why Xiaomi is preferred so much is its affordable price policy.
However, this cheapness poses an important problem for users, fraud. People can access Xiaomi products at affordable prices. But some scammers sell fake Xiaomi products at cheaper prices. As a result, users can be deceived as fake products are very similar to the original. So what should be done to avoid falling into this trap? How to check the authenticity of Xiaomi products?
Ways to Check the Authenticity of Xiaomi Products
Of course, there are several ways to check the authenticity of your product. If you have purchased a Xiaomi product other than a Xiaomi smartphone, a webpage available for check product authenticity. Or if you have a Xiaomi smartphone, you can query with the serial number. There is even a way to control it from your phone’s MIUI version. Even the MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) query site can be used in the smartphone query, since Xiaomi’s products are from China.
Use the Xiaomi Product Authentication
This solution offered by Xiaomi for users allows you to check the authenticity of your product. In this way, when you suspect any counterfeiting case, you can easily check your product online. There are 2 types of authentication on the site. 20-digit security code or IMEI – S/N check. As we know, IMEI – S/N Check is valid on phones and tablets. But, 20-digit security code valid all Xiaomi products.
With 20-digit security code allows you to easily control authenticity of Xiaomi products. There will be a banderole with the Mi logo on the box of the Xiaomi product you receive. 20-digit number under the banderole is security code of your product. Every Xiaomi product such as Xiaomi Phone, Mi Powerbank, Mi Watch, Mi Band, Mi Pro Scooter has a this bandrole and 20-digit security code. In this way, its authenticity of Xiaomi product can be confirmed, and any forgery is prevented.
And IMEI and S/N verification is valid on Xiaomi phones and tablets. Not all Xiaomi products have security codes. In this case, you can check with IMEI and S/N number. Every smartphones, tablets, smartwatchs etc. has a serial number. You can check the authenticity of Xiaomi product by typing the your device’s serial number to relevant place. Also every device with a network has an IMEI number, you can also verify with it. This site in question is available here.
Use MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) Verification
Another way to confirm product authenticity is to use MIIT system. As you know, Xiaomi products are of Chinese origin. And every new product is registered in MIIT system of Chinese government. Everyone can benefit from this system, which was established for purpose of informing the users.
IMEI number is required for the query process. You can query the brand and model of your device by filling in the required fields. In this way, you confirm the originality of your Xiaomi product. You can go to this website from here. If you don’t know Chinese, you can use the site with help from translator apps.
Check Your Device’s MIUI Version Number
Another way to control authenticity of Xiaomi products is the MIUI version. As you know, MIUI is the famous user interface Xiaomi uses on its devices. Each device has its own version code. 7 letter version code in MIUI version (only Stable) has its own meanings.
The first letter represents the Android version of the device. “S” is Android 12, “R” is Android 11, “Q” is Android 10, and “P” is Android 9. These names are the initials of names put by Google, you can find all the information about this subject in this article.
Next two letters represent the device’s specific model code, for example model code of Mi 9 SE (grus) is “FB”, and model code of Mi 10T (apollo) is “JD”. And next two letters are the device’s region code. For example, “CN” is model code of China devices, “MI” is Global devices, and “TR” is Turkey devices.
Last two letters are the code that specifies carrier of device. Operator devices receive special MIUI versions. For example, Vodafone devices haves a “VF” model code. Unlocked devices are referred to as “Unlocked” and model code is “XM”, most sold devices have this code. As a result, there is a special 7-digit MIUI version code. For example, China region, Unlocked and Android 12 installed Redmi K50 (rubens) device has a “SLNCNXM” MIUI version code.
Thing to note here is to look at this MIUI version code to test authenticity of Xiaomi product. The part that no one notices here is Xiaomi devices with fake ROM. These devices have lost their originality and do not receive updates. It can be identified by the extra number at the end of the version number.
As you know, MIUI’s developer (DEV) versions have a 5-digit version number. Likewise, stable MIUI versions are 4-digit version number. However, if you see a 5-digit stable version, know that it is fake. And if you see a 4-digit developer (DEV) version, it means that the device has a fake ROM.
For example: V13.0.2.0.SJAMIXM version of Mi 10 Pro (cmi) is original, but V13.0.2.0.0.SJAMIXM and similar version number will be fake. Judging from what we mentioned above, the “JA” model code is specific to the Mi 10 Pro device. If you see something wrong with the model code, it means your device has a fake ROM installed. In conclusion, this issue is also an important detail for the authenticity of Xiaomi product.
Tips to Avoid Fake Xiaomi Products
However, there are of course precautions you should take to avoid having to check the authenticity of Xiaomi product. Whatever you do, don’t buy products from unknown places, neighborhood phone providers may not be that reliable. If possible, go to a real Xiaomi Store and get your products there.
If you are going to buy Xiaomi products from online places such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc. make sure that the seller is Xiaomi. Products purchased from other vendors run the risk of being counterfeit. It’s always safest to shop from official Mi Store website. When buying second-hand products, you can check authenticity of Xiaomi product you bought by above-mentioned ways.
