It Says "Nokia N97" in the title but is it really the Nokia N97 that you 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.

Note the short screen, detachable power cord
on charger, characteristic of many bogus N97 examples.
Many are CECT N108 models with the sellers
passing 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.

• The display specification is something other than 3.5 inches

• The display specification is something other than 640 x 360 pixels

• The display supports only 260k colors, not 16.7 million

• The phone supports two SIM cards. No 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 comes in a color other than Transition Black or White

• The box has “Eseries” on it

• It doesn’t have GPS. Type RM-506, the least well equipt N97, for use in the PRC has GPS

• The new phone comes 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 and the 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 as the 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.com 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 green
circuit board area but also they are missing from the center of the device
label 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 WLAN
address.

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 comes in two colors White and Transition Black.

Mocha, Brown, Bronze, Cinnamon, Coffee and 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 align
versus where it does align.

Other Issues

There are 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 fail
is 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 a short screen counterfeit.
Screen aligns with "K" of NOKIA.
Should align with left edge of
Nokia badge. Right side aligns
with gap between second and
third to the right columns of
keypad. Should align between
second and first columns to the right.

 
Illustrated is a correct keypad and display.
The display retains the original
factory display protector with the silver
looking corner.