Galaxy S8 Rostest and Eurotest - what is the difference and what to choose? Eurotest or Rostest: what's the difference, which is better? What's the difference between Rostest and Eurotest Galaxy S8.
No sooner had the Galaxy S8 come out than Rostest and Eurotest devices could already be found on the market. Ordinary users do not see much of a difference, but are more inclined to buy Rostest devices, believing that the S8 “Eurotest” is an illegally distributed mobile device. Is it really?
Rostest or “white” Galaxy S8
Why are PCTs sometimes called “white” devices? No, this has nothing to do with the color of the case. The thing is that legally certified devices are completely “white” before the law and are imported in compliance with all Russian laws - all necessary taxes, fees, and duties have been paid. Special tests were carried out in laboratories.
Thus, the PCT is a mark that is assigned to every mobile device that comes onto the market legally.
By the way, recently the Russian certification mark (PCT) was replaced by the technical certification mark of the customs union (EAC), which includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Essentially, PCT and EAC are the same thing. Only EAC is a more modern sign of address - on boxes with official Galaxy S8 for Russia you will see it.
Devices are imported either by Samsung itself or by legal distributors. When buying a Rostest smartphone, you can be sure of the originality of the S8, and that if it breaks down you can take it to any Russian service center.
That is, even if you live in Samara, but your phone is broken in St. Petersburg, your device will be repaired in St. Petersburg. Rostest always has the necessary certificate of conformity, without which smartphones may not go on sale in large stores.
"Grey" or European Galaxy S8
Let’s immediately dispel all the popular doubts regarding the fact that supposedly “such smartphones are under no circumstances worth buying due to their low quality.” Naturally, the concept of “Eurotest” does not mean “low-quality device”. In most cases, there are no complaints about quality. But the fact is that such smartphones always enter the domestic market illegally or “gray” (hence the second name).
And in reality there is no term Eurotest. There are sellers who managed to import smartphones into Russia through cunning manipulations. But no one wants to sell the Galaxy S8, telling all potential buyers that they were imported illegally, for example, from America. Therefore, the word “Eurotest” was coined, which inspires confidence.
Most sellers provide their own warranty - do not confuse it with the Samsung warranty. You will not be able to take Eurotest Galaxy S8 to official service centers. The warranty period depends on the seller himself. Well, in some cases, nothing good can be said about the quality of repairs either.
Are there major differences between the “gray” and “white” Galaxy S8?
If you buy a smartphone from a well-known mobile phone store, you can forget about any worries. Galaxy S8 arrives in the largest stores with the “Rostest” sign. Large companies will not risk their reputation by selling so-called “illegal devices.” Because for such sales they can receive a fine of several million rubles.
If everything on the box of your Samsung S8 is written in foreign English, including instructions, it is 100% European certified. When legally importing devices into the Russian Federation, the South Korean company always Russifies the instructions, labels on the boxes, etc.
In terms of quality, you won't see any difference. Smartphones are produced at the same Samsung plant (), where production quality is carefully monitored. The only difference is the warranty service and...
There is one more significant difference that you need to be aware of - the first activation and the first call from the Eurotest Samsung Galaxy S8 must be made only with the “native” SIM card. The conversation should last at least 5 minutes.
Now we will explain in more detail. Let's say they brought you a smartphone from Germany. So, in order for it to work with Russian SIM cards, from the very beginning you must insert a SIM card from a German mobile operator and make a call using it. Then you can use any SIM.
These are the regional restrictions that exist for the Galaxy S8 Eurotest. Yes, they can be removed quite simply (you only need a local SIM card) and most often the seller himself does this, but you need to remember this.
Updated! According to users, a “tourist SIM card”, which can also be bought in the Russian Federation (for example, Goodline), is quite suitable for solving this problem. We insert it into the smartphone and call the technical support line of the telecom operator - we communicate within 5 minutes. That's it, the regional blocking has been lifted!
Which Galaxy S8 to choose - Rostest or Eurotest?
One of the advantages of Eurotest is the lower price of smartphones. And the difference in cost can be noticeable - at least 5-10 thousand rubles. Therefore, if the warranty is not a particularly important aspect for you, take the Galaxy S8, which entered the domestic market illegally (just check with the seller about the issue of regional blocking - when purchasing, insert your SIM card and make a test call).
But, keep in mind that in the event of a breakdown, all your savings on buying a smartphone will disappear, because you will have to give your money for its repair. The Samsung Rostest service center repairs smartphones completely free of charge, unless, of course, you yourself are to blame for its breakdown.
P.S. What certification will you buy? Write your opinions and questions in the comments!
Very often a question pops up on our website about “gray” Samsung smartphones, and today we decided to sort it out, choosing the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Eurotest as an example. In general, the name is only conditional and I think most of the “gray” Samsung smartphones and tablets can be attributed to this category.
