How to identify real apple headphones. How to distinguish original EarPods from fakes? Tips, description

When buying copies of i-technology products, you risk receiving a low-quality, short-lived product. The Chinese market has long specialized in the production of replicas of a wide variety of equipment from major manufacturers. Moreover, delivery from China to Ukraine is now fully established and takes from 3 to 5 working days. We decided to compare the original Apple product and the fake one for you to convince you not to skimp on quality devices.

Our choice fell on the Apple Lightning USB cable and Apple EarPods headphones to draw your attention to the fact that it makes sense to buy even an original accessory instead of a fake. So, by purchasing a Chinese replica you risk:

1. receive a product whose characteristics do not match your device;
2. get a breakdown of the device itself;
3. spend more money than the replica is worth on its own, because in order to distinguish a fake, you need to know the real features of the original.

The only advantage of a copy of a product is its low cost, which can lead to a malfunction of the device, which ultimately deprives you of two things at once. Therefore, the iWorld online store strongly recommends that you buy only original products and learn to distinguish them from copies. What should you pay attention to when purchasing original Apple Lightning?

Price is the first feature that distinguishes the original charging cable from the copy. Counterfeits most often cost much less, but there are also situations when you receive a low-quality, unreliable replica for the price of a genuine product. If you are worried about this, then carefully check the cable and pay attention to the following external features.

The packaging of Apple equipment is always done at a high level. Firstly, the material used is thick cardboard, which protects the internal parts from damage during transportation. You don’t have to worry that you will receive a damaged product and you will have to worry about returning it to the store if they still accept it. Counterfeit packaging is often made of lower quality materials, so you can easily distinguish it by its appearance. The box is usually softer to the touch, the color of the cardboard is not so snow-white. The print quality of the text on the box is not as rich, more like faded. Be sure to look for a special branded sticker on the original packaging indicating the batch number and its main characteristics. The manufacturer supplements the packaging with convenient hangers, which allow you to place the product being sold on the store window. If there is no such hanger, then doubt the production of the purchased product.

After opening the package, start examining the appearance of the USB cable. He can also tell you if the product is fake. Each cable is marked and has its own personal identifier. In its designation, Apple uses only light gray tones. For copies, the identifier has a bolder font and a darker color. Although, it is quite difficult to notice this flaw with the naked eye.

The Lightning connector may also have its differences. In the original product, it is made neatly, seamlessly, the contacts do not stand out above the metal surface. Many users, using a fake, noted that the contacts not only stand out above the level of the metal surface, moreover, they represent a composite structure. The size of the connector on a replica can be anything, just not the standard sizes declared by the brand (7.7 mm x 12 mm). The external colors of the connector may also differ. The branded product is gray in color, the front panel insert is metal.

Let's move on to the USB plug. On the plastic case of the real Apple Lightning there is a light gray cable symbol. On copies such markings are usually absent or have a significant difference in color. The metal part of the cable should be well polished; there are only two holes on it, and not four, as can be found on many fakes. The contacts on the plug are gold plated. The connections have a trapezoidal shape, located at an equal distance from each other. The insulating surface of the plug is uniformly smooth, which is not always adhered to by craftsmen.

If you are worried about the authenticity of your USB plug, you can always check its originality in our iWorld online store using a specialized stationary tester YG-616.

Apple Earpods headphones have also become a frequent item of counterfeit, thanks to their impeccable design and comfortable classic shape, which everyone loves so much. Many who have come across fake Apple Earpods with lightning or with a 3.5 mm jack note that the first thing that catches their eye is the absence of the company logo. If you look even more closely, you will notice that the box and the product itself differ in color. The box is often lighter than the Earpods themselves. The box in which the headphones are stored is often poorly made, so there are difficulties with opening and closing it. Let's move on to the product itself. The original headphones have an elastic rubberized wire, which reduces wire tangling and protects against breakage. The left and right wires must be the same length; a difference even in a millimeter should make you wary. Some copies of Apple Earpods differ even in such minor details:

• elongated shape of the earphone shell instead of round;
• fabric mesh instead of metal;
• two round holes inside the sink stick out beyond the oval instead of fitting clearly into it;
• volume control remote without gaps instead of minor ones for easy clicking;
• loud clicks when adjusting the sound instead of its absence;
• headphones with a Lightning connector have rough edges instead of a smooth molded assembly;
• Headphones with a 3.5mm jack connect tightly to the jack instead of a smooth, soft connection.

And, of course, sound! Even an inexperienced music lover can notice the difference in sound between a copy and the original product. The real ones are filled with bass and surround sound. When recording audio with a microphone, the originals smooth out noise.

To protect yourself from counterfeits, we recommend that you purchase accessories for your i-technique only in company stores and representative offices. Our iWorld online store is always ready to help you with this and provide competent advice on the correct selection of products for your device.

