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How to distinguish original EarPods from fakes? Tips, description. How to distinguish original Apple EarPods from counterfeits

At the moment, it has never been easier to come across a fake or refurbished version of an iPhone disguised as an original. The fall in the ruble exchange rate also plays a role, which forces people to look for ways to save money and turn to the services of dubious sellers, and simply ignorance of the features of Apple technology when buying the first iPhone.

This page provides detailed instructions on how to check an iPhone for authenticity, after studying which you can easily identify even a high-quality fake.

Checking iPhone by serial number

Using the serial number, you can not only find out general information about the device, but also generally find out whether they are trying to deceive you.


Checking iPhone by IMEI

First you need to find out the IMEI, and this can be done in several ways.


On the website www.imei.info, enter 15 digits in the appropriate line and click Check. If the information is not true, then you have a fake.

Checking iPhone Status

Despite the fact that the overall quality of counterfeits has increased markedly over the past few years, minor flaws can still be seen immediately if you look closely.

Pay attention to small details:

  • The back cover must not be removed.
  • The body of the original iPhone is made of aluminum, while manufacturers of fakes like to save money and often try to emit metal with plastic.
  • A real iPhone cannot have two SIM cards.
  • All current models, starting from the fifth generation, have a proprietary Lighting charging connector, no Mini/Micro-USB.
  • The system should not have Google Play, and the settings should contain information about the iOS operating system. Any mention of Android means it's a fake.
  • On the back cover of any iPhone (including versions for the Chinese market) there should be the inscription “Designed by Apple in Califormia. Assembled in China". If instead of this inscription there are hieroglyphs or any other text on the back cover, then this is a fake.
  • If you have had experience using an iPhone or other Apple devices, then you will probably be able to identify a fake by the quality of the screen, menu design, fonts and similar nuances.

Therefore, if you are buying an iPhone for the first time, it makes sense to go to any store selling Apple equipment and turn the display sample in your hands so that you have something to compare with.

One more nuance, go to Settings - General, there find the Software Update item. If it is not there, then this is a fake.

Checking with iTunes

Perhaps the easiest way to identify a fake is to try to connect the device to a PC with iTunes. If the program recognizes the connected device, then this is the original, but if nothing happens, then you have connected a fake.

How to identify a refurbished iPhone

Despite the fact that refurbished smartphones, in most cases, are not inferior in durability to ordinary copies, there is still a chance to stumble upon an unsuccessful model, and you always want to use a brand new device. Unfortunately, even in large stores you can come across refurbished models that are sold as new at full price. This could be either intentional fraud on the part of the store or simple negligence, since the devices are completely identical in appearance.

Look at the settings menu

  1. Open the settings menu.
  2. "Basic".
  3. "About this device."
  4. Find the "Model" item.

The first letter of the model name will help you determine if your device is new.

  • M - the phone is new.
  • F - refurbished smartphone.

The last two characters indicate the region in which the device is intended for sale. If you bought your iPhone in the Russian Federation, and this is the version officially certified by Rostest, it should be abbreviated RS, RR, RP or RU.

Identifying a refurbished iPhone by packaging

If you have not yet purchased the device, you can identify the refurbished phone by its packaging. Of course, it is unlikely that the smartphone will be sold under the guise of a new one, but it is worth knowing about it.

Determining a restored iPhone by IMEI

You can find out whether an iPhone is new by comparing the information from the IMEI with what is actually there. After entering the IMEI on the appropriate website, you will receive part of the device data. Here you should pay attention to several main characteristics.

  • If a newly purchased smartphone has the Find My Phone function activated, then it is refurbished. New devices have this feature disabled by default.
  • If the color does not match, then the case has clearly been changed, so the phone may well be refurbished.
  • If “Expired” appears next to the warranty service lines, then the device has been in use for quite some time.

This also works when buying a smartphone secondhand, the owner of which is trying to sell the refurbished device under the guise of a new one.