Rostest or Eurotest?
In most cases, in the design part there is absolutely no difference between the Galaxy Note 3 Eurotest and Rostest. This is a completely identical device, only recently Samsung began using region locking, the so-called Region Lock. In particular, such an implementation takes place, and therefore it is worth paying attention to this when purchasing. Of course, this was done for one purpose - to limit the market for “gray” devices, but it’s not clear what the difference is for the manufacturer itself? After all, this is even better, since there is essentially no guarantee for any device purchased in another country, well, you won’t take it to another country, and the official service center in your country will not undertake to repair it for free.
What about the warranty?
I received the “gray” version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, intended for sale in African countries. Having installed a SIM card from a local operator without any problems, I started using the smartphone and everything works as it should. When buying a Eurotest smartphone in Russia, in the event of a breakdown, the device is only covered by the store’s warranty, which can be 1 month, 3, or a year. It's up to you to come to an agreement. There are very conscientious sellers who have their own service centers and will quickly repair your device, and there are less conscientious ones. You should also not cherish hopes and entertain yourself with illusions that at the official Samsung service center you will are required to issue a new one or quickly repair it, repairs can drag on for months, so think about whether it’s worth overpaying.
What's the price?
The cost is radically different. For Note 3 Eurotest you will pay about 5-6 thousand rubles less than for Rotest and in most cases this is advisable. Especially if you are used to changing smartphones often. I bought it for 20,000 rubles, used it for 2-3 months, sold it for 15,000 and bought a Galaxy S5 Eurotest. We hope the article was useful to you, bookmark it and subscribe to updates.
Due to the enormous popularity of Samsung, we decided to tell you how to identify an original phone from a fake and not make a mistake with your choice. Everything is quite simple, but first things first.
First, let's understand what phones you can find on the Russian market and what you can get into. There are several types of smartphones that we would like to protect you from purchasing. This -
- The so-called EUROTEST phones (smartphones released for the foreign market, most often for the Asian market).
- Refreshes (or refurbished phones, devices that were assembled from two or more defective phones).
- Counterfeits (just Chinese copies of famous phones).
Eurotest phones
Let's start, perhaps, with the lesser of evils, namely the so-called Eurotest. You all understand perfectly well that Samsung produces phones not only for the Russian market, but also for the countries of Asia, Europe and America. Most often this is the same phone, but with local firmware. The maximum you can run into when buying a foreign phone is a crooked optimization of the Russian menu, and in the worst case, foreign mobile communication standards (in other words, Russian 4G may not work for you, which is quite unpleasant). But here we may encounter another problem. If your phone breaks down and the store avoids warranty obligations, then the burden of expensive repairs will fall on your shoulders, since the Russian representative office of the company accepts for service only devices manufactured for our market. It is extremely easy to distinguish ROSTEST. Let's start with the box. In most models, the color name must be in Russian, and the box must contain instructions in Russian (do not forget that the manufacturer does not supply all devices with instructions and it is better to immediately check with the seller whether it is included). The next thing is of course the serial number of the phone. https://www.samsung.com
To be completely sure, it is better to call 8-800-555-55-55 , and just call the number at the official service center. The next method is to enter the service code *#7353#, this command is not available on stock Android, but it is available on Samsung phones. If you see a menu like this, then everything is fine.
I want to say right away that you can distinguish the original by price. You understand perfectly well that the official ROSTEST cannot cost less than a certain minimum, and if, for example, you see a Samsung Galaxy S7 for 20-25 thousand rubles, then I can say with almost one hundred percent certainty that this is definitely not a Rostest. I want to tell you right away that all Samsung mobile phones in our online store are growth.
Refreshes
Almost every second buyer of a Samsung mobile phone asks us if the phone has been refreshed. And here we can tell you with 100% confidence that all the phones in our online store are completely new. It's quite easy to check. If you have a normal phone in front of you, then the first thing: all the parts should be perfectly tailored, and you shouldn’t notice any cracks or uneven lines by eye. The serial numbers on the phone itself, the box, and the service code *#06# must match. Refurbished phones can be dangerous because often the assembly of so-called REFRESHES is carried out by non-specialists or simply people aimed only at profit. And almost anything can be installed on the phone. Most often these are Chinese copies of screens and low-quality batteries. This can not only affect the longevity of the phone, but also cause a fire (in case of poor quality batteries.)
Chinese copies.
And of course, the worst thing in our article is Chinese copies of phones. I want to make a reservation right away that the word copy is not applicable to these phones; it is better to use the word fake.
You can find many fake Samsung phones on the Russian market. I will say more, it’s even difficult to say how many types and types of fakes are sold by dishonest sellers. Most often, these phones cost almost half the price of the original, and according to many, “they are no different from the original.”
