'Bean Sprout Tips Empty'... Inside the 50,000 Won Fake AirPods, the Details Were Different

Inside View of CT Scanner
AirPods Neatly Packed, Counterfeits Sloppily Made

Apple's wireless earphones, 'AirPods,' have many so-called 'knockoff products' that closely resemble their appearance. Knockoff AirPods are often sold at prices as low as 50,000 won, which is up to six times cheaper than the AirPods Pro, priced around 300,000 won.

Most of these knockoff products are made in China and lure consumers with appearances almost indistinguishable from genuine AirPods and their low prices. But what about their internal structure? Recently, 'Lumafield,' a company specializing in industrial CT scanners, published internal imaging of genuine AirPods and knockoff AirPods.

Genuine Apple AirPods (far left) and counterfeit product (right) [Image source=Lumafield]

The difference between knockoff and genuine products is clearly revealed in the CT scan images. Apple's AirPods have all components densely packed, and the assembly quality is flawless without any gaps.

In contrast, knockoff AirPods have a sparse component configuration. Various wires are tangled here and there, and the overall assembly structure is sloppy compared to the genuine ones. Some products even have empty spaces without any components.

John Brunner, Marketing Director at Lumafield, wrote on the official X account, "We compared genuine AirPods and fake AirPods using a CT scanner," and explained, "You can see that the AirPods Pro have all components efficiently and densely installed."

Apple 3rd generation AirPods. The so-called 'counterfeit product' sold for 50,000 won closely resembles the appearance, making it difficult to distinguish.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He added, "The AirPods Pro are a marvel of miniaturization from an engineering perspective," and pointed out, "It is not easy for other companies to imitate Apple's unique precise design and structure."

However, it is not easy for the general public to distinguish genuine AirPods from knockoffs just by appearance. For this reason, Apple provides an online 'Check Coverage' service to verify authenticity. By entering the serial number of Apple products such as iPhones and AirPods, the service informs users of the product's service coverage. If the entered serial number is not recognized, there is a high possibility that the product is fake.