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APPLE / GUIDES /
AIRPODS FAKE VS REAL (HOW TO SPOT FAKE AIRPODS)
AirPods Fake Vs Real
(How To Spot Fake
AirPods)
Ch Daniel
Looking to learn how to spot fake AirPods?
Scared of getting scammed? Look no further,
as we’ve compiled the most complete legit
check guide for Apple AirPods.
To put it shortly, the quickest way to spot
fake AirPods is to scan the serial number
found on the inside of the case (see pictures
below on how to find that serial number).
Once you get that code, pop it through
checkcoverage.apple.com and see whether
Apple confirms it for you. If you can’t get
ahold of this code, we’ve added fake vs real
comparisons for the actual AirPods below!
Remember, fake AirPods will always
compromise on quality. To highlight the most
common places where these compromises are
made, we’ve put together the comparisons
you’ll find below.
In this guide we'll
cover: [ hide ]
1 Step 1: Check whether the
serial number matches Apple’s
official records
2 Step 2: Closely analyse the
diffuser found at the top
3 Step 3: Analyse the bottom
side of the AirPod
4 Step 4: Check out the
lightning port
5 Step 5: Real vs fake AirPods
case
6 Step 6: Quickly scan the light-
up indicator
7 Step 7: Check for any
inconsistency with the fake vs
real AirPods box comparison
8 Real vs fake AirPods technical
details
Without any further ado, let’s jump into the
fake vs real Apple AirPods legit check guide.
Step 1: Check whether the serial
number matches Apple’s official
records
This is absolutely the most reliable tell in our
guide on how to spot fake AirPods. It makes
sense why real AirPods will come with a serial
number that would be confirmed by Apple on
their official website.
I understand this sign can only be checked in
a face-to-face meeting or once the AirPods
are with you, thus this is why we’ll continue
the guide with more steps below so we can
teach you how to spot fake AirPods by just
looking at them.
Coming back to this guide, you will want to
find this unique Apple AirPods serial number
once you open the case like so:
Over there in the highlighted area, you will find
a code that’s unique to every AirPods case.
Have a look at the picture below with an
authentic Apple serial number so we can make
it clear for you how to find this code:
Once you get that code written down, you will
have to go to
https://checkcoverage.apple.com
Over there, simply pop in the serial number
and this is how we’ll find if your AirPods are
fake or real.
As you can see, an authentic pair of Apple
headphones will come with confirmation
points from their official website.
This should clear out 99% of AirPods legit
checks — however, it’s not impossible that
someone might switch the case and put in
fake AirPods. Very unlikely but not impossible.
Therefore, this is why we’re not stopping this
AirPods legit check guide here.
Step 2: Closely analyse the
diffuser found at the top
Moving on with our “how to legit check
AirPods” guide, we’ll closely inspect the top
area of the headphone.
The diffuser found here must never ever be
misaligned. The fake example we’ve attached
above seems to not be properly aligned with
the circle that sits next to it.
Besides that, if you closely inspect the grille,
you will notice a difference in quality.
Step 3: Analyse the bottom side
of the AirPod
Having a look at the actual headphone, you
will notice a grilled area — that’s what we’ll
refer to as the diffuser.
Have a look at the real vs fake AirPods
comparison below:
As you can see, the shape of this diffuser is
different. The shapes vary on authentic
AirPods as well, but they should always come
in an oval shape.
Fakes, on the other hand, seem to get this
diffuser shape closer to a circle, rather than an
oval.
Besides, highlighted in a square you will notice
the difference in the two white strips that can
be noticed at the bottom.
Not only there’s a difference in colours, but the
fake AirPods have these strips placed at
significantly deeper levels.
Step 4: Check out the lightning
port
Flip the case over and have a look at the
lightning port, the port through which you
would charge the case.
As you can see here, this metal outline that
wraps this port is thicker on the fakes, thus
having a different shape.
Besides that, even though the light angle in
the fake vs real AirPods comparison is
different, we can point out there’s a difference
in colour.
The steps we’ve written so far are the best
ways on how to authenticate this item.