Let's look at this issue. Of course, each of us wants to save money and if there is no difference, why pay more. But I want to upset you - of course there is a difference. The first is, of course, the build quality itself, the second is performance, and the third is the quality of components.
Counterfeits can be divided into two large groups.
- The cheapest (from 6,000 to 15,000 rubles).
- And the middle class (everything that costs more than 15 thousand.)
Of course, you understand that now I rely primarily on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and its copies.
There's no point in talking about cheap fakes. They are very easy to distinguish from the original. They are often made of low-quality materials and contain something that should not be in the original, namely a TV with an antenna, a stylus, etc. If you see this, then you shouldn’t waste your time and money. This phone will not serve you faithfully, but will most likely break down in 2-3 months.
The next class is middle class fakes. In such phones, the Chinese try to recreate the original as much as possible and do not even skimp on materials.
It is much more difficult to identify such a phone, but it is still possible. The algorithm of actions is the same as with the definition of EUROTEST and refresh. The fake will not show up on the original website and, of course, will not respond to branded service commands, plus you can tell if it’s the original by looking at the localization of the firmware. In real phones it is perfectly translated into Russian and you won’t find any typos or outright mistakes in it. Of course, you can ask me why fakes are terrible, and I will answer you that in them you will find all the problems of the previous groups. There are low-quality components and, of course, a lack of service, plus the copies noticeably lag behind the original in terms of performance.
To determine what's inside your new phone, use benchmarks (AnTuTu, Geekbench), which will show you what kind of hardware is installed in the device and, in general, who manufactured the phone.
So, let's summarize. You can save money when buying a Samsung phone, but you need to follow a few simple rules.
- Buy only ROSTEST (so as not to encounter problems with service).
- When purchasing, please enter the serial number of your device.
- Be sure to check the integrity of the case and the quality of workmanship.
- Remember that the serial numbers on the phone, the box and the service command *#06# must match.
By following these simple rules, you can buy a really high-quality phone at an affordable price. I would like to remind you that we only sell official Samsung phones and are ready for any quality checks.
Three reasons to buy from us
The online store Navigator-Shop only has the best equipment!
One of the main advantages of our store is that our assortment includes exclusively “white” devices marked RosTest certificate, supplied through official shipments directly from the manufacturer. We carefully monitor the quality of the products we sell, which allows us to exclude the presence of defects.
As expected, the buyer will be provided with a full warranty package, consisting of guarantees from the manufacturer, with which you can contact customer service centers for service repairs, and we also back your purchases with our own store warranty, allowing return or exchange the device within the first two weeks from the date of purchase.
You can read reviews from our grateful clients on Yandex Market. We work for you and do everything to cooperate with website it was convenient and comfortable!
When choosing a new phone, you probably noticed a significant difference in price for the same models. Many people are surprised: “Why is it so much cheaper here?” “Maybe it’s a fake?” etc.
When you start to delve into and understand, you come across a bunch of “smart” words, such as “ROSTEST”, “EUROTEST”.
What is ROSTEST? And is it really needed? And most importantly, is it worth overpaying?
Read the short text below and make the right decision!
Firstly, let’s immediately leave the word “EUROTEST” alone. There is no "EUROTEST". This beautiful word (specially similar to “ROSTEST”) was invented in order to more beautifully sell goods without the “ROSTEST” mark. There are products with the PCT (ROSTEST) mark, and there are those without it. That's all!
What's the difference between them?
Imagine that you are flying to Germany or America on a business trip (and you were just thinking about buying a new smartphone)... Will the absence of a PCT icon on the phone that you like stop you?
Ha ha! Of course not!
So, these are exactly the phones that are sold in Russia without the ROSTEST mark. They simply end up in Russia, bypassing official supply channels. How? This is already a problem for suppliers. The main thing is that they bypass a huge number of fees, one of which is ROSTEST certification.
It can be assumed that during certification, each phone undergoes many tests for performance, security, and so on. Unfortunately, it is not. The certificate is issued for a batch of products. The presence of a PCT certificate does not mean that every phone from the entire batch has been subjected to thorough checks and testing. Paid and received.
Here are the five main differences between ROSTEST and non-ROSTEST:
1. Price Perhaps, for many, this is the most important point. And this is exactly why you started reading this text: the surcharge for ROSTEST is about 30% of the cost of the product;
2. Modern technology is very reliable and hardly fails when used correctly. But we have all long been accustomed to the fact that the manufacturer gives a guarantee.
The important point is that the official guarantee is valid in the country where the product is sold (in the country where the device was brought from), and the guarantee in Russia is given by the store that sold the device. Therefore, if you buy a phone without the ROSTEST mark, then it is very important to choose the right store where to buy a new gadget.
ROSTEST devices have an official manufacturer's warranty. The manufacturer accepts equipment for repair if it breaks down during the warranty period (usually 1 year). But at the same time, it is worth considering that the manufacturer is not obliged to make repairs quickly. Therefore, the manufacturer usually takes a long time to carry out warranty repairs: by law, 45 days are allotted for this.
