Updated Fake Sony WH-1000XM5 Headsets have Appeared

I was originally planning on adding this content to the previous fake WH-1000XM5 post, but decided to make it a separate post as it became much longer than I anticipated. So here is a guide how to spot the new fakes and what to look for when buying previously owned WH-1000XM5 headsets online.

I first noticed the new fake in this post on reddit, and decided to do some further digging. Apart from the reddit post, I found a few listings on Aliexpress and Alibaba. With these available on Alibaba, I suspect the new fake will begin appearing on Ebay and other marketplaces in the near future.

The updated fake headset uses an improved design which is much closer to the real model, and the retail packaging is almost indistinguishable from the original. The previous fakes could easily be spotted thanks to the different packaging, which used a square box and was usually covered in plastic wrap.

The improved fakes ditch the plastic warp and uses the same rounded paper box design like the real model. The front of the box even has the engraved 1000X Series logo.

I was anticipating the fake versions to improve in terms of design and appearance, but did not think we would see an identical retail box and sleeve.

New improved look of the fake retail box - retail listing

Engraved 1000X SERIES logo

Of course it is possible for scam listings to use an original box to trick potential victims, but the photos from the reddit post reveal that the fakes do ship in fact ship with the improved retail packaging. This will make it more difficult to ID fakes just from the retail box.

New improved retail packaging - Reddit

Source: Reddit

I compared the inside of the fake box to one I own, and the design is identical. While the Aliexpress/Alibaba sleeve photo is correct, the sleeve from the reddit post is wrong when compared to the real model.

 

Source: Reddit

The front cover has the correct logo placement and model name font, but the headset photo is incorrect. The real sleeve has the side profile of the headset, where as the fake has a photo of the headset at an angle. A similar error is present on the back. The rest of the text on the back seems to be the same as the original model. Whether all fakes will use this wrong photo or use the correct photos is unknown. Hopefully the former, as this will help to spot the fakes much more easily. Below is the real front and back sleeve photos.

 

Original sleeve - Source: Ebay

I will mention that the text and logos on the rear of the sleeve will vary from region to region. so various logo and text can be missing. Similarly, there might be extra logos and stickers from reviews or awards on the front.

Turning to the actual headset, let us first look at what the user on reddit received.

At first glance, everything looks correct. We have the right buttons, labels, microphones holes, etc, but the second photo reveals a small difference on the headband slider, revealing that the headset is a knockoff.

Click to zoom in

 

The red arrows show a seam in the slider which is absent in the real model. Likewise, the earpad surface is textured, which is not the case in the original. The real model's earpads are smooth and without a texture, see here for a reference photo. Below are 2 photos of the real model for comparison.

 

Source: ZDnet

No seam on the side of the slider on the original model

Once it was clear that the reddit photos were of a fake headset, it was obvious that the plastic for the earcups was the same cheap plastic that is used on all other fakes. The real platinum silver model plastic has a bit of small speckle in it, which the fake lacks. You can see my review and teardown of a fake in this post.

 

The fake from reddit did connect through Bluetooth, showing up as "WH-1000XM5", but the model did not show up on the Headphone app. 

 

 

This next photo is from a marketplace listing, and we can see the seam on the slider (red arrow), and the mesh in the microphone hole is green, rather than orange.

 

Click for larger size

    

The inside of the case may look pretty original, but there are ways to tell it is fake. Here is the fake from the listing.

 

The fake has 3 errors:

1. the zipper area is not covered by fabric
2. the opening for the cable storage has stitches near the edge
3. there is no bump on the other side (see photo below)

Bump on other half - Source: Galaxus.at

While impossible to tell from the photos, I suspect the materials of the case are not the same as the original. Note, other fakes could ship with a more authentic case, so the case will not always reveal it is a fake.

 

This photo from another listing may look like the real thing but the seam between the top earcup and bottom half around the USB C port is wrong. In addition the seam near the 3.5mm is much thicker than near the buttons. The thickness of the seam in the real model is equal all around.

 

Source: 52Audio

The fake model also comes with the small document package, USB cable, and 3.5mm cable. But the 3.5mm cable tips are silver and not gold. While difficult to see clearly, the cable in the fake does appear more square in shape, while the real model has a round cable.

 

Here is a closeup of the headband, which when compared to the real model, is visibility different. The case colour is also wrong, but that could just be the lighting.

 

Here is a comparison photo of the real headband.

 

Source: Reddit

There are not many retail listings yet of this new fake, but I suspect with time, more and more will appear. Potential scammers could and will buy up the offers on Alibaba and then turn them around to sell on sites at higher prices. This means more people will get scammed, as these new fakes look almost identical to the real model. If one cannot tell from the photos, the only way to tell a headset is fake, would be to try and connect to the app. This will be impossible when buying something online and not in person.

 

If anyone has found anymore listings of the fake, do drop them in the comments. 

 

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