I imagine the failure is due to low quality parts, or even bad emulation- It would freeze during SMART tests. Searching up the controller chip SM2246XT online shows some similar board layouts. Today's hard lesson is: Don't buy electronics off shady eBay sellers.
A QR code for the serial number, not a Data Matrix code? The sticker is also a little off-center. Could this be counterfeit? Let's look inside- Uh oh...