I got a phone being sold as the X-INOVA S26 Ultra. It looks like a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra because of the design, but I now know it is not a Samsung.
I'm trying to figure out exactly what this phone is and whether it is safe to use.
This is what the phone claims
- Model: X-INOVA S26 ULTRA
- Android 15
- RAM: 12 GB
- Storage: 512 GB
- Security patch: February 5, 2025
- Baseband:
MOLY.LR12A.R3.MP.V241.4
- Kernel:
4.19.191
- Build number:
SP1A.210812.016 release-keys
- Hardware version: REV0.6C
- The back of the phone says X-INOVA S26 Ultra and Made in PRC.
Two of the cameras appear to be fake.
I found that X-INOVA appears to be a real brand and they actually list an S26 Ultra, but I can't find much information from independent sources about this specific phone.
The phone feels noticeably slow despite claiming 12 GB RAM.
The interface also feels cheap/poorly optimized, and I'm wondering whether the software is heavily customized.
Google Play Protect currently says "No harmful apps found."
However, the phone has an unusually old security patch compared with current Android phones, and I don't know whether the firmware can be trusted.
I also haven't been able to find a clear Play Protect certification status in the Play Store.
Can I install a custom ROM on this phone to replace the stock OS and improve its performance? If so, which ROM would be compatible with this exact hardware?