If you’re a Samsung aficionado like me, then I feel like you ought to know this before getting a Samsung phone.
Especially with the wave of fake or substandard goods in Nigeria.
When I wanted to get my phone, I went to Samsung Experience Center cos that’s where I bought my S21+. I asked for S23+.
They told me 1,250,000 for 256 gig and 1,350,000 for 512 gig.
I went to Slot. Same price.
Went to 3C hub. Same price.
Checked Fine Brothers. Same price.
Meanwhile normal vendors both online and at computer village were selling from 850k to 900k. Same BRAND NEW S23+.
It didn’t make sense. The price disparity was too much.
I didn’t understand what was going on.
My trip to computer village on Wednesday and my discussion with a Samsung official opened my eyes. So let me gist you.
There are currently 2 types of high-end Samsung Galaxy phones in the market.
Both are brand new, both look similar, but are not the same.
The first is “Dubai Samsung”.
It is way cheaper and is what vendors both online or offline stock/sell. Let me tell you the glaring differences a lot of us don’t notice.
- Samsung and verified shops sell S23+ for 1.2 to 1.4M depending on the storage/ram size. Dubai S23+ is sold for 800 to 950k.
Samsung stores, Slot and verified shops sell original S23 ultra for 1.7M to 2M. Dubai S23 Ultra sold by vendors is 950k to 1.2M.
The mere fact that the prices vendors give you is about 400k to 800k cheaper that what Samsung store gangan sells should tell you they’re not the same.
- Dubai Samsung does not come with Nigeria/African warranty. The original Samsung highend devices come with 24 months warranty. There is a large blue stamp on the pack with 24 months warranty written on it.
Dubai Samsung doesn’t come with that large blue stamp of warranty. They never write 24 months on them.
Some come with 12 month warranty stamp while some come with none at all. Check the pictures to see what I mean. - The wordings on the pack of Dubai Samsung is not written in English. You may not notice it but look again. That is because it was licensed and programmed for a non-English speaking country, not Nigeria.
- Dubai Samsung does not come with dual sims. It comes with just one sim and esim. Original Samsung comes with dual sim. So if they tell you it comes with 1 sim and esim, it is not the main one. Na Dubai.
- Because Dubai Samsung is not licensed for Nigerian use, it is not sold at Samsung Experience Store, Slot, etc. Go to these shops, you will never see them displayed even at Samsung shops!!!! Because they know it is substandard, they don’t display it there.
If Samsung gangan no dey sell that type, fill in the blanks…🤷🏽♀️ - Because it is not the type licensed for use in Nigeria, warranty doesn’t cover it. Meaning if there is a factory error in the course of using it, Samsung will not fix it because you are using it at an unlicensed territory.
No matter what you encounter, you are on your own. Even that 1 year warranty on some packs is void because it is not licensed for use in Nigeria. You will need to go to dubai or wherever it came from to enjoy the warranty.
So what am I saying?
Is Dubai Samsung fake?
No. Vendors import those Asian/Dubai Samsungs from those regions because it is cheaper than getting the main one programmed and licensed for use in Nigeria.
Most buyers don’t know the difference. Plus it is cheaper, looks similar and sells faster.
The problem is that you bought a phone that is not covered by warranty FROM SAMSUNG in case of “incasity”. You bought a phone that is not licensed in Nigeria.
You may be lucky and use it without any mishap especially if you sabi use phone like me. But what if it has a factory error?
My personal opinion is, instead of you to buy brand new Dubai Samsung, just buy UK-used of the original. At least the original comes with dual sim make you save yourself the stress of that esim wahala.
As a rule of thumb, check prices of Samsung phones on Samsung website, IG pages or physical stores and compare with market price before buying. Check Slot/Verified sellers’ websites and offices too.
If the difference is more than 200k, na Dubai. The vendor selling to you cannot be a bigger wholesaler than Samsung wey get the phone or Slot so why is theirs so cheap? Ask yourself that.
Also check the specs. Esim, ram size, storage size, etc.
And finally, check the pack. It’s always a dead giveaway. I have my s21+ pack so once I see Dubai pack, I dey always know.
PS: I’ve been using Samsung Galaxy phones since 2015 yet I almost didn’t clock some of this. It was a Samsung official that painstakingly explained every single thing here to me.
