Counterfeit Samsung 980 Pro SSDs are Being Sold in Asian Markets

Samsung’s 980 Pro SSD is one of the fastest PCIe Gen 4 drives on the market right now with incredibly fast speeds. This makes it a popular choice among gamers and PC enthusiasts. It looks like this famous SSD has made its way into the counterfeit market.

A user of Baidu Forums posted pictures of a supposed Samsung 980 Pro SSD, but the reality is something else. In reality, a storage device has been tampered to look like the 980 Pro SSD instead. This is a clear example of a counterfeit product.

The fake SSD offers 4.8 GB/s Reads and 4.4 GB/s Write speeds, which is far less than what the 980 Pro can deliver i.e., 7.0 GB/s and 5.1 GB/s (Read / Write) speeds.

It even has proper labels of the Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB device which can trick you into thinking that it’s a genuine SSD. If you look closely, you can spot the Maxio branding, which is sourced from China. 

You should know that Samsung controllers are produced in South Korea at their own fabrication facilities. The Maxio “MAP1602-I” drives come with a DRAM-less design but supports the PCIe Gen 4 NVMe 2.0 standard. 

These counterfeit Samsung 980 Pro SSDs have already infiltrated the Asian PC market. At first glance, it might be difficult to spot the fake one, but upon close inspection, you can spot the phony details. Moreover, the Samsung 980 Pro’s performance is unmatched.

If you are opting for a pre-built PC, there might be some doubt on whether the Samsung 980 Pro SSD you’ll get is real or not. One needs to check properly to confirm the product’s authenticity. You can also run a benchmark test, and if the speed matches up to what Samsung claims for its 980 Pro SSDs, then you can rest easy. 

About Samsung

The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate with headquarters based in Samsung Town, Seoul.

Its industrial affiliates are Samsung Electronics (the world’s largest information technology company, consumer electronics maker and chipmaker measured by 2017 revenues), Samsung Heavy Industries (the world’s 2nd largest shipbuilder measured by 2010 revenues), and Samsung Engineering and Samsung C&T Corporation (respectively the world’s 13th and 36th largest construction companies).

They are best known in the mass market for its refrigerators, TVs and mobile phones, Samsung is the largest competitor to Apple in the smartphone sector.