The difference between original iPhone headphones and Chinese ones. All about mobile devices and cellular communications

I have long wanted to write a review on this topic, but having only the original headphones included with the iPhone 5 and not having a fake one on hand did not give me this opportunity. On one of the forums, I noticed a similar comparison and asked the author for permission to post his note on our blog. He kindly agreed, for which many thanks to him.

The review will be presented without edits or comments, only citations. If you have any additions or comments, please write, I will definitely take them into account.

So:
“I would like to shed some light on the topic of fakes and original earpods.
I have two headsets. One is original and the other is fake.
After all, everyone who wants to buy a headset from Apple wants to be sure that the headset is original.
The fake headset was purchased for 100 UAH (400 rubles), the original one was purchased for 450 UAH (2000 rubles).

We start with an external examination.
The plastic boxes are completely identical, with apples and earpods written all over them.
In both boxes the headsets fit equally tightly and do not fall out or rattle.
It's almost impossible to tell from the boxes
(on a fake, the paper box is a little worse made and the printing is a little paler.
But this is only visible if you hold two boxes side by side).

We examine the headphones.
All holes are identical and cannot be distinguished by them.
On my copy of the fake, on both headphones in the main hole you can see through the mesh that the internal holes are slightly offset relative to the main hole. On the original everything is exactly the same.
The joints on the fake are more obvious, while the original ones are less noticeable.

We examine the remote control.
On a fake, the longitudinal gap between the two halves is uneven in length and has a wedge shape.
The minus key and the middle button are pressed clearly and click loudly and clearly. The "plus" key is pressed indistinctly and does not click (it works normally).
On the original, the gap between the halves of the remote control is even in length and the keys click much quieter and softer.

We pay attention to the overall quality of workmanship.
The rubber tubes that are installed wherever the wire enters the plastic parts on the fake have a fray at the edges.
There is no flash on the original.
The color of the wire and plastic parts is almost the same.

A fake headset sometimes does not respond to remote control presses.
If you twist the jack a little in the socket it starts to work.
I didn't notice this on the original.

The sound on the fake one is worse.

A separate question is whether the original headphones are worth the money we are asking for them?
They suit me perfectly because of the remote control, which is very necessary when listening to audiobooks in a foreign language.
It is not always possible to understand everything that is being read, so there is a need to rewind and listen again.
This eliminates the need to take the phone out of your pocket and make a bunch of unnecessary movements in crowded public transport.
Actually, both headsets are equally suitable for listening to audiobooks; the difference is either insignificant or not detected by me.
When listening to music the difference is very noticeable.

Conclusions: you can confidently distinguish a fake only after careful inspection and listening.
It is impossible to do this when purchasing from a photo; all external features are identical.
Be careful when purchasing. All the recommendations that I found on the Internet do not make it possible to distinguish the original from the fake. Except for listening.

“You can add information about operating experience.
The original headset, forgotten in a shirt pocket, was washed with a spin cycle, and despite this continues to serve properly.
Fake despite the fact that it has been used very little, it constantly glitches, the buttons on the remote control do not work or the sound disappears.
The original has been used for slaughter for more than 2 months and does not have any flaws."

No matter how high-quality Apple headphones are, sooner or later they may fail for various reasons. In this case, the question will arise about purchasing new “plugs”.

And this is where trouble can await the buyer. The fact is that now the market is full of unscrupulous sellers who, under the guise of original products, sell low-quality copies to unsuspecting buyers.

Today I would like to talk about how to distinguish original EarPods from fakes. It will be interesting!

Introduction

Today, the number of counterfeits of certain goods has perhaps reached its maximum. Apple headphones are no exception. Moreover, the Chinese have long had a love for Apple and produce copies of not only headsets, but also the devices themselves: iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.

In order to somehow help people and protect them from a low-quality product, we decided to write a small but useful “instruction” on how to distinguish original EarPods from fakes. While it's probably a little misleading to call this a "how-to", the information below is more like a few helpful tips. Anyway, no matter, let's get down to business!

Package

Packaging is the first thing that will help distinguish original EarPods from fakes. How? It's simple!

Just a few years ago, a fake could be recognized by what was missing on the back of the package. The original logo is always present. After some time, the Chinese realized their mistake and quickly corrected this omission. Although the low-quality box still gives off a cheap copy.

For original EarPods, the color of the headphones always matches the color of the packaging 100% - it is completely white, just like snow. But on a fake, if you look closely, you can notice a slight yellowness or a slightly grayish tint.

Moreover, on original headphones the top part of the box can be removed quite easily and effortlessly, while on fake headphones the lid is tight and requires a little fiddling to remove it. In addition, it will be useful to feel the box with your fingers for any rough areas or burrs. If such places exist, it means that this is a fake.

Appearance

The second tip on how to distinguish an original from a fake is the appearance of the “plugs”. Perhaps scammers will be able to make high-quality packaging or get a batch of original boxes somewhere, but they will not be able to completely replicate the original design.

Firstly, the wire of the original should be quite thick. Secondly, the material from which the shell is made is high-quality rubber, somewhat reminiscent of a soft-touch coating. Thirdly, the wire has good rigidity, due to which tangling occurs much less frequently.

