How to Identify The Real Device of (Linux; Android 10; K)

Reported Android Device Information Is No Longer Reliable

Since Chrome 110, Google changes it's user-agent format into a fixed value. That is, instead of reporting real device and OS information such as Android 13; Pixel 7, Chrome now reports a generic value Android 10; K. As a result, it's no longer possible to determine the real Android version and device model from user-agent string alone.

Detecting the Real Android Version and Device with UAParser.js

Luckily, there is a kind of workaround by utilizing client hints feature in UAParser.js:

import { UAParser } from 'ua-parser-js';

// Client-side:
const uap = new UAParser();

// Server-side:
// const uap = new UAParser(req.headers);

const { device, os } = uap.getResult();

console.log('Based on user agent: ', os, device); 
// { name: "Android", version: "10" }
// { type: "mobile", model: "K", vendor: undefined }

uap.getResult().withClientHints().then(res => {
    console.log('Based on client hints', res.os, res.device); 
    // { name: "Android", version: "13.0.0" }
    // { type: "mobile", model: "Pixel 7", vendor: 'Google' }
});

References:

• withClientHints()
• The mysterious model K🡥 —mobiForge
• Prepare for Chrome's user‑agent reduction🡥 —Google