The Nokia N95 8 GB model has started arriving in the United States. Several legitimate sites such as Dell or Amazon.com have the phone for about $ 640 - $750. How do you resist when you find a Nokia N95 8GB auction for a little over $400? Is the phone you just bought at auction for real? Follow the story of one buyer who bought a possible fake, and learned of it via the Nokia N95 Users message board.

For anyone (including myself) not familiar with a Nokia N95, spotting a fake can be nearly impossible. Fortunately there are several resources you can use before making a purchase where the authenticity may be questionable.

The Nokia Phone Blog ( link to site ) has a great set of photos and tips on spotting a fake.

Credit: Nokia Phone Blog

The site advises that some of the phones offered as Nokia may only operate on cellular frequencies not widely used in the United States (making the phone less usable for USA purchasers). They also have several items (which their site documents with photos) to help you spot a fake:

The real N95 doesn’t have icons PRINTED on the screen

Buttons on the front of the phone are all wrong

Wrong colors

The site advises “If an auction refers to a “replica”, Nokia N95-inspired, NOKLA or sounds way too good to be true, avoid it like the plague”

Source: Nokia Phone Blog

In the case of the eBay auction referred to above, the alleged purchaser appeared at the Nokia N95 User Forum ( HELP! just got N95 8GB ) to ask why his computer would not recognize the new N95 8GB phone. What followed was the sad news that he had most likely purchased a fake - as evidenced by the memory card slot that does not appear on a real Nokia N95 8 GB.

There are also several versions of the Nokia N95. So what you bought may not be a fake, it could be mis-classified as a later version when it really is one of the older models. How do you tell the models apart? Check this message in the N95 User Forum that provides a comparison of 4 common Nokia N95 models.

The Nokia site has an official comparison page that explains all the differences between the older Nokia N95 and the new Nokia N95 8MB.

Link: Nokia Comparison Site: N95 vs N95 8GB

Is it wrong to buy a phone via an eBay auction? Not at all. Be sure you know what you’re buying. I’ve bought several phones at eBay and each time I look for a seller with a large number of feedbacks (at least 95% positive). I’ll always buy using the “buy it now” option too because I like to know that I won’t get caught up in “bidding fever” and overpay for a device in the heat of a competitive bid.

If you’re searching for a Nokia N95 (any model), be aware that fakes are hard to spot. Use the resources above to help make a decision before making your purchase.