Is there an absolute sure way of checking the variant of the Xperia ZL whether it is a C6502 or C6503 or C6506?
I got a refurbished phone (ZL C6503, so with LTE) online through a Hong Kong seller.
It really seems in a mint condition and all tests run fine. For the time being I am using the phone without a sim card so can't check data connectivity.
All conventional ways of checking the model shows that this is indeed a C6503:
- on sticker under the memory card/sim cover
- in setting/about phone
- through service menu (*#*#7378423#*#*)
- Sony support: email confirmation based on IMEI - although it sounds pretty vague and they did not show me any proof, just suggested I take a look at the white papers which actually I already mentioned in my original inquiry....
But, in the same sevice menu (*#*#7378423#*#*), only the following bands are listed:
GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS_BC1, 2, 4, 5, and 8
so, there are NO LTE bands listed at all! According to the white paper documentations, these bands actually fit the C6502 model which does NOT have LTE anyway.
This got me thinking. I heard that tricky Chinese sellers can refurbish phones in a way that they sell the cheaper C6502 as if it was a C6503 or C6506.
From what I read so far, it seems that IMEI can be changed, there are even guides on it. A C6503/6 rom can easily be installed on a C6502 phone, too. And while the latest official version is 10.7.A.0.228 for the C6503, it is only 10.7.A.0.222 for the C6502. And when I updated my phone all the way, it only went up to 10.7.A.0.222. This is another worrying sign, suggesting my C6503 may be only a C6502.
So this leads to my original question: is there an absolutely safe, bullet-proof way of checking authenticity of a phone model? Maybe through some hardware info since they could not mess around with such stuff that easily? Also, I would love to see some links, documentation, etc as proof, as opposed to only "opinions", although any input would be appreciated, of course. I do not want to wrongly accuse the seller, but if they tricked me, I won't stop until they pay for this.
EDIT: My suspicion was correct: it was a c6502 version, with a C6503 rom installed over it. So watch out for this dirty trick.
I got a refurbished phone (ZL C6503, so with LTE) online through a Hong Kong seller.
It really seems in a mint condition and all tests run fine. For the time being I am using the phone without a sim card so can't check data connectivity.
All conventional ways of checking the model shows that this is indeed a C6503:
- on sticker under the memory card/sim cover
- in setting/about phone
- through service menu (*#*#7378423#*#*)
- Sony support: email confirmation based on IMEI - although it sounds pretty vague and they did not show me any proof, just suggested I take a look at the white papers which actually I already mentioned in my original inquiry....
But, in the same sevice menu (*#*#7378423#*#*), only the following bands are listed:
GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS_BC1, 2, 4, 5, and 8
so, there are NO LTE bands listed at all! According to the white paper documentations, these bands actually fit the C6502 model which does NOT have LTE anyway.
This got me thinking. I heard that tricky Chinese sellers can refurbish phones in a way that they sell the cheaper C6502 as if it was a C6503 or C6506.
From what I read so far, it seems that IMEI can be changed, there are even guides on it. A C6503/6 rom can easily be installed on a C6502 phone, too. And while the latest official version is 10.7.A.0.228 for the C6503, it is only 10.7.A.0.222 for the C6502. And when I updated my phone all the way, it only went up to 10.7.A.0.222. This is another worrying sign, suggesting my C6503 may be only a C6502.
So this leads to my original question: is there an absolutely safe, bullet-proof way of checking authenticity of a phone model? Maybe through some hardware info since they could not mess around with such stuff that easily? Also, I would love to see some links, documentation, etc as proof, as opposed to only "opinions", although any input would be appreciated, of course. I do not want to wrongly accuse the seller, but if they tricked me, I won't stop until they pay for this.
EDIT: My suspicion was correct: it was a c6502 version, with a C6503 rom installed over it. So watch out for this dirty trick.
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