How to tell if AirPods are fake

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A3063), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

A fine, tightly-woven oval acoustic mesh sits flush and uniform with a clean metal rim; no glue.

Coarse or uneven mesh, a circular (not oval) grille, mesh recessed/bulging, or visible glue residue around the rim.

Five tip sizes including a distinctive XXS; tips are foam-infused with a clean oval acoustic mesh and a firm click onto the nozzle.

Only 3–4 tip sizes, no XXS, plain silicone (no foam feel), or tips that fit loosely.

A small optical heart-rate sensor window integrated into the in-ear face, cleanly seated and symmetric between buds.

Missing sensor window, a painted-on dummy, or asymmetric/again-glued optics.

Cleanly machined USB-C port, symmetric bottom speaker holes, a side lanyard loop, and an etched serial inside the lid. IP57 build feels dense and matte.

Rough port, uneven/missing speaker holes, absent lanyard loop, an ink-printed serial, or a light hollow case.

Polished stainless-steel hinge plate. The 'Designed by Apple in California' text is laser-etched in Apple's proprietary narrow font: letter 'C' is narrow with a straight vertical left side; glyphs are narrow, crisp, and light-grey.

Wide/round generic font: letter 'C' is rounded/circular, letterforms are wider and fatter, ink-printed or thick strokes, or chromy/loose metal hinge plate.

Exact text structure matching reference: the left cavity contains 3 lines (Serial Number, Model Axxxx, Assembled in origin); the right cavity contains input/output power ratings (5V=1A, mAh/Wh) and compliance symbols. Text is laser-etched in ultra-fine light grey font.

Mismatched text structure (e.g. input/output text in left cavity, wrong line count, extra/missing paragraphs, different information architecture), bold black ink printing, or wrong font/spacing.

The Serial Number on the box label matches the Serial Number laser-etched inside the charging case lid.

Conflicting serial numbers across components (e.g. box label serial differs from case lid serial), indicating mixed or counterfeit parts.

'AirPods Pro' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A3063, A3064, A3065, A3122) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A3063, A3064, A3065, A3122), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A2931 / A3047), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

A fine, tightly-woven oval acoustic mesh sits flush and uniform with a clean metal rim; no glue.

Coarse or uneven mesh, a circular (not oval) grille, mesh recessed/bulging, or visible glue residue around the rim.

Subtle force-sensor indent with a defined seam; a firm quiet click for press, plus a swipe-sensitive strip for volume.

Flat or exaggerated indent, misaligned seam, hollow rattly click, or no swipe response.

Cleanly machined Lightning (2022) or USB-C (2023) port, symmetric speaker holes, side lanyard loop, and an etched serial inside the lid.

Rough port edges, uneven/missing speaker holes, absent lanyard loop, or an ink-printed serial.

Polished stainless-steel hinge plate. The 'Designed by Apple in California' text is laser-etched in Apple's proprietary narrow font: letter 'C' is narrow with a straight vertical left side; glyphs are narrow, crisp, and light-grey.

Wide/round generic font: letter 'C' is rounded/circular, letterforms are wider and fatter, ink-printed or thick strokes, or chromy/loose metal hinge plate.

Exact text structure matching reference: the left cavity contains 3 lines (Serial Number, Model Axxxx, Assembled in origin); the right cavity contains input/output power ratings (5V=1A, mAh/Wh) and compliance symbols. Text is laser-etched in ultra-fine light grey font.

Mismatched text structure (e.g. input/output text in left cavity, wrong line count, extra/missing paragraphs, different information architecture), bold black ink printing, or wrong font/spacing.

The Serial Number on the box label matches the Serial Number laser-etched inside the charging case lid.

Conflicting serial numbers across components (e.g. box label serial differs from case lid serial), indicating mixed or counterfeit parts.

'AirPods Pro' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A2931, A2699, A2698, A2700, A3047, A3048, A3049, A2968) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A2931, A2699, A2698, A2700, A3047, A3048, A3049, A2968), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A2084), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

A fine, tightly-woven oval acoustic mesh sits flush and uniform with a clean metal rim; no glue.

Coarse or uneven mesh, a circular (not oval) grille, mesh recessed/bulging, or visible glue residue around the rim.

Precisely machined oval vent slots at consistent positions on both buds; clean circular mic ports.

Missing vents, rough/oversized holes, left/right asymmetry, or cosmetic dimples that aren't real vents.

Cleanly machined Lightning port, front status LED, matte case ~45 g. No lanyard loop.

A USB-C port (wrong for this generation), rough port, off-center LED, or a hollow light case.

Polished stainless-steel hinge plate. The 'Designed by Apple in California' text is laser-etched in Apple's proprietary narrow font: letter 'C' is narrow with a straight vertical left side; glyphs are narrow, crisp, and light-grey.

Wide/round generic font: letter 'C' is rounded/circular, letterforms are wider and fatter, ink-printed or thick strokes, or chromy/loose metal hinge plate.

