

How Do $40 Fake AirPods Compare to the Real Thing?

We tested them out so you don't have to.

How Do $40 Fake AirPods Compare to the Real Thing?

You’ve probably seen Apple’s trendy AirPods and wondered whether they were worth the hype (and price). With good battery life, super-convenient recharging (their case is a charger!), and easy pairing to iOS devices, they excelled in the Good Housekeeping Institute tests to find the best wireless headphones. Plus, real testers and consumers swear by them.

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But at $159, the cost is steep. A few GH consumer testers also mentioned that Apple AirPods don't always feel the most secure in their ears. And for that price, you don’t want to be constantly worried about losing one mid-run.

That’s why you may have also started to see more fake AirPods on the market — maybe without even knowing it. “Inspired” clothing, knock-off bags, and imitation perfumes have long been an issue, but now it's all about low-price, look-alike tech. On a typical day in 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported seizing $3.7 million worth of counterfeit products due to Intellectual Property Rights violations.

That's why it's not surprising that a few searches on Amazon will bring up dozens of listings for fake AirPods. At around $40, the counterfeit headphones look almost identical to real Apple AirPods, with the same true wireless style and sleek charging case. Sure they look legitimate, but do they perform the same as the real deal? We bought two pairs of fake AirPods on Amazon to see how they compare to Apple AirPods. Here's what we found.

How good are fake AirPods?

“Part of the brilliance of Apple AirPods is that they sync so seamlessly and quickly with other Apple products,” explains Rachel Rothman, GH chief technologist. “This definitely won't be as easy when they are not actual Apple products.”

While our fake AirPods claimed to connect automatically, we had to manually pair the two earpieces, which proved tricky. Once paired, an iPhone actually recognized one of the pairs as legitimate Apple AirPods. But once they were connected, we weren’t able to access any of the other features that are available with the Apple version.

While the sound quality was decent overall, it wasn’t consistent and some songs sounded better than others. A few times during testing, they randomly connected to the phone while they were still charging in the case.

How can you tell if you have fake AirPods vs. real?

If you want real AirPods, buy them from Apple, Best Buy or on Amazon (just make sure Apple is the authorized seller). At first glance, counterfeit wireless earpieces and charging cases can look strikingly similar to Apple AirPods, but as Cher Horowitz famously said in the 1995 cult-classic, Clueless, the fake earbuds are a full-on Monet — "From far away, it's okay, but up close it's a big ol' mess."

Once in your hands, fakes are pretty easy to spot thanks to sloppy packaging and missing or faulty features. The earpieces themselves feel slightly heavier. One pair had misaligned speaker covers and while the boxes suggest otherwise, neither pair had any Left or Right labeling.

Item listing: Watch out for a less-than-professional description and unusually low prices — both are a pretty strong indicator that you might be dealing with a fake. Many sellers use the same stock photos for their listings, so it’s difficult to determine if what you're getting is different than what's being advertised.

fake airpods review
One of the many fake AirPods listings we found on Amazon.

Packaging: Both pairs of fake AirPods we purchased had multiple typos on their packaging and user manual. We immediately noticed that one of the charging cases had a few visible dirty spots. Again, not the best sign.

fake airpods review
You won’t be winning any spelling bees with "antomaticaly."
Nicole Saporita

Faulty additions: Each fake pair came with a simple plastic insert, a case with two earpieces, an extremely short charging cord.

Buttons: The fakes have physical buttons on the sides — likely because they aren’t using the same sensors as Apple AirPods and instead need more internal hardware. Unlike real Apple AirPods, which have no physical buttons, you need these buttons to turn the headphones on and pair the two earpieces.

Charging capabilities: Authentic Apple AirPods' case can be charged via Lighting port (the same charger as your iPhone or iPad). While one of the fake AirPod pairs had the same port, the other one had a micro-USB port, meaning you’d need to get an extra (non-Apple) chargers on-hand. Neither of the fakes were able to charge wirelessly like second generation Apple AirPods.

Price: The old adage holds true: If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

fake airpods review
The seemingly new headphones arrived with dirt on the inside of the plastic-wrapped charging case.
Nicole Saporita

Are fake AirPods on Amazon safe?

No matter what the electronic item is, everything can pose some sort of safety risk. That’s why GH engineers always recommend buying products directly from reputable manufacturers, like Apple, Samsung or Sony, all companies that adhere to safety-testing.

When deciding what to buy, look for safety emblems by UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or ETL (Electrical Testing Laboratories). These third-party labs test to strict safety standards, and part of what they do is ensure that electrical items don’t pose fire or shock hazards. Look for the UL mark on the product itself and the ETL emblem on the product, packaging, and user manual.

Not there? Check UL's site to see if they’re certified, since some items don’t require labelling. Still can’t find confirmation? Return it ASAP. Remember that just like fake products, fake emblems exist, and it can be tough to tell what’s real when you’re not buying from a well-known brand.

Should you buy AirPod knockoffs?

It's not worth the risk. There’s no knowing how long they’ll last and if you do run into an issue, you’ll most likely be on your own when it comes to tech support or financial recourse — especially if the seller or product page is completely removed from Amazon!

Consider that just days after we purchased fake AirPods, both listings were deleted. Clicking on the listings in Past Orders simply redirects to an Amazon error page. That's likely due to Project Zero, Amazon's recent initiative to combat counterfeit goods.

Within one day, tons of AirPods listings get removed only to have new, seemingly identical ones appear in no time. So when that listing for the fake AirPods gets taken down, so do your chances of any returns, refunds, or accountability. If AirPods are just too expensive to stomach, we also love Skullcandy Ink'd Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds for less than $50.

Bottom line: Don’t waste your money on fake AirPods. Overall, the quality just isn’t there and it's not worth the risk.

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