Apple’s AirPods Pro lineup is popular for its intuitive design and excellent sound. However, since they come at a premium price, many counterfeit products have entered the market, which needs clarification. So the question arises, how to spot fake AirPods?
Many people buy fake AirPods due to such a bargain, and most people will never be able to tell whether they are fake or real. There’s always a chance of you getting scammed by some shady seller.
So, if you’re tired of this cycle of fake AirPods Pro and looking to identify how to spot them once and for all, this guide will go deep into the nitty gritty of fake AirPods Pro. Let’s dive straight into the guide.
How to Spot Fake AirPods Pro Quickly
The fastest way to tell if AirPods Pro is real or fake is to scan the serial number you can find on the box or inside your AirPods charging case. Once the serial code is noted, head over to Check Coverage by Apple, and the website will automatically detect the authenticity.
Most Apple products have serial numbers to identify whether they are legit or fake. In AirPod Pro’s case, you can find the serial number, which tells you some useful information that you can use to detect the product’s authenticity.
Moreover, another benefit of checking your AirPod Pro’s legitimacy is that the website will also tell you whether your earbuds are under warranty. If your AirPods Pro is under warranty, you can access the AppleCare coverage in anything goes wrong with your earbuds.
For the above reasons, checking the serial code using Apple’s official website is a great idea. But what if you don’t have the internet and must check the AirPods Pro on the spot? Or are you looking at one online from a marketplace and can’t spot the serial code?
In that case, we have detailed steps that you can follow to tell whether the AirPods Pro is real or fake.
1. Check The Packaging
One of the easiest ways to spot a fake AirPods Pro is to look at the packaging quality. If you find a poor quality, suspicious fonts, or any typing errors like “Desnged by Apple,” they are likely fake. It mainly happens when there are some translation errors, but they are easier to spot.
Since packaging is one of Apple’s strong points, they make high-quality ones. From their fonts, labeling, and materials to the overall feel, you can judge by the quality of the package whether the AirPods Pro is fake or real.
For counterfeit products, the packaging is typically of much lesser quality. It doesn’t give the usual Apple feel, which can be a huge red flag. So here are some of the things you should look at in the box:
- The font on fake AirPods Pro boxes is usually thicker than legit ones.
- The space between the box and the cover is tight, making it difficult to open. If you can’t open the box with all your might, chances are that the product is counterfeit.
- The lightning cable image is usually cut off from the fake box, but the real box extends it to the bottom of the case.
Now that you know how to spot a fake AirPods Pro using its box, let’s move on to some technical aspects.
2. Check the Sound Quality and Speakers
Another way to check fake vs. real AirPods Pro is the sound quality. The original AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd gen) have great sounds, bass, and overall ear feel. When it comes to the fake AirPods, they will not only have huge delays in playing music, but the sound quality won’t be on par with the original ones.
Moreover, upon opening the fake and original AirPods, you will see that the fake AirPods Pro has a much greyer speaker than the original AirPods, which is black and surrounded by a shiny high-quality ring. A lot of people owner how to spot fake Airpods. If you’re an audio head, you can easily know it by just hearing the sound quality of the headphones.
The fake ones have less dense material, which screams cheapness to us. However, the original AirPods Pro has a high-quality speaker made to provide a refreshing audio experience.
3. Check the Firmware
Firmware settings allow you to know all sorts of information about your AirPods, like the model name, model number, and serial number. As a buyer, you should always connect the AirPods Pro with your Apple and go to Settings > Bluetooth > Tap the info button beside your AirPods.
Doing so will allow you to know the serial number of your AirPods, and by knowing the serial number of your model, you can understand whether the AirPods Pro is fake or real.
If the AirPods firmware is incorrect, it’s not legitimate and won’t receive any software update in the future. The firmware on different Apple AirPods varies, and once you know your AirPods’ serial number, you can search it on Google to see whether the product even exists.
4. Check the AirPods and Their Case
The design of your AirPods Pro can indicate whether it’s real or fake. You can understand the product’s authenticity by simply taking the AirPods in your and comparing it with AirPods Pro listed on Apple’s website. If you notice anything out of place, shape differences, or extra vents, you should avoid it.