In general, despite the improvement in the quality of Chinese counterfeits, it is still quite easy to distinguish them from the original. You just need to be more careful and know about some of the features of Apple products.

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 magnificent 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 incomprehensible 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 - again nothing. 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.

The serial number helps to fully identify a device of any well-known brand.

There are many sites that allow you to literally check a phone in a few minutes and find out, for example, whether it is real, whether it is wanted, etc.

Let's look at why you need to check, in what cases it is absolutely necessary, how to find a verification site and how to understand it.

Why check your iPhone serial number?

In the case of the iPhone, there is even an official website for this in Russian.

Using the Apple website, you can not only check whether the device you received actually belongs to this particular brand, but also what its status is in the company’s service - whether it is under warranty and what kind of warranty obligations apply to it.

There are so many fake iPhones! And they are sometimes executed so skillfully that not every experienced person can tell them apart from a Chinese copy.

Therefore, when purchasing a device from someone else, you should be extremely careful. This is where the site identifier comes to the rescue.

Official site-identifier

The site has a completely Russian-language interface and it’s not difficult to understand, you just need to follow the instructions.

You can go to the verification section from the official website page, or directly go to the desired resource by entering this request into a search engine.

If you want to check the device right now, just follow this link.

You will find yourself here:

As you can see, everything is extremely clear, it is impossible to get confused here.

How to use the site?

Let's go through the basic steps. So, we are on the site page. What to do?

  • You need to enter this same serial number in the search bar, then confirm that you are not a bot by entering a visual code (the code can also be spoken, not pictured, if you click on the speaker) and click “Continue”. But what if you don't know your serial number? This problem is also easily solved. Here, under the code entry line, there is an interactive footnote to the instructions "How to find the serial number". Click it. You will find yourself here:

How find the serial number:

What to do if there is no access to the device itself? (For example, the iPhone is stolen and you need to report it as missing.)

Then you can try the following:

Here, in the site tab for identification "How to find the serial number" It is proposed to obtain more detailed information on how to find the number by selecting the device type.

If you don't understand, click the icon "iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, iPod" and get more detailed instructions.

So, you have found the serial number, you just need to enter it in the search bar. Now you can “Continue”.

A page will load containing detailed information about your device.

It will take a while to load, so you'll have to wait a bit.

First of all, you will find out whether the serial number of this iPhone has been activated.

If not, you need to activate it and you will see a notification about it.

That's all - information received. As you can see, everything is extremely simple.

What will you learn about the desired specimen thanks to these simple operations?

What can you find out from the serial number?

First, you will find out whether it is actually an iPhone or . So, identifying the serial number will provide an indispensable service when purchasing an iPhone.

You can try to distinguish the original device by many signs, if you understand them, but a search engine for identifying serial numbers will help you find out for sure, one hundred percent.

Everything is clear here: Either the company released this device or it didn’t.

So, if you are just about to purchase, be sure to take advantage of the identification option.

The second useful thing that you will find out by entering the device number in the Apple search engine is whether the device is under warranty, as well as the terms and specifics of the warranty.

This is very important if you want to buy an already used iPhone from someone else. They can tell you whatever they want, but the serial number won't lie.

Such information may also be needed if, for example, you lost documents from your iPhone and do not remember what information they contained regarding warranty service.

What kind of warranty service you can get for this iPhone, you can find out by its serial number.

Here, on the information tab, you can get technical support by phone.

So, if your device requires warranty service, or the information received does not satisfy you, you can take advantage of this opportunity.

Why activate the serial number?

If your device has been activated by serial number on the official Apple website, you have access to service.

If some problems arise with your iPhone, you need help with settings, etc., you can contact the technical center and get the necessary information and assistance.

Apple offers similar activation, or identification, for its other devices.

In addition to iPhones, you can punch through the serial number, and, as well as accessories.

The list is long, here are some examples:




All these icons are located on the Apple website in the “How to find the serial number” tab.