Exact text structure matching reference: the left cavity contains 3 lines (Serial Number, Model Axxxx, Assembled in origin); the right cavity contains input/output power ratings (5V=1A, mAh/Wh) and compliance symbols. Text is laser-etched in ultra-fine light grey font.

Mismatched text structure (e.g. input/output text in left cavity, wrong line count, extra/missing paragraphs, different information architecture), bold black ink printing, or wrong font/spacing.

The Serial Number on the box label matches the Serial Number laser-etched inside the charging case lid.

Conflicting serial numbers across components (e.g. box label serial differs from case lid serial), indicating mixed or counterfeit parts.

'AirPods Pro' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A2084, A2083, A2190) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A2084, A2083, A2190), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A3056), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

Contoured open-ear body (no ear tips), short stem, angled outlet, force-sensor stem; left/right are mirror images.

Wrong outlet angle, removable tips (wrong for this model), long stems, or asymmetric buds.

USB-C case with a visible bottom speaker grille and wireless (Qi/Apple Watch) charging support; no lanyard loop; etched serial inside.

No speaker holes (that's the base AirPods 4 case), no wireless charging, rough USB-C port, or an ink-printed serial.

Polished stainless-steel hinge plate. The 'Designed by Apple in California' text is laser-etched in Apple's proprietary narrow font: letter 'C' is narrow with a straight vertical left side; glyphs are narrow, crisp, and light-grey.

Wide/round generic font: letter 'C' is rounded/circular, letterforms are wider and fatter, ink-printed or thick strokes, or chromy/loose metal hinge plate.

Exact text structure matching reference: the left cavity contains 3 lines (Serial Number, Model Axxxx, Assembled in origin); the right cavity contains input/output power ratings (5V=1A, mAh/Wh) and compliance symbols. Text is laser-etched in ultra-fine light grey font.

Mismatched text structure (e.g. input/output text in left cavity, wrong line count, extra/missing paragraphs, different information architecture), bold black ink printing, or wrong font/spacing.

The Serial Number on the box label matches the Serial Number laser-etched inside the charging case lid.

Conflicting serial numbers across components (e.g. box label serial differs from case lid serial), indicating mixed or counterfeit parts.

'AirPods 4' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A3056, A3055, A3059) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A3056, A3055, A3059), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A3053), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

Contoured open-ear body (no ear tips), short stem, angled outlet, force-sensor stem; mirror-image L/R.

Removable tips (wrong for this model), wrong outlet angle, long stems, or asymmetry.

Cleanly machined USB-C port and a front status LED, but NO bottom speaker holes and no wireless charging; etched serial inside.

Speaker holes present (that would be the ANC case), rough USB-C port, off-center LED, or an ink-printed serial.

Polished stainless-steel hinge plate. The 'Designed by Apple in California' text is laser-etched in Apple's proprietary narrow font: letter 'C' is narrow with a straight vertical left side; glyphs are narrow, crisp, and light-grey.

Wide/round generic font: letter 'C' is rounded/circular, letterforms are wider and fatter, ink-printed or thick strokes, or chromy/loose metal hinge plate.

Exact text structure matching reference: the left cavity contains 3 lines (Serial Number, Model Axxxx, Assembled in origin); the right cavity contains input/output power ratings (5V=1A, mAh/Wh) and compliance symbols. Text is laser-etched in ultra-fine light grey font.

Mismatched text structure (e.g. input/output text in left cavity, wrong line count, extra/missing paragraphs, different information architecture), bold black ink printing, or wrong font/spacing.

The Serial Number on the box label matches the Serial Number laser-etched inside the charging case lid.

Conflicting serial numbers across components (e.g. box label serial differs from case lid serial), indicating mixed or counterfeit parts.

'AirPods 4' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A3053, A3050, A3058) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A3053, A3050, A3058), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A2564), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

Contoured body with a distinctly short stem and an angled speaker outlet; mirror-image L/R; force sensor on the stem.

Long '2nd-gen-style' stems, wrong outlet angle, tap-only control, or asymmetric buds.

Wide, rounded, squat case with a front status LED and Lightning port; MagSafe/Qi wireless charging on the A2566 case.

A narrow older-style case, a USB-C port (wrong for this gen), off-center LED, or no wireless charging where expected.

Polished stainless-steel hinge plate. The 'Designed by Apple in California' text is laser-etched in Apple's proprietary narrow font: letter 'C' is narrow with a straight vertical left side; glyphs are narrow, crisp, and light-grey.

Wide/round generic font: letter 'C' is rounded/circular, letterforms are wider and fatter, ink-printed or thick strokes, or chromy/loose metal hinge plate.

Exact text structure matching reference: the left cavity contains 3 lines (Serial Number, Model Axxxx, Assembled in origin); the right cavity contains input/output power ratings (5V=1A, mAh/Wh) and compliance symbols. Text is laser-etched in ultra-fine light grey font.

Mismatched text structure (e.g. input/output text in left cavity, wrong line count, extra/missing paragraphs, different information architecture), bold black ink printing, or wrong font/spacing.

The Serial Number on the box label matches the Serial Number laser-etched inside the charging case lid.

