Fake $95 AirPods Pro vs. Real AirPods Pro

[MacRumors]

Apple just released the AirPods Pro in late October, but there are already a bunch of knockoffs and replicas on the market to appeal to those who might not be able to afford the $250 asking price of the AirPods Pro.

We picked up the $95 i500 Pro TWS Earbuds, a set of AirPods Pro replicas that are remarkably similar in design to Apple's real AirPods Pro and that even advertise some of the same features, like Apple's proprietary H1 chip. In the photos and videos below, the real AirPods are on the left.

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Price wise, these fakes are $95, which is almost half the price of the AirPods Pro. That's super expensive for a knockoff, so before reading on, know that we do not recommend purchasing these fakes or any fake AirPods Pro models because you're never going to get the feature set, sound quality, and build quality that you get from Apple's own earbuds.

When it comes to design, the Air i500 Pro TWS look identical to the AirPods Pro. The earbuds themselves are similar to the AirPods Pro with almost no design deviations, and there's even a matching Wireless Charging Case that wirelessly charges the case itself and the fake AirPods inside.

Just looking at the Air i500 Pro TWS next to AirPods, you're probably not going to be able to tell the difference between the two. There are some minor design discrepancies so they're not totally identical, but if you're not inspecting them up close side by side, it's tough to tell. The Air i500 Pro earbuds do feel lighter and the lid feels a bit different in use, but again, most people might not notice.

On the website, the fake earbuds claim to have a Qualcomm chip and Apple's proprietary H1 chip that allows for quick swapping between devices, simple setup, "Hey Siri" functionality, and more, and these features do appear to work. We don't know if it's a copy of the H1 chip and there are rumors floating around that the company is using spoofed MAC addresses, but functionally, these have some of the AirPods Pro tech on the surface.

Connecting is similar to AirPods Pro in that you just need to open the case and then hold down a button on the back, and when connecting, a battery level indicator pops up on the iPhone just like the real thing. Battery levels are even displayed inside of the battery widget in the Today portion of the notification interface.

Wireless charging works, "Hey Siri" is functional, music playback pauses when an earbud is taken out of the ear, and battery life seems to be similar to real AirPods Pro, but the similarities end there. The i500 Pro TWS has no force sensor and does not support squeeze gestures, and the key AirPods Pro feature - active noise cancellation - is not included.

There are zero noise cancellation features and there's no Transparency mode either, though there is a decent seal within the ear. Sound quality isn't terrible, but it doesn't measure up to the AirPods Pro or the standard AirPods. There's little bass and too much treble, and the sound is not as crisp and clear as the sound from the actual AirPods.

Superficially, the Air i500 Pro TWS look like the AirPods Pro, but functionally, these have none of the "Pro" features that make the AirPods Pro a worthwhile purchase. We don't recommend spending $95 on a knockoff version of the AirPods, but these earbuds do provide an interesting look at how far companies will go to make fake Apple products.

Article Link: Fake $95 AirPods Pro vs. Real AirPods Pro

 

[oneMadRssn]

If it connects like the real thing and Hey Siri works, I think that mean they've successfully reverse-engineered or cloned the H1 chip.

 

[AngerDanger]

If it connects like the real thing and Hey Siri works, I think that mean they've successfully reverse-engineered or cloned the H1 chip.

They first managed to a while ago with knockoff AirPods.

I had a pair for a while until I got curious, and, well…

 

[evansls]

Why doesn't anyone knock off Microsoft's (now delayed) "Surface Earbuds"? Oh, right... because they look like giant gauge earrings in your ear. 😂

 

[Babu Life]

95 dollars for almost real... not bad

 

[SDJim]

This is good to know for anyone who might be lured into buying a second-hand set as a Christmas gift without the original packaging.

 

[rpmurray]

Has ifixit done a teardown yet to see if these are easier to repair and replace batteries in than the real thing?

 

[ouimetnick]

I bought some fake AirPods back in February of this year from Wish. Paid like $40 shipped. A month later they showed up. The charging case doesn’t charge them with out being on a wireless charger on plugged in, and the cover on the case was super flimsy (since snapped off) and the battery life isn’t as good as real AirPods. BUT THEY WERE $40.

The case supports wireless charging (works well actually) and the sound is better than the AirPods. They fall out of my ears (just like the real deal) and they are quicker when you tap to pause/play. I think they are called the TWS i10. I’d recommend these over the $199 wireless charging AirPods unless you like the tighter integration of the real product. Also real AirPods come with a 1 year warranty and use genuine batteries.. Can't really speak for safety with these.

I can’t speak for these new knock offs though. I don’t understand why greedy Tim Apple couldn’t have replaced the $159 AirPods with the new AirPods with wireless charging case. $40 for wireless charging? Steve Jobs didn’t increase the price of the iPod nano when Apple added video play back to the 3rd gen in 2007. He didn’t increase the price when they added video recording in 2009. iPhone pricing stayed the same until recently. Jobs would never have offered good, better, best. He just offered the best he could at the affordable well known and liked price points.