If you want to get to this page now, click .

In addition to the list of company products that can be identified by serial number and instructions for searching for the number, there are a couple more suggestions here.

What to do if your iPhone is stolen?

A very important point, what to do if your beloved device, be it an iPhone or another device, is suddenly stolen?

Often, it is the loss of an iPhone that prompts you to look for its serial number.

Here, in the tab "How to find the serial number" You can find detailed information on what to do in this case.

Interactive string "Report a missing or stolen Apple product" will take you straight to the instructions in a separate section.

The page looks like this:

As you can see, it is useful to familiarize yourself with this information even before the device is stolen.

Special tracking programs “Find iPhone” and “Find Mac” allow you to report a missing iPhone, or by adding the device to the balance of the devices you are looking for.

These programs also provide access to personal data and make it possible, if necessary, to clear existing information.

Search programs will also allow you to find out the location of the device.

From here you can follow the interactive footnotes.

And also “Apple Watch and Mac Computer”.

By clicking what you need, you can try to find a stolen device if it is included in the Find iPhone and Find Mac search engines, and what to do if you need to find an iPhone without these search engines.

So, if suddenly your iPhone disappears, click the line “Lost or stolen iPhone, iPad, iPod touch”.

The footnote will take you to a page with detailed instructions.

Here she is:

If you want to access it now, click .

As you can see, the instructions here are more than detailed. It is proposed to find the device, both using the “Find iPhone” and “Find Mac” programs, and without, both in an active state and in a switched off state.

Each point describes exactly what needs to be done in each specific situation. You just need to read carefully.

Having chosen the most optimal search option in your circumstances, follow the active footnotes of the desired item and follow the instructions received.

The efforts made will not only increase the chances of finding the missing iPhone, but will also help protect personal information.

To do this, using the Apple service, you can set or change passwords. Just follow this link:

Here you will also find instructions on how to protect yourself from financial fraud if your iPhone is lost.

If payments and bills are linked to your phone, you'll see how to temporarily block access to them.

In addition to all these useful things with passwords and finances, family search is offered. You can use it by following the active footnote.

It is also suggested that you use it to report the loss to local law enforcement agencies.

If luck smiles and the iPhone is found, you will need to unblock the accounts and cancel the status of the missing iPhone.

There are also detailed instructions on how to remove an iPhone from the balance of the devices you are looking for.

As you can see, the serial number is simply necessary! You can’t do without it if you need to get information about the originality of the iPhone you are purchasing.

He will tell you about warranty obligations and their terms. Also, thanks to the serial number, the company will provide invaluable assistance in finding the missing device.

So, feel free to use all these available gadgets of the Apple service in the sections of the official website.

Just read carefully, follow the instructions received and you will succeed!

How to check iPhone by serial number - detailed instructions (2019)

5 (100%) 1 vote[s]

An innovative iWatch will cost the buyer a tidy sum, so when purchasing such a gadget second-hand or from unofficial company representatives, you may stumble upon:

  • stolen goods;
  • Chinese copy.

Therefore, buyers often face the question: how to check your apple watch?

Original or copy: how to check your Apple Watch when purchasing

The easiest way to distinguish a Chinese copy, which unscrupulous sellers can pass off as original products. Official smart watch:

  • devoid of any connectors;
  • Magnetic induction technology is used for charging;
  • A slot for a SIM or SD card is an insult to the iWatch.

The products of the famous American brand look completely different: all the details, curves and pixels of the screen are where they should be. Chinese copies are made very roughly: with unevenness and defects in both color and shape.

Even if the copies are externally indistinguishable from the original Apple Watch, which is almost impossible upon detailed examination, the internal content of the fakes will certainly put an end to this dispute. Instead of branded iOS with a great design and high-quality language translation, the copies use:

  • adapted version of Android;
  • Chinese version of unknown firmware.

In addition to the above information, it will be useful to read an article on the topic of the differences between ROSTEST and EUROTEST for Apple Watch at the link provided.