Chinese craftsmen can fake almost any gadget. The copy is quite difficult to distinguish from the original. We will demonstrate how to do this using the example of Apple EarPods, introduced a year ago, in our publication. Let's learn how to distinguish from a fake.

Headphone packaging

Pay attention to the quality of the box and its color. The color of the fake is lighter than the color of the headphones. In the original they are identical. In the first copies, the Apple logo was missing on the box.

Earpods wire

The original wire is more elastic and thicker, therefore stronger. Near the headphones and the 3.5 mm mini jack connector there are soft rubber tubes - casings. In fakes, sometimes there are no casings at all. The headphone wires must be of equal length and marked “made in China.”

Headphone shape

There are differences in the shape of the headphones. The shape of the fake is slightly elongated, the seam is more noticeable. The original mesh is metal, the fake one is made of fabric.

Remote Control

In the original model there are practically no gaps, the buttons are easy to press, but in the copy, the buttons sometimes do not work at all.

Apple Earpods sound

Sound is the defining quality of headphones. The sound of the Chinese fake lacks volume and bass; when communicating through a headset it will sound hoarse.

What can be concluded?

Having summarized all the characteristics, we want to draw a conclusion. The quality of fake headphones is significantly inferior to the quality of original Apple EarPods. And if they look similar in appearance, then you will not get pleasure from listening to music. However, you can listen to audio books. Beware of fakes and don't pay attention to low prices.

Apple headphones are a very popular accessory these days that are very actively counterfeited. But it is possible to buy original headphones if you take into account the most important distinguishing features of real Apple ones.

Package

Before going to the store, it would be best to go to the official Apple website and get acquainted with the appearance of the original headphones.

The packaging of fake Apple headphones is most often almost identical to the original. But there are times when there is no brand logo on the counterfeit box. In the photo on the left is the original, and on the right is the fake. As you can see from this angle, everything is the same.

But if you take a closer look, the differences are immediately visible. The plastic in the original is much higher quality, the seams on the box are neater, and in real headphones they are almost invisible. If you look from the side, the original plastic has a blue tint, while the fake plastic has a yellow tint. On a low-quality fake you will see a large number of hooks, unevenness and other defects.

Headphones

Examine the headphones themselves very carefully. The wire in real Apples is made of high quality rubberized plastic. These headphones are very elastic and strong. Counterfeits often use ordinary wire, which quickly becomes unusable. There should be no gaps or holes where the wire is attached to the earphone.

Fake headphones almost always lack markings for the left and right ears. The original must have these markings, as this is very important for the sound quality. The photo on the left is the real Apple, and the one on the right is the fake one.

Take a close look at the speaker grilles. The photo clearly shows the difference between the original and the fake. In real headphones, this grille is smaller and neater. In copies, it may be uneven and made of low-quality material.

Another very important point is that real Apple headphones seem to be solid at first glance, the seams on them are not noticeable. But in a fake you will immediately see the seams at first glance, and they are quite uneven and there may be rough, sloppy protrusions on them.

The next thing you should pay attention to is the sound control panel. When you press the original remote control, you will feel a soft dull click, but with a fake it will be a loud click. In real headphones, the button is pressed more softly.

Considering all these main points, you can easily choose original headphones from the global Apple brand. All you need is attentiveness and a little time.

If you are guided by differences in sound, then in the case of a high-quality fake, they may not exist. But fake headphones will last you much less time than real ones.

Quite often, our customers, interested in buying AirPods headphones, ask the question: “Are you sure you don’t have a copy?”

Of course, this question hurts us to the core; we immediately want to take the bundle on a stick and go into the sunset, like Tom from the cartoon, but we don’t hang our noses! :)

But seriously, then We do not sell any copies. Only original AirPods from Apple with an official one-year warranty.

Before purchasing headphones, we always recommend checking the serial number on the Apple website:

If they are identified as AirPods, this is the original, if the site gives an error, this is something else. :)

And in order to dispel all the remaining doubts of our customers, we purchased these, God forgive me, fake AirPods and in this article we will compare the “formidable competitor” with the excellent headset from Apple.

Name

The copy is called either iFans or Afans. At least these two inscriptions are present on the box. Apparently, the Chinese had not decided on the final name, so they decided to use both. :)

Box appearance

For those who are familiar with Apple technology, everything should become clear at this stage. Apple never skimps on the packaging of its products. The box for real AirPods is made of high-quality cardboard with a minimalist design:

• two headphones are drawn on the front side;
• shiny Apple logos on both ends;
• on the third end there is a shiny AirPods inscription;
• on the fourth end there is a brief description of the equipment and the serial number of the headphones, which you can always get on the Apple website and check whether these are real AirPods.

In general, Chinese craftsmen tried to copy the design of the box, but when your goal is to make cheap squalor and not a quality product, even here they failed.

