How to Check for Fake AirPods Pro (Gen 2)?

kaleidoscope on 08/08/2023 - 17:56
Last edited 08/08/2023 - 17:57 by 1 other user

G'day,
Making this post as a PSA to potentially help people spot counterfeit Airpods pro 2 sold in marketplace / ebay or so.

So the story is, I've seen alot of listing for airpods pro 2 on marketplace recently and knowing it's too good to be true, spent $100 on a listing to see how bad they are. I thought they were going to be complete trash from opening except I also found it very convincing after trying them on for about half a day or so. Here's my observations.

*For the purpose of this experiment, I do have gen 1 original airpods pro bought from apple and the gen 2 (fake) bought from marketplace for comparison.

Things that checked out

  • looks really identical to the real deal (packaging, airpods themselves compared with my gen 1 bought from Apple) and everything looked very neat including the charge cable.
  • pairs with iPhone and mac as if it were original (same wizard for pairing and other controls available post-pairing).
  • noise cancellation seems to be working although when compared with my original gen 1 it seems weaker.
  • sound quality is really good and comparable to gen 1 ( I don't own gen 2 product to do side by side comparison first hand)
  • serial number checks out with warranty remaining shown until 1st Aug 2024 which is around the same time frame I bought it and the seller mentioned it was opened a week ago and also it shows apple care+ eligibility till 1st Sep 23.
  • wireless charging, lightening port all works well too
  • Works on "find my" app from apple, case and each airpod plays a sound in lost mode etc..
  • Starting with iOS 16, Apple has added verification to show warnings for fake airpods. All my devices that I paired this fake ones are running 16.5 and nothing of this sort showed up
  • Using it for half a day or so, battery drain seemed similar to my gen1

Here are the few things that did not check out

  • Does not pair with a second device on the same apple account automatically (I paired to my phone, and to get it to work on ipad, i had to re-pair it manually, and by then iPhone's pairing seemed to be deleted on the airpods)
  • Individual weights of each airpod and the case (as per specifications given by Apple. I used a coffee bean scale which is accurate to 0.1g or so they say). They were shy of 1gram for each airpod and about 5g for the case. In comparison I did the same test with my gen 1 set and they were very close to the apple's spec (pods weighed about 0.5g more I suspect due to dirt and wax or could be larger sized rubber seal)
  • Overly sensitive touch controls on the airpods for pause and volume up/down
  • Tray on which the airpods is kept in the box is plastic (not cardboard)
  • The tear marking at the back for the seal is not clean separation compared to gen 1 i have
  • The lid for the case when pushed to the side against hinges makes a clicky sound (gen 1 lid does not move or make any sound and stays intact)

Here is another video I found on youtube comparing. It's how I picked up the plastic vs cardboard tray, but others seemed alright.

Now, I did this all as an experiment, and I was somewhat blown away by how far these fake products have come and there are not very easy ways to spot them other than buying from very reputable retailers. But lets face it. Lot of us buy and sell things on marketplace. When it's time for an upgrade I too will look into selling the airpods gen 1 I have on marketplace. Then it becomes a question if selling how do you convince your buyers it's the real deal? For buying how do you know if seller is offering authentic product when it comes to airpods? Any ideas to add to this post are mostly welcome and I think might help anyone looking for a deal on MP :)

Cheers!

Electrical & Electronics Apple Bluetooth Earphones Earphones

Comments

  • bobbified on 08/08/2023 - 19:04
    -2

    There's a good chance that the fakes are from the same factory that the genuine ones come out of.

    • cauilfield on 08/08/2023 - 20:32
      -1

      highly unlikely.

      • bobbified on 09/08/2023 - 11:19
        +1

        Why not?

        The company often gives a certain number of official labels/stickers to the manufacturer to manufacture their "genuine" product. It doesn't stop the manufacturer from making more and then selling it in the market. I've see it happen first hand at different factories with a number of different items, like clothing. The items are exactly the same and from the same place, but one has a proper label and the other doesn't.

        • pharkurnell on 09/08/2023 - 12:12

          Exactly…
          they punch out 50,000 for the order, and 50,000 for themselves..

  • [Deactivated] on 08/08/2023 - 19:07

    Then it becomes a question if selling how do you convince your buyers it's the real deal?

    Tax invoice

    • kaleidoscope on 08/08/2023 - 19:25

      Yes but these can be faked too perhaps?

      For mine ofcourse I can present the invoice sent by email. But I mean in general faking an invoice won't be too difficult is my understanding.

  • FlipperMeTimbers on 08/08/2023 - 19:44
    +2

    I've heard the only thing fake Airpods can't do is magically switch between iPhone and Mac. You say that it can't switch between your iPhone and iPad so maybe the things you're looking at are fake. Best bet is searching up "Can fake airpods continuity switch between iphone and ipad".