The tells listed below this point are still reliable
signs of authenticity, but for non-top-versions
of replicas available for this item. We
recommend sticking to the top tells we’ve
explained above this point to make sure you’re
not drawing the wrong conclusions.
Step 5: Real vs fake AirPods case
Having a look at the rear side of the case,
we’ve found three main flaws.
For starters, the circle button is placed higher
than it’s meant to be on the fake AirPods case.
Next up, the “Designed by Apple in California /
Assembled in China” text is not only thicker on
the fake AirPods case, but also printed in a
different shade of grey.
As a consequence, the spacing between the
hinges and the text is different. We’ve
highlighted the difference in the grey boxes.
Last but not least, we’ll address the difference
found in the hinge area. Here’s a closer picture
comparison:
As you can see, the way the hinge is
segmented is significantly sharper on the fake
AirPods case. That, once again, shows a lack
of craftsmanship and quality, since fake
manufacturers are compromising for the sake
of a cheaper price.
On top of that, the replica case used this
mirror-like material on the hinge — which
reflects everything more than the material
found on the authentic case.
Step 6: Quickly scan the light-up
indicator
Last but not least, one very important detail
for how to spot a fake AirPods case can be
noticed by opening it up and inspecting the
light-up indicator.
As we’ve highlighted in the picture above, it
looks like the light-up indicator on the AirPods
case is misplaced.
This flaw is not always found on the replica
AirPods, since it’s obviously a blatant mistake,
but we felt like adding it to our guide just so
that you will be reminded to have a quick
check of this detail as well.
Step 7: Check for any
inconsistency with the fake vs
real AirPods box comparison
I understand people are concerned with the
fake vs real AirPod headphone comparison,
yet we’ve placed the box higher on this list
since the flaws are easier to identify here.
For obvious reasons, the quality lacks on the
box that comes with the headphones since
fake manufacturers don’t care that much
about the small details.
For starters, we’ll have a look at the bottom
side of the enclosed box.
Over here we can notice three things:
1. The space between the cover and
the box is super tight on the
authentic box. On the fake AirPods
box, you can see there’s more
space and that gap is fluctuating in
width.
2. The font on the fake box is thicker
than its authentic counterpart.
3. Last but not least, the lightning
cable illustration on the fake box is
truncated on the bottom part.
Moving on to the side, the AirPods text is
significantly different. For one, the classic San
Francisco font is not used on the fake AirPods
box.
Besides that, the fake text has reflective
properties, while the authentic box has this
textbox simply printed in grey.
On another facet of the box cover, you will
notice a huge giveaway for the replica. As you
can notice, multiple separate stickers are
attached to the authentic box.
Besides that, it seems like the fake AirPods
come with Chinese text in the upper left
corner. Whether there is or isn’t Chinese text
anywhere on the box can vary based on the
region where the Apple AirPods were
purchased from.
However, it looks like regardless of the region,
the text found on the fakes is slightly thicker.
Moving on to the side with the Apple logo, it
seems that once again the fakes have this
area printed with a reflective material, rather
than simply printing it in grey.
Last but not least, upon opening the box you
will notice the covering cardboard with
instruction papers.
Yet again, the properties of this text are
different. The fake AirPods have this
“Designed by Apple in California” printed in
black, instead of grey.
Real vs fake AirPods technical
details
We will finish this authentication guide by
mentioning there are technical differences on
the counterfeit AirPods.
It almost goes without saying that this
happens since replica manufacturers don’t
plan on perfectly replicating the Apple chips
that are found inside the original AirPods —
and most likely, nor do they have access to
what Apple has developed.
We will note here:
1. Authentic AirPods were never
released in any colourway other
than white (for the time being)
2. The authentic AirPods connect
faster to your phone. It’s estimated
that it shouldn’t take longer than 10
seconds to connect the
headphones to your device.
3. The battery life is significantly
shorter on fake AirPods
4. Some fake AirPods have a female
voice audio file playing when
connecting to your device —
authentic AirPods only play a sound
that’s specific to Apple
5. Some fake AirPods come with the
USB-C port instead of the classic
Apple Lightning port
6. Naturally, find my AirPods under
find my iPhone will not work with
the counterfeit version.
· · ·
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