New or used

But if everything is clear about a counterfeit from China, and identifying it is not difficult, then how can you check a smart watch when buying it in a store or from your own hands? Even if you buy a completely new device, there is no guarantee that it is truly new.

The fact is that some Russian businessmen purchase original products not from Tim Cook’s company, but from third parties, from whom the stolen products are reflashed and resealed in the original packaging.

IMEI or serial number

You can find out the history of the origin of iWatch without leaving the store checkout. Just find the IMEI (in the settings or on the box) and check it on one of the official sites with databases of mobile devices.

Such a site could be a resource:

  • https://checkcoverage.apple.com/ru/ru/ (official Apple website).


Checking the authenticity of the serial number on the Apple website You can find out about the activation status of the device by IMEI or by the serial number indicated on the package on the official website https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/. Checking Apple Watch by serial number will show information about the activation status:

  • not activated;
  • activated;
  • blocked.


You can also use the serial number to find out the exact date and time the gadget was blocked or activated. If instead of new iWatches the store tries to sell used ones, then:

  • The line with the exact date will contain the date of early activation of the device.
  • If the watch is stolen, the activation status will indicate that the device is blocked. It's almost impossible to bypass it on the latest versions of iOS, just like you can't access the app store or log in through your profile.

Advantages and disadvantages of Chinese smartwatches compared to the original Apple Watch

Some very dubious advantages include:

  • Inexpensive cost of the gadget.
  • The ability to insert a SIM card and make calls directly from the smartwatch.
  • There is no need to worry about the safety of the gadget - you don’t mind breaking or losing it.

Such analogues undoubtedly have more disadvantages:

  • The body is cheap plastic.
  • The replica is much heavier than the original.
  • The straps of Chinese watches are made of leatherette, unlike real iWatches.
  • A fastener made of plastic or silumin quickly becomes unusable.
  • There is no protection against moisture and dust.
  • The screen simply shows no signs of life, completely ignoring the user's touch.
  • The service life of an outright fake rarely exceeds 10-12 months.

Apple Watch is the leader in the smartwatch market, as each gadget is distinguished by a premium level of quality. Therefore, even an inexperienced user can distinguish a fake from a genuine iWatch. When choosing such an accessory, you should not compromise in favor of low cost, because a Chinese replica will only bring disappointment.

How to distinguish an original iWatch from a fake?

Even a quick external inspection will allow you to find a number of differences that will leave no doubt that this is a fake:

  • Huge frames on the sides of the screen. The screen itself is too small and grainy, and most importantly, the connector for charging the micro-USB device on the side, which clearly gives off a fake. But the most annoying thing is that you have to swipe the screen several times to get the Touchpad to work, which is, frankly, annoying.
  • Chinese iWatch replicas are larger and thicker. Having put such a gadget on your hand, you immediately want to take it off. Fakes are frankly heavy, inconvenient and unpleasant in everyday use.
  • Chinese iWatches are designed to work autonomously from smartphones, so they have a SIM card slot. If you have an original iPhone + Apple Watch, then separate operation of the watch is impossible.

Conclusions on how to check your Apple Watch when purchasing

When buying from official dealers, you don’t have to worry about the legal purity of your new smartwatch. When buying second hand, the likelihood of getting into trouble with the law when bundled with a new iWatch is much higher. Checking Apple Watch smartwatches when purchasing second-hand is no different from checking new ones, except that after the fraud is discovered, the seller will try to hide.

How to check the authenticity of an Apple Watch when purchasing?

4.7 (93.33%) 18 votes

Have you ever thought about the question that in the market of modern headsets, and indeed in the entire market, you can find fake earpods. In this article we will look at how to distinguish original EarPods from fakes.

Most of the fakes come from everyone's favorite China. These people even fake things that they haven’t yet produced; often the fakes are practically no different from Apple EarPods, but that’s all at first glance.