    • kaleidoscope on 08/08/2023 - 23:04

      Yes that did not work for me with fake ones. Plus the other few things like weight and other things.

  • z z on 08/08/2023 - 22:17
    +3

    I think the other way is to look at whether the seller is a genuine Apple Reseller. If the deal seems too good to be true (and/or if they're not a genuine reseller), they stay clear.

  • DoctorCalculon on 08/08/2023 - 23:13

    OP, what do you see when you check the serial number on this site?
    https://checkcoverage.apple.com/

  • DoctorCalculon on 08/08/2023 - 23:15
    +1

    I should also add just because the serial number checks out on the Apple website above, doesn't mean it hasn't been stolen from a genuine device.

    • kaleidoscope on 08/08/2023 - 23:27

      Yeap certainly can be stolen. In my case the seller did mention he opened it earlier this week or so and that seemed to go with the available coverage from website.

      • DoctorCalculon on 09/08/2023 - 00:06
        -1

        Far out. It is fake but the serial number seems to check out okay.

        In my case the seller did mention he opened it earlier this week or so and that seemed to go with the available coverage from website.

        Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to sync the fake AirPods Pro 2 to a valid S/N.

        Starting with iOS 16, Apple has added verification(ioshacker.com) to show warnings for fake airpods. All my devices that I paired this fake ones are running 16.5 and nothing of this sort showed up

        Also, no warnings from iOS16 devices. WTF!?!

        Could you please post photos of these alleged fake AirPods 2?

        • cauilfield on 09/08/2023 - 09:07
          +2

          When I was in China last year I have tested 10 different fake models of the AirPods Pro 2 and all went through apples verification successfully.

          ANC was close to nothing though

        • kaleidoscope on 09/08/2023 - 09:13

          Also, no warnings from iOS16 devices. WTF!?!

          I know… If latest version of OS can't verify then I don't know how can a normal person would be able to find these 🤷‍♂️

          Could you please post photos of these alleged fake AirPods 2?

          Here you go. If you know a better way to upload a series of images suitable for ozb lemme know and I'll amend.
          - There is also a photo of the defect on lid which I've mentioned in post above.
          - It might seem the first "Not your Airpods Pro" seems a give-away, it's also a legit message when your airpods are paired to a different apple account (in my case another comp)

          https://ibb.co/FwsKPfF
          https://ibb.co/Qn1XSNw
          https://ibb.co/xCsTKBQ
          https://ibb.co/P92JgSz
          https://ibb.co/93sWCb0
          https://ibb.co/sPfWq34
          https://ibb.co/QNy3JYp
          https://ibb.co/chy2FMF
          https://ibb.co/5KCCGY1
          https://ibb.co/bmvXh2Y

          • DoctorCalculon on 09/08/2023 - 12:13

            @kaleidoscope: I am trying to work out in my head how they are lifting the serial number from a genuine Air Pods Pro 2nd Gen, and encoding that into the fake device firmware.

            This would literally have to be an inside job, IMHO.

            • kaleidoscope on 09/08/2023 - 13:16

              @DoctorCalculon:

              how they are lifting the serial number from a genuine Air Pods Pro 2nd Gen, and encoding that into the fake device firmware

              Firmware is the least of my worries, because it can be re-flashed perhaps. In addition the s/n is printed everywhere as well (both buds, inside the case and ofcourse the packaging). Scary I'd say.

              My assumption is that they lift the genuine s/n during or in between manufactor and being shipped to retailers and make bunch of fakes one with that (S/N is displayed on packaging so they don't need to break open). Track the real s/n to go active and release the fake ones.

              • DoctorCalculon on 10/08/2023 - 09:59

                @kaleidoscope:

                Track the real s/n to go active and release the fake ones.

                That is going to a lot of trouble to sell one $50 fake AirPods Pro 2 (unless they have automated the entire faking process somehow).

  • dandandan on 08/08/2023 - 23:28
    +1

    Are you sure they are fake if the serial number and warranty comes up, on the video for the fake ones it doesn't?

    serial number checks out with warranty remaining shown until 1st Aug 2024 which is around the same time frame I bought it and the seller mentioned it was opened a week ago and also it shows apple care+ eligibility till 1st Sep 23.

    • kaleidoscope on 09/08/2023 - 11:10

      The vid is 9 months ago, these fake ones seem to be from a later version after that. So looks like whoever made these are few steps ahead of what else is out there.

  • YouSirName on 08/08/2023 - 23:30
    +1

    $100 well spent!