Conflicting serial numbers across components (e.g. box label serial differs from case lid serial), indicating mixed or counterfeit parts.

'AirPods' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A2564, A2565, A2566, A2897) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A2564, A2565, A2566, A2897), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A2031 / A2032), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

Two clean oval speaker grilles and matte optical-sensor windows, symmetric between buds.

Glossy or uneven grilles, missing/printed-on sensor windows, or L/R asymmetry.

Steel hinge with a firm snap; status LED located INSIDE the case front. Lightning port on the bottom.

Plastic hinge, wobble, an LED on the OUTSIDE front (that's 1st-gen styling), or a dim/off-center LED.

'AirPods' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A2031, A2032, A1602, A1938) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A2031, A2032, A1602, A1938), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Crisp, laser-etched grey text with even kerning: the model number (e.g. A1523 / A1722), regulatory marks, and 'Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in …'. Uniform depth, perfectly aligned, no typos, and matching between the two buds.

Text is printed/painted (sits on the surface, can rub off), unevenly spaced, wrong font weight, blurry, contains typos, or the two buds show mismatched model numbers.

Long straight stems, matte speaker grilles and optical-sensor windows; double-tap control (no force-sensor indent).

Force-sensor indent (wrong for this gen), short stems, or glossy/uneven grilles.

Status LED on the OUTSIDE front; Lightning port; no Qi wireless charging.

LED inside the case (that's 2nd-gen), wireless charging present, or a rough port.

'AirPods' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A1523, A1722, A1602) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A1523, A1722, A1602), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.

Anodized aluminium cups, stainless-steel telescoping arms, a breathable mesh canopy; ~384 g with a cold metal feel.

Painted plastic cups, light weight, and a warm plastic feel.

A machined Digital Crown with a grooved edge; precise click and scroll, plus a separate noise-control button.

A loose or purely cosmetic crown, mushy click, or missing button.

A crisp laser-etched serial/model number revealed when the magnetic left cushion is removed.

A printed sticker, blurry text, or a missing serial.

Lightning + 2020 colors (A2096), or USB-C + 2024 colors/lossless (A3184). Port, color name and A-number all agree.

A port/color/A-number combination that doesn't match any real release (e.g. USB-C on a listed 2020 color).

'AirPods Max' set in Apple's San Francisco font with precise kerning, crisp letterforms, and exact optical centering; the small 'R' side marker on the pictured right AirPod is sharp and correctly placed; high-resolution embossed artwork appears on a clean white background.

Wrong title font weight, cramped letter spacing, off-center title, a malformed or misplaced right-earbud 'R' side marker, fuzzy printing, or low-resolution artwork.

Smooth matte finish, razor-sharp printing, tight seams, crisp embossing; substantial cardboard.

Glossy or waxy finish, fuzzy text under magnification, misaligned print, or flimsy thin cardboard.

A small but perfectly sharp regulatory block with exact Apple typesetting: consistent word spacing, spaces after punctuation where grammatically required, clean line breaks/alignment, correct marks for the region, a valid model number ending in the region suffix, and correctly formatted barcodes/serials.

Blurry or pixelated text; objectively visible typesetting errors such as missing spaces after punctuation, run-together words, inconsistent word spacing, malformed punctuation, or broken alignment; wrong/absent regional marks; or a model-number suffix that contradicts the printed language.

Lists valid A-model numbers strictly from the official list (A3454, A3184, A2096) and includes 3 distinct numbers for Left bud, Right bud, and Case.

Lists A-model numbers not in the official list (A3454, A3184, A2096), lists numbers from an older generation (e.g. A2084/A2931/A2698), or lists only 2 A-model numbers instead of 3.

Paper tear-strip seals with a cotton/fiber pull layer integrated into the paper packaging; no full transparent plastic shrink-wrap.

Full transparent plastic shrink-wrap, glossy plastic film wrapping, or crude heat-sealed plastic wrap over the box.

The Apple logo is optically centered both horizontally and vertically within the printed face and is upright/level relative to that face's long and short edges.

The logo is visibly shifted away from the face center, rotated, or slanted relative to the box edges. Judge against the photographed face geometry, not the image frame; perspective-obscured views are unclear.

The AirPods title and Active Noise Cancellation subtitle share the exact optical centerline; both baselines are horizontal and parallel to the long box edges, with precise vertical spacing.

Either line is visibly off-center, the two centerlines do not match, the Active Noise Cancellation text slopes, or a baseline is not parallel to the long box edges. Perspective-obscured views are unclear.

Visible wording, spelling, punctuation, multilingual line order, font design, weight, spacing, and alignment match the same-model authentic reference card with crisp printing.

Different or incorrect visible wording, typo, malformed punctuation, missing or reordered text, wrong font design or weight, uneven spacing, misalignment, or visibly fuzzy printing compared with the same-model authentic reference.

Square card proportions with four clean, symmetric rounded corners of consistent radius; centered content and even margins matching the authentic reference.

Square or inconsistently rounded corners, mismatched corner radii, rough die-cut edges, distorted proportions, or visibly incorrect content margins compared with the authentic reference.