Firmware build and region variant
Whether the firmware build and the region suffix on the model agree across packaging, device and system.
The reading sequence
4 steps, starting at handover and completeness and running to compare the stated bands and the plug type with the region. Evidence on this point is read at E1, and 1 of the 4 steps carries a condition that ends the assessment outright.
Photograph the build string on the system panel
Get the build string and the model string from one screen, so the two can be read as a single record.
Evidence: E1 — one close photo of the system information panel showing both the model field and the build string
- The photo shows the model field and the build string on one screen.
- Every character of the build string is sharp enough to read.
- The build string is shown while the model field is cut off by the frame.
- The panel is photographed at an angle that leaves two characters ambiguous.
- Only a summary or settings screen is shown, with no build string on it.
- The build string is typed into the message rather than shown on a screen.
Compare the region suffix across the three records
Establish whether the suffix that carries the region is the same on the packaging, the device marking and the system panel.
Evidence: E1 — the packaging label, the device marking and the step 1 screen photo, read at the suffix only
- The suffix is identical on all three records.
- Where no suffix is used, all three records leave it out.
- One record omits the suffix while the other two carry the same one.
- The suffix is printed in a different position on one record.
- The suffix names different regions on two of the three records.
- The system panel carries no suffix where the packaging carries one.
Read the build against the region the model names
Check whether the build's own region or channel marking sits in the same family as the region the model suffix names.
Evidence: E1 — the build string written out in full, read against the region the model suffix names
- The build's region or channel marking sits in the same family as the model suffix.
- The build date is consistent with the apparent age of the unit.
- The build carries no region marking, so only the model suffix can be read.
- The build is one release behind the current one for that region, with no functional difference stated.
- The build's region marking sits in a different family from the model suffix.
- The build date falls before the model's release by more than a year.
Compare the stated bands and the plug type with the region
See whether the band list on the packaging and the plug type supplied match the region the model names.
Evidence: E1 — one photo of the band list and the regulatory marks on the packaging, plus one of the plug or adaptor heads supplied
- The plug type and the regulatory marks on the packaging match the region the model names.
- The band list printed on the packaging is the list published for that model and region.
- The packaging carries regulatory marks for more than one region.
- A travel adaptor is supplied alongside a plug of a different region's type.
- The plug type supplied does not match the region named by the model suffix.
- The band list omits a band the model is specified with in that region.
Why the thresholds sit where they do
Region is carried in the model suffix rather than in the base model number, so a set of records can appear to agree while describing two different configurations. The check here is limited to whether the records agree with each other, in the same way the serial check is: a unit built for one market and used in another is a normal thing to own, and nothing in this sequence decides otherwise. The band list and the plug type are read last because they are the two consequences a buyer meets on the first day, and because both are printed on the packaging where they can be photographed without powering anything on. The build date comparison is included because a build that predates the model's release is the one mismatch that cannot be produced by ordinary cross-market handling, only by a record that does not belong to the unit.
Common misreads
2 pairs recorded for this point. Each runs in both directions: 1 finding that looks worse than it is, and 1 that looks better.
- looks like Return actually Pass
A build string carrying a channel marker from a different market than the one the unit was bought in. Sets move between markets throughout their life, and a cross-market build updates normally in most cases.
- looks like Pass actually Return
A model number that matches everywhere with the suffix left off two of the three records. Base numbers repeat across regions, so agreement at that level cannot be told apart from a set describing two configurations.
Check this point against what you were sent
Insufficient evidence
Nothing decided on firmware and region variant yet: 0 of 4 steps have been read.
0 of 4 steps judged
| Step | Reading | Evidence | Stop met |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Photograph the build string on the system panelneeds E1 | — | ||
| 2. Compare the region suffix across the three recordsneeds E1 | The packaging and the system panel name different regions. This point records that the three records do not describe one configuration and goes no further than that. | ||
| 3. Read the build against the region the model namesneeds E1 | — | ||
| 4. Compare the stated bands and the plug type with the regionneeds E1 | — |
Sources and checks
- Public community thread — Threads where a region variant was identified only after arrivaln=38
- Editor analysis — Suffix-first reading sequence adopted after base numbers proved to repeat across regionsno sample
Last checked · next review due · status current.
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