Is Your Xiaomi Power Bank Genuine?

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Well, Folks... I apologize for taking a very long time publishing something that I promised "won't take long". Things came up and I couldn't simply ignore them. Anyway, as promised, I have a few ways to determine whether your Xiaomi power bank is genuine or not. As I mentioned in my previous article, there are a handful of counterfeit power banks not only here in Indonesia,but also worldwide. You can head out after the break to find out how to differentiate whether your unit is fake or genuine.

Update: Sorry about the long delay. I thought the draft wasn't ready yet, but today I reviewed the draft and it's 98% complete. Once again, I apologize for the delay and happy Lunar New Year! 

Where Do You Buy It?

In some regions, like India and Indonesia, Xiaomi has an official distribution channel such as Flipkart in India (CMIIW) and Erajaya (or Erafone) in Indonesia (or through Xiaomi's own online store). If you bought your Xiaomi power bank in one of these official channels, don't worry. Your product is genuine. In my case, I bought my power bank from a third party retailer, so I was kind of suspicious and did some research. This article is the fruit of my research.

Packaging

The package is minimalistic, neat, and high quality.Something certainly you won't find in counterfeit products.

Xiaomi has become one of respectable brands coming from China. To live up with that name, Xiaomi packages their productsneatly and carefully, including their accessories. So, one thing you shouldlook out for when buying a Xiaomi power bank is whether it is packaged properly or not. As far as I know, Xiaomi power banks are packaged in a white paper box, and there's a small genuine label on its side. To confirm whether your unit is genuine or not, you can scratch that label with a coin and input the 20-digit code beneath it to http://chaxun.mi.com or http://mi.com/verify depending on your location.

Scratch that silver square with a coin or something similarand you'll find a 20-digit code which you can use to verify your unit.

Colors and Design

Somehow I don't see what colors Xiaomi is offering on their power banks, but one thing for sure: the colors are sharp and the "mi" symbol on the front looksvery clear. Some fake products look de-colored and might have scratches on the surface, which shouldn't be possible on brand new products.

Colors are solid and you won't find any scratches in new units.

Secondly, look at the bottom part of the power bank. The unit's information are printed with grey color which looks kind of blurred but clear at the same time. Additionally, those printings are also embossed, which you can feel with your fingers. Fake units might look flat, its colors might look either clearer or more blurred.

Watch for the colors. It's kind of too white, but it's clear.

Nextare the USB ports and cables. USB cable bundled with the genuine power bankdoesn't have any "mi" branding on its cover–only a lightning symbolon the micro USB part. Additionally, the cable's internals are black.

Remember, Kids. The included cable's internal is black, whilethe small one has a small lightning embellishment.

As for the ports, the color inside is rice white (kind of stained white) instead of milk white (clear white). This is the most notable feature of genuine Xiaomi power banks.

Take a look at the USB port. Do you see the difference in whites?Picture taken from http://www.techmesto.com

Additionally, if you look closer inside one of the ports, there'sa small "mi" branding. Fake manufacturers generally won't payattention to such detail, will they?

Look closer and you'll see the small "mi" embolishmentinside the ports.

Features

As I mentioned in the review, genuine Xiaomi power banks charge phones as soon asthey're connected. The power button only functions as a reset button and tocheck how much power is left. They also blink when they're charging. Fake unitsmight need you to press the button to charge.
Finally, Xiaomi only offers their power banks in three capacities: 5,000, 10,400, and16,000mAh. If you find a number other than those three, there's a good chance that it's fake. Oh, and don't ever be fooled by power banks that offer 20,000mAh capacity or more without holding it first. Battery capacity is often measured primarily by weight, and if you know how heavy a 16,000mAh power bankis, you know how a 20,000mAh power bank should weigh. (Update: Xiaomi has released a 20,000mAh power bank. However, it hasn't appeared in Xiaomi's international site yet, so it's not internationally available... yet. Source here and here)

Xiaomi currently only offers 3 sizes of power banks.If you see a different size, then it's most probably a fake.

Okay, Folks. I guessthat's all for now. I hope you'll find it useful. As always, Iapologize if I had mistyped something and if you have any questions, sound offin the comments below and I'll try my best to answer them. Finally, thanks forreading and have a nice day everyone!