An inside look at a Xiaomi knock-off den!


We’ve covered counterfeit Xiaomi phones on a number of occasions, and have been surprised by the authenticity of a few. I’ve always wondered though if these clone makers ever get caught and judging by these photos they do.

Xiaomi fever is not cooling down in China. Loyal fans are still struggling to get their hands on the latest Xiaomi phone direct from the online store, and many are turning to the local phone market where they are expected to pay premium prices.

This huge demand and low volume has created a market for counterfeit Xiaomi phones which offer the look of a real Xiaomi phone but in a poorly performing and badly made package.

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So what are the local law enforcement agencies doing about it? Well in the run up to Spring Festival, Chinese police have been cracking down on these counterfeit dens and shutting down the operations.

police arrest xiaomi counterfeiters

The photos here show a bust on a Xiaomi knock-off den specialising in fake Xiaomi M2 and Xiaomi M1s phones. According to police more than 2000 counterfeiting operations have been shut down since the star of February alone!

Xiaomi knock-offs are a real problem for both Chinese and international online buyers as the phones themselves can look very convincing even when in your hand! It doesn’t help matters that Xiaomi’s Miui launcher is easily available to download and make the fake phone look even more realistic.

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4 Comments

  1. Fabrizio
    February 5, 2013

    looking at the price you’re paying sometimes can help ,,,

  2. for_trials_76
    February 5, 2013

    May be little out of topic.. but I do not understand why Xiamoi can bring up stocks. I never seen a Xiaomi sold at 320USD (in online websites) its atleast 60$ more and sort of more expensive for an international buyer..
    I would have purchase Newman N2 probably it just need a 2GB RAM boost and camera comparison from Andi appears like Mi2 is better.

    • February 5, 2013

      Xiaomi aren’t interested in the international market at the moment, so all the phones you see for international buyers are market up by resellers 🙁

  3. Nomax
    February 6, 2013

    Thats a shame coz it seems to be such a nice phone. And your cam test also nicked the N2 for me.