Apple’s AirPods are among the best wireless earphones you can buy right now. Without exorbitant pricing, they offer decent sound quality, easy pairing, and ready access to Siri. In March 2019, Apple introduced an iterative update, the AirPods 2. Because the series is so successful, there’s been no shortage of imitators. AirPods aren’t the only fake items. For instance, dangerous fake Apple Chargers can damage your phone or even cause you harm.
How can you tell if a pair of AirPods is legitimate or fake? In earlier days, when the AirPods first arrived, fakes were easy to spot. This is because true wireless earphones and the tech associated with them were new. But over the past two years, several competing brands have arrived on the market. Manufacturers of fake AirPods have had time to polish their replicas as well. This makes spotting a fake harder now. But there are still reliable ways. We’ll show you here how to check if AirPods are real or fake.
How to Identify Original Apple Airpods (AirPods Fake Vs Real)
Sign 1: Weight Difference
Apple’s AirPods have always been a bit on the hefty side. Apart from the speaker component, you have a bespoke W1 or H1 SoC in there as well for fast pairing. Together, this results in a fairly hefty wireless earphone. Fakes have less complex circuitry inside. They are also usually made of cheaper plastic. This makes fakes lighter weight almost all the time.
Sign 2: Sound Quality
One good way to spot fake AirPods is checking the sound quality. While the Apple AirPods aren’t the best-sounding wireless buds on the market, they are a step above most of the entry-level competition. The wireless components are expensive, meaning that fake AirPods makers will invariably sacrifice audio quality.
If you have AirPods with poor, muddy bass, a limited dynamic range, and tinny highs, you might have fakes on your hands. It’s easiest to check the sound quality by comparing yours to AirPods at an official store.
Sign 3: Pricing
Real AirPods cost $149. That’s a steep price to pay for wireless buds but you get the assurance of Apple quality. Even if you’re getting a refurbished unit, you won’t be paying less than $100 for genuine AirPods. If you’re looking at a deal in the $50-60 range, you can safely assume it’s a fake.
Sign 4: Wireless Charging
The convenience of the AirPods wireless charging is one of the aspects that justifies the price. The electronics that go into the AirPods wireless charger are remarkably complex, though. This makes it harder for fake manufacturers to replicate. Many makers of AirPod replicas skimp on this aspect. If you have AirPods that don’t charge wirelessly, they’re definitely fake.
Sign 5: Color and Other Physical Characteristics
AirPods only come in white. Any AirPods that purportedly come in other colors like black or blue are definitely fake. Moreover, genuine AirPods have a standard design, where the speaker grill and sensors are, for example. And retail packaging is also consistent. Any changes to these are a strong indication of fake AirPods.
That’s all friends!
Signing off…
Fake manufacturers are getting better and better at manufacturing their replica products. It can get harder for consumers today to identify original Apple wireless AirPods The only guaranteed means of buying genuine AirPods is straight from Apple. If you want to buy a different brand of wireless headphones, instead of getting fake AirPods, we suggest checking out these Siri-compatible options instead.
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- Best places to buy refurbished iPhones
What are your experiences with fake or real AirPods? Share your feedback with us in the comment box.
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