Counterfeit products often cut corners in obvious ways, like vents, grills, and other areas that will feel cheap. When it comes to AirPods Pro, if you feel like the case color is a bit different than white, you should not pick it up because Apple only sells AirPods Pro in white color.
It is true for AirPods and AirPods Gen 2. With AirPods Max, you have Space Gray, Silver, Green, Sky Blue, and Pink.
5. Taking a Glance at the Accessories
Looking at accessories and judging whether the AirPods Pro is real or fake is tricky. It’s because counterfeit products are getting good at replicating the original quality. However, they still cut corners in areas like the print quality of the instructions.
On the other hand, you might not tell the difference between accessories like lightning cables because counterfeit products have replicated them. If you feel the paperwork could be better quality and the type is blurred, that’s suspicious.
You might not even see a useful booklet that comes with the original products in some counterfeit products. If there’s a branding of some other companies like Joyroom or DS, it’s easier to spot the fake ones.
However, suppose the counterfeit is solely made to replicate the original ones. In that case, you will need to look for the paperwork or move on to another method.
6. Checking if Your Apple Product Recognizes AirPods Pro
Apple products use different chips that indicate their legitimacy. The AirPods 1st generation has the W1 chip, the 2nd and 3rd generation of AirPods along with AirPods Pro 1st gen have the H1 chips, and finally, the AirPods Pro 2nd Gen has the H2 chips. These chips are responsible for Bluetooth control.
When you open your AirPods charging case, the phone automatically detects your AirPods by giving you a pop-up. It’s possible due to the various chips Apple uses in their earbuds.
So when you open your charging case, the nearby iPhone should quickly recognize and connect your AirPods. If your phone or tab doesn’t recognize them, the AirPods Pro is fake.
Moreover, the H1 chip of AirPods allows you to launch Siri by voice and audio sharing. Moreover, the H2 chip can also activate noise cancellation and adaptive transparency mode. If your respective generation of AirPods doesn’t trigger these features, it means your AirPods are fake.
7. Checking AirPods Pro Features
The original AirPods Pro has features like Active-Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode. Once you connect them to your phone, you should activate these features and check if they truly work. Noise Cancellation will reduce all the sounds from the background, while transparency mode will enhance the sound.
If these features don’t work on the AirPods Pro you’re testing, then there’s a bright chance they are not real. Even though a lot of counterfeits have these features, you cannot activate them on your iPhone. One of the easiest ways to spot fake AirPods is to just look at features like ANC and transparency mode.
A better way would be to check the transparency mode on your device since it’s an advanced feature that might not work in most counterfeit AirPods Pro. Fake AirPods Pro also has bad microphone quality, and the audio quality is also very mediocre. They lack depth, clarity, and bass, which makes it evident that they’re fake.
Lastly, we have wireless charging. A wireless charging feature is present in AirPods Pro, and if your AirPods Pro doesn’t charge wirelessly, it might mean it’s a counterfeit product.
8. Check to See if There’s a Different Branding
Lastly, we have a common way to tell if an AirPods Max is real or fake. Many brands have started making their version of AirPods but have their branding on the boxes or the case itself. If you find that the name of AirPods is different when you connect to your iPhone, that’s a huge red flag.
Moreover, if you find the branding of another company like Air3 or Joyroom on your AirPods case or the box, you should be certain that it is probably a fake AirPods.
Branding is one of the key differentiators between fake and real AirPods. Even though many counterfeit products will be named the same as the original AirPods in the Bluetooth settings, you should still double-check if it’s from a different brand.
Final Verdict
The Apple AirPods 2 are excellent earbuds for listening to music and calling someone. However, it can be harder to identify so many counterfeit products in the market. The most recommended way to check whether your AirPods Pro is real is to enter the serial code on Apple’s website.
By entering the serial code in Apple Coverage, you can easily identify whether you have a legitimate or fake pair.
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I’ve always been passionate about tech (specifically audio). Even as a kid, I’ve been tinkering around with different techs like mobile phones, audio devices, gaming devices, and much more. I started listening to Rap, Rock, and Metal music at 12, which developed my love for headphones, speakers, and more.