Manufacturers of top products are a tasty pie for scammers in this industry. This fate did not pass by apple earpods. With the release of this product, a huge number of pages appeared on the Internet selling the product for “ridiculous” (compared to the original earpods) money.

Once we conducted a kind of experiment and counted 827 different fakes from China.

Most often, the decisive sign of a fake apple earpods is its price; there is an official specific price range for this device, find out about it before ordering a “super promotion”. If the price is two or three times different...you understand.

There are times when the expensive price of headphones does not allow you to buy them in a store, but you have enough money for a used product. You go to the next “Avito” or other similar site where you can buy products that have already been used and start choosing your headphones...

So, how to distinguish original EarPods from fakes?!

The first thing you should do is to carefully look at the original earpods on the official website. View the entire package and generally examine the product inside and out.

After you have studied the product in detail, you can move on to inspecting the headphone box. The packaging is not always similar to the original, and most often it is completely different. Very often the “Chinese” remove the apple logo from the front of the packaging. Ideally, if you already have a box from Apple EarPods, then you can see how the packaging differs. Pay close attention to the color of the headphones and the color of the packaging; in the original case, the color of your headset should match the color of the packaging. With fake headphones, this is all problematic; the color of the headset rarely matches the color of the box, since they pack and assemble it all in “makeshift” conditions.

Low-quality plastic can also be used, the Chinese don’t really bother about this and in many cases the plastic will differ from the real thing. Boxing should be given special attention; competitors have a lot of problems when opening the box. The box closes very tightly or does not close at all.

What is the difference between plastic?! In the original packaging, the plastic has a bluish tint of color, while the Chinese one has more of a yellow color scheme.

When purchasing a wire, pay attention; the original wire is very elastic and does not get tangled like its Chinese competitor. If you have dealt with Chinese headphones, then you have probably come across a knotted coil of wires more than once and spent a lot of time untangling them. Apple saved us from such a thankless task and their wire is made of very high quality material, all this needs to be touched by touch.

You'll probably find it funny now! Our elastic cord must be marked “Made in China”. Yes guys, not everything made in China is bad. This is explained by the fact that manufacturers do not want to spend extra money and build factories in China, although the product is made in China, its quality leaves ordinary Chinese goods uncompetitive.

A very important point, on each of your headphones there are drawn the letters “R” and “L”, which means “Right” and “Left” (Right and Left). Counterfeiters don’t bother much with these letters and either forget or simply don’t want to write them.

If the headphones were used very often and the letters were erased during use, this does not mean that the headphones are fake. The wires of the headphones must be the same length, the right earphone must be the same length as the left one and nothing else! Chinese manufacturers often make one earphone longer than the other.

On each of the headphones you probably noticed a hole, which in the original cases was covered with a mesh. This mesh must be made of very high quality; our “brothers” in this matter use either non-symmetrical meshes, or even some kind of rag material that will not last you long.

All buttons on the control panel should be switched “like clockwork”, pressing is done with a very light movement of the finger; on Chinese counterfeits in this regard, the toggle switch clicks. And on some copies, these buttons are simply made for beauty.

There should be no gaps between the two halves of the remote control; if there is one, it should be very small, and not the size of a match head. Sometimes the creators of fakes forget to draw a microphone icon on the remote control.

If you can hold the headphones in your hands, then be sure to do so. If you have held anything from Apple before, you will immediately feel it. If not, then just remember how “Chinese junk” behaves in the hands,

By the sound, if you heard these headphones in the original, then you can immediately identify a fake. Usually Chinese headphones squeak and crackle with good bass, this should not happen with earpods, if such a problem is discovered, it happens that the speaker on the earphone itself goes dead.

Also on Chinese fakes, songs are often interrupted or slow down, since the speed of the music being played does not match the quality of the cable.

You should also check the recording quality of the microphone, the original version has a function for noise reduction, and if you record something with a microphone, then your quality will be excellent, unlike a competitor from a red country.