I bought what was advertised as a new Samsung 990 Pro from a well-reviewed third-party seller on Amazon. An AI tool flagged the packaging because it has a cardboard hanging tab at the top, although I've found photos of apparently legitimate 990 Pro boxes with the same design. I can return it unopened, but I'd prefer to verify whether the packaging is authentic first. Would checking the drive with Samsung Magician be enough, and are there any physical details or precautions I should look for?
4 Answers
The safest way to verify it is with Samsung Magician once the drive is installed. Before opening it, record a continuous video showing the package, seals, serial number, and the unboxing. Also compare the serial number on the SSD with the box so the seller can’t claim you returned a different drive. If Magician recognizes it correctly, that’s a strong sign it’s genuine.
If something is wrong, the marketplace’s return process should generally cover you, especially for an item sold as new. Keep all packaging, take photos or video during unboxing, and test the drive promptly rather than waiting.
The image link wasn’t working at first, but after it was fixed, the packaging looked consistent with versions sold by major retailers. I’d still verify it in Samsung Magician, but the cardboard tab alone isn’t a reason to assume it’s counterfeit.
A hanging tab by itself doesn’t prove the box is fake—legitimate retail packaging can have one. The more useful checks are on the SSD itself, such as whether it has the expected controller heat spreader and DRAM components. You’ll need to open the package to inspect those, so document everything first.
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