Fake M.2 Samsung 980 Pro SSDs are starting to be discovered in China. Although this is a summer model, it is still quite popular. And probably unscrupulous sellers decided to play on this popularity.

In appearance, the fake Samsung 980 Pro looks like the original: it has the same packaging as the real one, branded stickers and the design of the SSD itself. What’s more, it can even fool the fake, proprietary Samsung Magician software!.

But if you remove the stickers and labels, there will be a 12-nanometer Maxio MAP1602A controller with no DRAM buffer underneath, but with PCIe 4.0 (similar to that used in the Acer Predator GM7). Flash memory chips are 128 layer TLC NAND with unit layout from YMTC. Although Samsung uses its own controller and memory chips in its SSDs.

Of course, you cannot rely on the speed parameters of the original Samsung 980 Pro: sequential read speeds reach 4.8 and 4.5 GB/s respectively compared to 7 and 5 GB/s on the original. In China, fake Samsung 980 Pros sell for around $130. For comparison, the original Samsung 980 Pro costs $170 in the US.