If you pick up the headphones and none of the three listed signs match, it’s a copy. By the way, it’s also worth mentioning the length of the wires on the headphones themselves. Both the left and right plugs must have wires of the same length. And, of course, we must not forget about the shape of the earphone. On a fake it will be slightly elongated and slightly narrowed at the top.

It's all in the details

The next step in deciding how to distinguish original EarPods from fakes is to pay attention to the small elements. It’s worth starting with the designations of the left and right headphones. Very often these symbols are not put on copies, but, as a rule, this only happens on bad fakes.

The next thing worth looking at is the mesh on the earphone, which is located on the side. In the original, the fine perforated grille is very clearly visible, while in the fake sample it looks more and more like some kind of fabric.

You definitely need to look at the body of the earbuds. Their assembly should evoke a sense of integrity. There should be no seams or signs of connecting the two halves.

It will be useful to pay attention to the control panel. As a rule, even the highest quality copies are poorly assembled; gaps are visible between the two parts.

You also need to press the control buttons. On the original headphones they are pressed easily, but at the same time the response from pressing is very well felt with your finger. In a fake, on the contrary, you need to make an effort to click. There have also been cases where in cheap copies there were no control buttons on the remote control at all.

Sound

The last tip on how to distinguish fake EarPods from the original is to check the sound quality, if, of course, there is such an opportunity. A person who has listened to music at least once through original Apple headphones will immediately be able to recognize a fake even with his eyes closed.

As a rule, a copy, even the highest quality, produces a very weak and “plastic” sound. You can forget about bass and volume altogether, as well as about the noise reduction system. So, if you have the opportunity to listen to music through headphones in a store, then it’s better to take advantage of it.

Conclusion

That's basically all there is to it regarding how to distinguish original EarPods from fakes. By following these simple tips, everyone can protect themselves from buying a cheap and low-quality copy.

Remember that it is better to carefully check everything several times and buy a real thing than to buy a fake and be disappointed in the purchase.

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.

First of all, when buying EarPods in person, do not hesitate to examine, unpack and, of course, listen to the new headphones in order to save money and not stumble upon a fake. When buying original Apple EarPods for iPhone, pay close attention to all the details. Be sure to check the sound of the new headphones so as not to fall for a copy.

As we know, the inventive Chinese, who seemingly simply do not know the word “plagiarism,” have learned to counterfeit almost everything that is produced both in the Celestial Empire and abroad. Of course, this fate did not spare the Apple EarPods headphones, which were introduced about a year ago. During this time, counterfeits have also evolved, and if at the beginning of 2013 it was possible to distinguish a fake quite simply, now this can only be done by carefully examining the device or listening. It is quite difficult to determine from a photograph where is the original and where is the copy,At first glance, both headphones are identical in appearance, but this is only at first glance...

Buy original Apple EarPods for iPhone →

1 package

I would like to say that in the very first fakes there was no Apple logo on the back cover at all, and from this alone it was possible to determine that this was a fake; now this is practically not observed. But, nevertheless, if you look closely, there are differences - the color of the box and the color of the headphones themselves should be identical, for fake Chinese headphones they are often slightly different - the box is lighter than the headphones themselves. The box itself is not made of very high quality and closes quite tightly, so there are difficulties when opening it.

2) Wire

The original wire is thicker and more elastic, therefore stronger, and it will tangle less. The rubber casings in the form of a tube near the headphones themselves and the 3.5mm mini jack connector are soft and pleasant to the touch; by the way, very cheap fakes may not have a rubber tube at all. In addition, the length of the wire of the right and left earphones should be identical, and not differ even by a few mm. By the way, On original headphones, the wire should have the inscription “made in China”, or “made in Vietnam”, or “made in Brazil”.

3) Headphone shape

There are slight differences even in the shape of the earphone; the fake one is more elongated; in addition, the seam on the fake one is very noticeable, while on the original it is almost invisible. The mesh should be metal, not fabric, and the two round holes should be located exactly in the oval, and not be moved to one side.

4) Control panel

On the original, the gaps are barely noticeable, unlike the copy, the buttons are pressed without any effort, and the clicks are practically inaudible, but you can feel them with your fingers; by the way, in a fake, the buttons sometimes don’t work at all.

5) Sound

The most important thing about headphones is their sound. The sound quality in the original EarPods and the fake ones is very different, as you understand, not in the direction of the Chinese copy. Fake headphones have terrible sound, they are practically devoid of bass and volume, and it is better not to listen to your favorite songs in them, so as not to get upset. When recording with a microphone or communicating through a headset, your interlocutor will hear a hoarse sound. Naturally, we are also not talking about noise smoothing in non-original headphones.

In general, we can conclude that the fake headphones are inferior to the originals in all respects, and if in the design the Chinese tried to create at least some semblance of similarity, then as for their sound, they didn’t bother at all, putting in the “stuffing” from cheap headphones for a pair dollars, passing them off as an Apple product. If you can still talk on the phone or listen to audio books, then you will get absolutely no pleasure from music. Still, you can best distinguish Fake from the original only by listening, because although there are many external differences, they are not so obvious and are not immediately noticeable.

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!