Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9006: Chinese knockoff/clone or genuine phone? A few months ago a relative picked up a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9006) while in China. The price was low so he didn't think much of it. The phone looks genuine and when it boots up it shows the Samsung logo and all that.

While researching a problem with the preinstalled apps - see my other question here - and looking into rooting it, and/or installing a custom rom, it was made clear that I had to be careful to pick the right rom for the device. It was also pointed out that there are clones of these phones which complicates the problem.

So, my question is, how do I know if I have a genuine Samsung Note 3 or a cheap clone?



Device Info:
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9006
Android 4.4.2
Baseband: MT6582
Build: JSS15J.N9006ZCUBMI5




EDIT:

It was suggested that if a code in the dialer can NOT bring a debugging menu on screen then it is a clone. Well, the code worked for me. It showed a set of buttons for various hardware components like, wifi, flash, speakers etc. They did perform basic tests on a couple that I tried.
It seems that your device uses a MediaTek MT6582 chip, as seen in this line of your device info:

Baseband: MT6582


There are no Samsung Galaxy flagship devices (e.g. Note / S devices) that use MediaTek chips. Samsung uses Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, its own Exynos chips, and the occasional Spreadtrum chip. MediaTek chips just don't deliver the level of performance that Samsung wants in their flagships. I'm afraid the device is a clone.

One way to confirm this is by going to the dialer app and typing *#0*#. On a genuine Samsung device, you'll be taken to a debugging menu right after you enter the last #.

After some more research and consideration, it does appear that your device is indeed genuine. The *#0*# test you did (and passed) further strengthens this claim. (I apologize for my previous answer.)