  • ForkSnorter on 09/08/2023 - 05:00
    +3

    I have some fake AirPods Pro (given to me). They are OK, but definitely fake. Noise quality is pretty good, but not what I'd expect from super-expensive earphones. Noise cancellation is non-existent. Recognized by iPhone and iPad, but can't automatically switch to one or the other, has to be done manually. Box looks real at a distance but is clearly fake closeup.

    Where you say "noise cancellation seems to be working", are you sure that's not just the noise-blocking that comes from sealing your ear with a piece of silicon?

    • kaleidoscope on 09/08/2023 - 09:16

      Where you say "noise cancellation seems to be working", are you sure that's not just the noise-blocking that comes from sealing your ear with a piece of silicon?

      No there is a definite cut back of the noise when its switched on vs off. But as I said it's a weak cut off of noise compared to the gen1 I have experience with. For someone that doesn't have any prior experience, how could you tell :|

  • lint on 09/08/2023 - 10:21

    Going by your experience, there's probably a lot of these being brought to the Genius Bar and getting replaced with new/refurb genuine ones since I doubt the Apple Geniuses would be able to tell the difference either.

    • kaleidoscope on 09/08/2023 - 10:50

      Yeah i’d suspect the same. The only thing is because its the same serial number for many fake ones, it’ll get flagged for late comers

    • cauilfield on 09/08/2023 - 10:50

      I doubt, as they can easily ping the customer and report fraud afterwards.

      • lint on 09/08/2023 - 12:24

        My assumption is rather than an organised attempt to swap fake ones for real ones, there are people who are oblivious they bought fakes and bring them in when the fakes fail.

  • iCandy on 09/08/2023 - 13:17
    +1

    Scammers are buying luxury handbags in USA (eg Prada) from luxury stores then returning a fake. The sales assistants aren’t authenticators so take back the fake and onsell it. The scanner gets a luxury bag and the money back. This is now happening everywhere on all products. I don’t know how brands can fix this.

    • askbargain on 09/08/2023 - 14:02

      Blockchain and AI duh

  • askbargain on 09/08/2023 - 14:03

    Buy AppleCare+, chuck it into the washing machine, get a new real set.

  • Muscat84 on 13/08/2023 - 18:27

    im looking for a new pair and would actually get a pair of these if theyre good. would u recommend them despite it not being authentic?

    • kaleidoscope on 13/08/2023 - 20:06

      Sound quality is good enough and the battery + other software features. Given they are identical in size you will be able to get any covers and other accessories for them easily.

      However I personally use mine with multiple devices (phone/ ipad/ mac/ switch/ tv…) and the fakes ones did not seem to switch sources but if that’s not a need for you I think they would be okay.

      Keep in mind though next version of ios might have improvements to detect the non authentic ones and may or may not cause problems.

      • Muscat84 on 14/08/2023 - 13:41

        how similar is the sound quality from 1-10 to actual airpods? also when u say switch sources, do u mean like they cant switch automatically when ur using ur ipad and iphone at the same time?

        • kaleidoscope on 14/08/2023 - 14:54

          So with original ones say you’re wearing your airpods and then you unlock your ipad or mac and it auto switches to the device or if you turn on your apple tv, it says press the button on tv remote to connect to your airpods (from tv). If it doesnt work, you can go into bluetooth and manually connect to them (different apple id mac such as work mac or device such as switch)

          With fake ones, this did not work. I had to reactivate pairing mode on them to switch to other device.

          For audio quality, i’m no expert to comment on highs lows and mid and others, but for my ears they were really on par with clarity, loudness and sound stage. Features like head tracking and 3d audio did not work.

          • Muscat84 on 14/08/2023 - 15:07

            @kaleidoscope: so each time i wanna connect it to another device i gotta go through the pairing process? but if im mostly just using it on my phone then it’ll just connect automatically right

            • kaleidoscope on 14/08/2023 - 16:01

              @Muscat84:

              so each time i wanna connect it to another device i gotta go through the pairing process

              This has been my experience so far

              but if im mostly just using it on my phone then it’ll just connect automatically right

              Correct. It auto connects to last device without an issue.

              • Muscat84 on 14/08/2023 - 18:17

                @kaleidoscope: would all the ones in marketplace be the same model like yours? found a guy who dropped the price from $150 to $40 after telling him i wouldnt pay upwards of $100 for a fake pair. worried that his might model might be a worser one

                • kaleidoscope on 14/08/2023 - 22:22

                  @Muscat84: I can't comment on if you will be getting the same ones as I did because there seem to be so many versions of them out there. I'd say be upfront about what you're after and try before buying… Anyone thats not open about them isnt worth buying from. GL.

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