$149 should get you AirPods with wireless charging and the non wireless charging should be discontinued. AirPods Pro should be $199. Period.

 

[Slash787]

Apple should reduce the price to $180 or 200.

 

[alexandr]

these will go along quite nicely with your rolox.

 

[The Game 161]

Apple should reduce the price to $180 or 200.

why? wouldn't make sense for them to do that when it will sell like crazy at the current prices

 

[ouimetnick]

why? wouldn't make sense for them to do that when it will sell like crazy at the current prices

You are unfortunately correct. I’d like to see them priced to be more affordable, but if they are selling like hot cakes, why would Apple reduce their price?

 

[FightTheFuture]

Be careful out there guys - these are floating around on Craigslist, LetGo and OfferUp between $150-200. The box looks exactly like the AirPods Pro box, and even has serial number stickers that check out. Think about it - if people shouldn't have to sell them after they've been released only a few weeks ago, they should be able to just return it.

I bought some fake AirPods back in February of this year from Wish. Paid like $40 shipped. A month later they showed up. The charging case doesn’t charge them with out being on a wireless charger on plugged in, and the cover on the case was super flimsy (since snapped off) and the battery life isn’t as good as real AirPods. BUT THEY WERE $40.

Why are you complaining about the price of AirPods and AirPods Pro if you're happy with $40 knock offs?

 

[coolfactor]

Mind blowing how they are able to replicate these so quickly. Or there's a compromise in the manufacturing chain that's allowing Chinese companies to begin work on their knockoffs much sooner.

I still think it's shameful how they carbon-copy the real deal and still sleep soundly at night.

 

[DTphonehome]

I suspect there will be an iOS update at some point that will block the H1-like functionality.

 

[ouimetnick]

Be careful out there guys - these are floating around on Craigslist, LetGo and OfferUp between $150-200. The box looks exactly like the AirPods Pro box, and even has serial number stickers that check out. Think about it - if people shouldn't have to sell them after they've been released only a few weeks ago, they should be able to just return it.


Why are you complaining about the price of AirPods and AirPods Pro if you're happy with $40 knock offs?

Who said that these knock offs are as well built as the real deal or have the same tight integration with an iPhone like the real ones do...? I certainly don’t recall saying that. Also the knockoff units have a funny (probably cancerous) smell to them. I’d gladly spend $100 more to get the real deal.

 

[iBluetooth]

Apple should reduce the price to $180 or 200.

Why? They have to double the production when selling at current price. If they can't fulfil orders, why lower the price?

 

[ignatius345]

The part I'm most curious about is the fake (spoofed?) H1 chip. I have two pairs of non-Apple Bluetooth headphones and it would be such a huge convenience if they had some kind of auto-pairing with Apple products. I guess Apple would block it from happening if they can, but I'd be psyched to see H1-like functionality pop up in more 'phones.

 

[mcdj]

Always amazed at how readily MR gives publicity to illegal IP thieves. Surprised Apple has never asked you to stop highlighting garbage knockoffs.

 

[now i see it]

I wonder what country they're made in

 

[Veinticinco]

If these were made in any other country, they’d be hit with cease and desist letters and then police raids. Being China however, Cook’s overlords will as always turn a blind eye to knockoffs.

 

[Herrpod]

Why would anyone care if the sound quality matches Apple's when Apple's sound quality has always been mediocre at best?

 

[rodedwards]

Apple seem to be trying to become a designer brand. If these are like Beats Headphones, they are a rip off ... "According to The New York Times, reports that according to headphone experts, a pair of Beats could cost as little as $14 to make. Yep, even while the cheapest price you can pay for a pair is $199.99, and the most expensive is available for $699.99."

 

[Yojimbo007]

No cure for blatant shamelessness!

it is quite easy to tell them apart from the chrome ring at the bottom of the stem.

 

[44267547]

Story here:

My friend that I go to the gym with, really wanted a pair of AirPod Pros, (which we all know have a constraint right now and are overly popular given its new features). So he comes up to me and says yesterday m “Hey, I just ordered the new AirPods for $98” for a Black Friday special. And of course I automatically questioned him where he found AirPod Pros for ‘$98’ and he said on ‘DDCMacMall.com.’ So I automatically tell him he was scammed and there’s no way you would find legitimate AirPod Pros for $98, not even when they’re hardly in stock right now.I told him to call his bank, stop the transaction if it hasn’t been processed.

So doing a bit of background research, the website was actually taken down, probably because it was either A.] Reported or B.] The site owner received an extreme amount of orders.

Anyways, as easy as it may sound to avoid something that’s ‘too good to be true’, there are people who fall for these types of things. _Always_ do your research/homework in terms of site security/domain, where you’re ordering the product, do they have a legitimate contact us/customer service out reach? Ect, Even Google the website, Where others might be reporting feedback if it’s legitimate or not.