Convinced a friend to design a wall mount for me since I couldn't find any. You can grab the file off his printables page.

Most buyers will never need to worry about fakes, but this guide might be important as resale becomes more prevalent on third party sites. All devices purchased from Walmart retailers should be real, but there is still a small chance a fake could be returned to the store and put on sale, like what happened to this user. Images selected are the ones closest to what the fakes mimic, rather than just the latest packaging. All of the newest stock comes in a blue box, but older stock in green boxes may still be sold.

Here is an image gallery of more fake boxes and here is a video example of a fake box.

There are many fake Onn devices that have been floating around, and buyers using third parties could be at risk of getting scammed. These boxes are cheap Chinese knockoffs, mainly using the outdated Allwinner H313 SOC. All the official Onn devices use much newer and superior Amlogic SOCs. These devices are primarily found on Chinese marketplaces like Alibaba, but they are also making their way onto third party resale sites, especially in countries that don’t officially sell or support the Onn. While the listings on Chinese websites are obvious, listings on resale sites might try to obscure signs it’s a knockoff.

Warning Signs In Listings

As mentioned before, if the listing you’re looking at mentions anything about an Allwinner chip, it is 100% a knockoff. If this information isn't listed, try checking the pictures of the device and remote. Be sure the “Onn” branding is consistent across the packaging and device. Often times, branding on a fake device or package will simply say “androidtv”, or they blur/censor the Onn branding on the listing pictures. Even fakes with the correct “Onn” branding will often have inconsistencies, the logo on the device will be printed on or glossy, opposed to the official’s embossed style logo.

The casing on fake devices often don’t resemble their official counterpart. Pay close attention to the specific shape, material, branding, and size of the device casing pictured on listings. Some of the boxes do have pretty exact casing and packaging, so the remote is also important to pay attention to.

Most of these knockoffs share a remote, and at first glance, it looks very similar to the real Onn remotes. When you compare to an official remote and look closely, you’ll notice almost none of the buttons are correct. The Disney+ and Paramount+ buttons are replaced with Prime Video and Google Play buttons. The button in the top right is a mouse toggle button, but the remote doesn’t have that functionality on any official device. The button for the TV guide on official devices appears to be a backspace button on the fake. The other buttons mostly match the official remote, but if you compare closely, you’ll notice most of the icon glyphs are different than the ones used on official devices. Other remotes these fakes use are much more obvious, being the wrong shape or style entirely.

There are other miscellaneous signs that might be likely to pop up in these listings. If the model is listed as anything other than Onn 4K, Onn HD Stick, Onn 4K Plus, or Onn 4K Pro, it’s fake. Other model types such as “Ultra”, “Max” or “8K” boxes do not exist in Walmart’s official lineup. If the model lines up with an official one, ensure any listed specs such as internal memory and RAM line up, official specs can be found here. If a listing combines a real model name with unrealistic specs, it is not official. Also pay attention to the prices. Fakes will often be listed at unusually low prices. In contrast, legitimate resellers usually charge more than retail due to demand. If you are suspicious of a listing’s images, try reverse image searching them see if they have a source. If none of the images on the listing are unique, or any are sourced from Alibaba, that's a red flag.

Warning Signs In Person

If you have a box in person and you are still unsure, there are some final checks you can do. Ensure you receive all the correct accessories in your box, fakes often lack things like batteries for the remote, or the wall adapter to plug the device into an outlet. Some counterfeits even come with accessories the real boxes don't, like an IR receiver for the remote. If everything looks right inside the box, you can power it on. Fake boxes use uncertified custom AOSP ROMs, and lack the features of the “Google TV” version of the OS. If the interface looks like a generic tablet UI or a heavily modified launcher, instead of a standard Android TV or Google TV interface, that’s a bad sign. Since these devices aren’t certified by Google, they often lack the official Play Store, or are restricted from downloading official streaming apps like Netflix. The settings will also look different, and navigating to the Android version will likely show a version not supported by TVs yet, such as Android 17. Any device on a newer version than Android TV 14 is fake.

Conclusion

While these tips can help you spot listings with red flags, it is entirely possible for someone to upload a listing with pictures and info from an official device, yet send you one of these knockoffs. That’s why it is important to only buy from Walmart retailers when possible, and understanding the potential risks when buying from an alternative. Try to use sites with good buyer protection or return policies, to ensure you can get your money back if a fake is received.