The box is made of disgusting quality cardboard, there are no inscriptions on the ends, there is no serial number, but on the front side there is a drawing of headphones reminiscent of Airpods. By the way, the print quality of the drawing on the copy suggests that the Chinese also have a problem with the toner on the printer, the drawing turned out so faded.

Set

Inside the box with the original AirPods there is a short instruction manual, the headphones themselves in a translucent film and a Lightning cable for charging the case.

There is no quick start guide book inside the box with the copy, but there are some inscriptions in Chinese glued to the bottom of the box. Perhaps these are characteristics, or perhaps gratitude from the manufacturer for spending money on this horror. Well, the ugly blue film is not Apple style at all. :)

The headphones themselves are not on a thick cardboard backing, but in some kind of strange chemical contraption that can be found in a stall at a Chinese market. The charging cord is present, it even looks like Lightning, but it’s not Lightning at all, of course, but a cheap, low-quality Chinese something.

The headphones themselves

The copy is much larger than the original. The case itself is almost twice as large, and the headphones are so much larger than the original AirPods that the Chinese plastic ones simply won’t fit into my ears.

The case of the original headphones has a pleasant springy opening and closing mechanism, while the case of the copy closes with some kind of latch, which looks, sounds and feels very cheap (but what did I expect for 1500 rubles?!).

In the photographs on the left is the original, and on the right is a copy.

The magic of Apple is why we love this company

Apple is not only about “why is it so expensive”, but also about advanced technology and fantastic thoughtfulness of the user experience and ergonomics.

So, for the original AirPods, the pairing process is as follows: you turn on Bluetooth on your phone, open the case with the headphones, the iPhone immediately sees the AirPods nearby and prompts you to press the “connect” button. Click and that's it! They just work.

It took me almost an hour to connect the copy to the phone.

I, of course, understood that I would have to connect to the headphones manually through the Bluetooth menu on the phone. I go to the menu, open the case with Chinese Airpods - and nothing happens. I waited a minute, tried again - nothing again. I put them on charge, waited, opened them again - again nothing. I was about to get upset, but then I looked at two small buttons on the headphones themselves, pressed them on both, and the treasured “afans” appeared in the menu, and I was able to connect to them. Here they are, cheap technologies! :)

Of course, there is no Siri, no “tap to pause”, no recognition of being in the ear of a copy at all. All control occurs from the phone. But these are the features that make AirPods so cool to use.

Sound

I’ll be honest: I’m not a music lover at all and I don’t understand practically anything about sound quality. But I can say with absolute 100% certainty that it is impossible to listen to music on Chinese airpods! They creak, groan, make noise, there is no hint of low, high, or any frequencies at all. All you can use this headset for, so to speak, is for listening to audiobooks, where sound quality fades into the background. No music, period!

Verdict

Do not buy a Chinese copy even under the threat of execution! :)

This is a rather ridiculous attempt to “appear and not be.”

For 2,000 rubles you can buy good wired headphones, and if you want “Wireless”, save up the required amount for real AirPods. You will not regret it! :)

The purpose of writing this article is to help the average user figure out how to distinguish a copy from the original wireless headphones from Apple and dissuade them from buying a fake.

Apple has released AirPods wireless headphones as an app for iPhone. They look very cool and stylish. The most ideal option for iPhones!

And it’s not at all surprising that copy manufacturers also want to make money from the sale of such cool related products. After all, on the same Aliexpress there are a dime a dozen offers of wireless headphones for iPhones. And the prices are very attractive. But the headphones will almost certainly be fake. How to avoid falling for scammers’ tricks and distinguish an original from a copy – this is discussed in this article.

For a comparative experiment, two pairs of fake headphones and one pair of original ones were taken. At first glance, they are no different from each other, but if you look closely, you can still find differences.

What is the difference between the packaging of copies and original Apple AirPods

If you have never seen the original Apple AirPods box, you can easily buy a fake, since the boxes are very similar. But there are some nuances:

1. The original box is made of high quality cardboard. It is not puffy on the sides. The fold lines are straight.
2. There should be a barcode on the sides of the box and information about the country of origin. Counterfeits are most often pure white or with Chinese marks.

1. The image of the headphones on the front of the box is placed on top of the box rather than printed on it. By running your fingers over it, you can feel the relief.
2. There should be no “ears” for magazine hooks on the box.
3. The bottom of the box shows a case with headphones and a charging cable. There is also information about the manufacturer. Please note: on one fake box there are no inscriptions at all, and on the other they are not completely written, and in different fonts and brightness.

How to buy the original cheaper than the store

If you still want buy the original, the most profitable way to do this is on Tmall - at the time of writing, 12,599 rubles. Upon purchase, you will receive an official guarantee from Apple in Russia and fast delivery - in Moscow it is possible even on the day of order!