Apple’s AirPods Pro are among the most popular active noise canceling earbuds on the market. There are therefore masses of counterfeit products on the Internet. TECHBOOK shows how you can spot these fake AirPods Pro.
Apple’s recommended price for the successful Airpods Pro is 279 euros. Accordingly, offers of around 200 euros are realistic for trustworthy shops. If the price is significantly lower, you should be suspicious, reports the “c’t” trade magazine. These could be fake AirPods Pro. If you then have the headphones in front of you, there are some features by which you can recognize a fake.
Problems with the setup
Offers on online marketplaces where AirPods Pro are offered as B-goods or as good as new returns for less than 170 euros are currently conspicuous. Here the experts ordered as a test.
The first impression: high-quality packaging. And even when unpacked, the headphones felt high-quality and original. But when it was put into operation, the inconsistencies started – from the wrong pairing routine to the periodic, brief freezing of the iPhone. Of course, this shouldn’t happen with original AirPods Pro.
Fake AirPods Pro deliver incredibly bad sound
True, revealed one Query at Apple a valid Airpods serial number albeit with an expired warranty. But the first time they tapped play, the testers knew: “The AirPods Pro sound so unbelievably bad that it’s hard to believe.”
After that I was pretty sure it was a fake. The attempt to update the firmware brought final certainty. Because the installed version (0B896) has never been published by Apple.
TECHBOOK also did the test and ordered it from Wish:
5 Characteristics of Fake AirPods Pro
Since fakes with different characteristics are in circulation, some material deviations are only noticeable in direct comparison with an original and counterfeiters learn and make changes, there can be no general tips. However, the testers summarized their observations suggesting a fake:
- on the packaging there are spelling mistakes à la “Dseigned By Apple”
- the writing printed on the charging case and the headphones themselves is difficult to read, and the white color often differs slightly from the original
- On the case lid, the battery performance is different than exactly 519 mAh
- the active noise cancellation of the headphones does not work
- different weight: fake case weighed 43.3 grams (original case: 45.8 grams) and the fake headphones 7.5 grams (original headphones: 10.9 grams)
Fakes are becoming more and more convincing
The conclusion of the experts: It is scary how much work fraudsters put into the production of fake headphones. Due to the ultimately high quality of the fakes, there is a risk that many buyers who are not exactly technology enthusiasts may not even notice the fraud. On the other hand, if you notice something, you should contact Apple about fake dealers report a dedicated page.