3. Channels of import into the Russian Federation- this is what affects the final price of the product in the first place. The ROSTESTA certificate is issued only for goods for which all taxes and customs duties have been paid. You also need to pay for the ROSTEST certificate. In fact, this is where almost the entire price difference comes from. The rest of the equipment was imported into Russia, bypassing official supply channels.
That is, this is equipment produced on the same assembly line, by the same workers, but arrived in Russia slightly differently.
4. Russification was really very important while phones had buttons. Now that the vast majority of phones have a touch screen, this is no longer relevant. In any smartphone, the Russian language can be selected in the menu at the very beginning of working with it, quite simply.
5. Instructions in Russian ROSTEST devices are always included in the kit. In other cases, everything is at the discretion of the seller. In any case, the instructions in Russian can always be downloaded from the manufacturer’s official website. Everyone always has instructions in English.
The choice is yours. The main thing to remember: the product is the same!
Many people know (and those who don’t know have actually come to the right place) that almost all smartphones sold in Russia are divided into two large groups regarding their certification - our “native” Rostest and the so-called Eurotest.
The 2018 flagship from Samsung is, of course, no exception. In stores you can find both “Russian” Galaxy S9 and “European” ones. Moreover, for some reason the latter are much cheaper. Why? And is it possible to consider buying them? Let's figure it out, let's go!
Important note. Certification does not depend in any way on the place of production -. It cannot be that Eurotest smartphones are assembled in Europe, and Rostest in Russia (this was still missing :)). Be carefull.
Now we're definitely starting.
Rostest Galaxy S9 - “white” smartphones
Of course, we are not talking about the color of the smartphone case. The word “white” means a completely legal product.
White or Rostest Galaxy S9 is a smartphone officially imported into Russia. He received all the necessary certification, passed laboratory tests, all taxes were paid for him, and in general he is all white and fluffy. Previously, the box with similar products had a PCT sign.
At the moment, the PCT mark has been abolished and replaced with EAC (Eurasian Conformity) - this is what can be found on the packaging of the Galaxy S9. At its core, this is the same Rostest, only this technical regulation applies to all countries participating in the customs union - Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan.
What has changed on the consumer side? Nothing - some three letters were changed to others :)
What's good about Rostest Galaxy S9? Yes, almost everyone - it has an official guarantee, it has been tested to work with our cellular networks, it will absolutely work with Russian SIM cards, etc.
What's bad about the Galaxy S9 with Russian certification? At a price.
And this is where it comes into play...
Eurotest Galaxy S9 - “gray” smartphones
Again, color has nothing to do with it. Eurotest or “gray” Galaxy S9 are smartphones that were brought into our country illegally (without officially clearing customs and paying all taxes and fees).
And although the word Eurotest implies something European, this very import can be not only from Europe - Galaxy S9 from any country (except for countries participating in the customs union) has every right to be called Eurotest. America, South Africa, Mexico, China, France, etc. - doesn't matter.
The advantages of such devices:
- Price. Sometimes it is significantly smaller than Rostest. The “discount” can be 5,000 - 10,000 rubles. And this is far from the limit!
- CPU. "Ninth Galaxy" is available with two different processors. The Exynos 9810 Octa is coming to Russia and Europe, and in some markets there are versions with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. And if you need Qualcomm, then you will have to take Eurotest - there is no choice.
There is one more point that can be considered both a plus and a minus - the regional features of the system.
For example, some European versions have the ability to disable Bixby with one switch (). But in Europe there may be restrictions on the maximum volume level, muting the sound when taking photographs, etc.
Yes, these things can be fixed with firmware - but will everyone do this?
Galaxy S9 Eurotest or Rostest - what to choose?
It is clear that if you have the required amount of money, Rostest will be better. Official guarantee, no “headaches” for any other reason - take it and use it, what could be better?
However, if you want to save money, then you can consider Eurotest. For our part, we can give some advice:
- Take your time. Buying devices from the first batches and not having an official guarantee... it’s better not to do that. Take Eurotest a few months after its release, when all the “childhood sores” have been overcome.
- Choose your seller carefully and don’t hesitate to ask questions - what country is the Galaxy S9 intended for, what restrictions are there in comparison with Rostest?
- Speaking of the country. Some people recommend getting the Galaxy S9 for Hong Kong. Russian language out of the box, Samsung Pay works, radio and LTE frequencies match, conversation recording works. In general, it’s as close as possible to Rostest :) Well, and the Snapdragon processor (especially for Qualcomm connoisseurs).
In the end, of course, the choice is yours - save money and lose the warranty, or pay the full amount for an official device.
P.S. What do you think is better? Write your opinions, questions and stories in the comments - your personal experience will help other users!