This is a good price, and Iâm tempted, but there are soooo many fakes out there, Iâm hesitant. Theyâll often come in legit-looking packaging, and have firmware that pretends to be legit, even right down to having a valid serial number, but there are a few things you can watch out for:
Any kind of plastic on outside of the ear cups upon opening. Apple doesnât put any on there, third party fakes usually have a jagged-edged protective sheet on each ear. (This might not be diagnostic for these, as theyâre not listed as new, but if I saw plastic sheets with triangle-cut edges, Iâd start off thinking âfakeâ.)
Weird capitalization or misspellings on the box. (Just saw that these ship in a âcustom padded brown boxâ, so thatâs outâŚ)
âHey Siriâ not working.
The âDigital Crownâ; The little volume knob should turn smoothly at all times, if thereâs varying resistance and/or it physically âclicksâ at certain points while rotating, theyâre fake.
Good luck to anyone brave enough to try these!
I purchased some of the refurb ones over a year or so ago - looked new and mostly happy. Apple software recognizes them as real. That said, I am only getting about 10ish hours of battery life as opposed to the 20ish hours you are supposed to. You were able to get a battery replacement for $125 I think and I have not gone that route yet as I am âokâ with the 1/2 battery life for 1/2 retail price.