A new report shows a counterfeit Samsung 990 PRO SSD that looks real in almost every way, including packaging, labeling, and even how the system detects it, which makes it much harder for buyers to identify before using it.
Japanese publication AKIBA PC Hotline reports that this fake drive closely mimics the original, as Windows and CrystalDiskInfo both recognize it as a 1TB Samsung 990 PRO running on PCIe 4.0 x4, which means basic checks do not raise any immediate concerns.
Why this fake SSD passes initial tests
The counterfeit unit performs well in quick benchmarks, as CrystalDiskMark results reach up to 7,255 MB/s read and 6,090 MB/s write, which stays close to Samsung’s official performance claims and helps the drive pass as genuine during short testing sessions.
At the same time, H2testw completes full capacity verification without errors, which confirms that the drive does not rely on simple capacity spoofing and instead uses real storage, making it even more convincing for regular users.
The difference appears during sustained workloads, as a 370 GiB file transfer test shows the fake drive averaging only 261 MB/s and taking over 25 minutes to complete, while the genuine Samsung 990 PRO finishes the same task in just over 3 minutes with much higher speeds.
Once the SLC cache runs out, the fake drive slows down sharply to around 100 MB/s, which suggests it uses lower quality NAND and lacks the DRAM cache found in the original Samsung design.
How to identify the fake drive
Samsung Magician provides a clear way to verify authenticity, as the fake SSD appears as “Non-Samsung” even though it carries the 990 PRO name, while a genuine unit shows proper authentication inside the software.
This case shows that counterfeit storage products have become harder to detect, so buying from trusted sellers remains the safest option, even if it means paying slightly more or choosing a different brand with reliable sourcing.
