New comparison in case it helps somebody
[https://imgur.com/a/FuFL4y6](https://imgur.com/a/FuFL4y6)
EDIT:
**List of things to take into account / details in the images:**
1. Real Airdots / Earbuds should sync perfectly and keep synced from the first second.
2. Real Airdots / Earbuds don’t keep disconnecting / getting cut every X seconds / minutes. The connection between the source / each earphone should be always 100% estable.
3. The sound quality in my fake pair was okay enough but of course worse than the originals.
4. There’s a different number of fake ones. In this case the package and build itself is pretty close. Specially the package, most likely you won’t be able to tell if you don’t have another pair of real ones to compare.
5. A lot of people assume their fake ones are the real deal: Read #1 and #2 and just check the comments here. Even I thought they were real, but after a minute of use I could tell they were fake because of the disconnections.
6. The serial numbers and text in the package (and in the bottom of the case) is 100% the same and has small details that you will only notice comparing to a real pair.
7. The case is almost identical, but the original one feels smother (you won’t notice unless you have owned a pair or have an original to compare).
8. The real ones have lighter coloured ear pads.
9. The L and R indicator in each earphone is embossed in the fakes.
10. Latest picture (zoom on that one): The original ones have the serial number behind the pad. The fakes don’t.
11. I bought the fake ones in the store with more reputation in **Gearbest**, with over 3000 positive reviews and a 4.5/5 stars. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one scammed.
12. Seems since I bought them (November) the shop inside **Gearbest** has changed names but is still there, and still have a near flawless score: 4.7/5. The store is now called **”The Tech Maze”**.
13. I asked for the refund one day after I opened them and got it, not before opening a Paypal dispute. Gearbest was asking for pictures and I can’t believe I was the only one noticing. Despite they knowing they are fake, the store is still selling the fake Airdots. I’ve been buying things off Gearbest for a couple of years now. I won’t be buying things off them anymore.
I also bought a pair of supposedly original ones, which turned out to be rather bad quality, and sure enough they are fake. Thanks [u/randalicioso](https://www.reddit.com/user/randalicioso/) for the comparison!
Looks like the airdots I got from Apus Express (Shopping Square) are fake then. It’s supposed to be a pretty legit tech retailer too.
Edit – feedback on ebay confirms they are counterfeit. Avoid apusexpress2 on eBay!
Mine is the Chinese model and i bought from the best reviewed seller on AliExpress ,around 40k reviews and im sure mine is real.
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one of my friend actually snapped a fake redmi airdots for 8$, they actually sound pretty decent for 8$, tho of course, its fake, and adding a few more bucks to get the real one is much more worth it
I threw the carton away the other day…
I ordered two from Gearbest.com. I paid 22$ each. Sound was shitty. Went on you tube to check. It was fakes. The real ones have micro serial number stamp on the air dots. Got refund right away from Gearbest after they ask for a picture of the fake ones. Great costumer service. Didnt even ask to send back the fakes.
Thanks for the pictures man. They offer great help
Goddamn that’s scary close
Can you give link of those airdots
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Have asked my friend about it, but he said he forgot the link, he bought it off from Ali tho
Shit, so that’s why mine até so fucking shit!!!
Damn,i ordered redmi airdots for 13.60 on a sale from ali express and im waiting for them to arrive.They were named original xiomi airdots so idk if they are real or fake..
damn i hope they are real bcs im on a tight budget
Do you know if theres an option to get refund bcs its fake?
Yea same, Chinese model, bought off Ali from seller with 30K orders. Definitely legitimate. Don’t know why people take chances with no name, low rep sellers for the sake of saving a couple of dollars.
Exactly so…i paid INR1200 which is around 17 dollars.
Thank god mine are real (or at least matches mostly with the left one).
I have been using this for quite a long now and battery back up is good. I have also stepped on buds a couple of times by mistake, dropped the case numerous times and even went running with these on. Not a single complaint.
But, considering where I got this from (Share Save App – India – Took \~12days) it’s pretty much sure I would get the real one.
Thanks for providing the detailed side by side pics and the comparison, that is super helpful! Keeping your post in mind and also reading a majority of the comments, what’s a good place to buy them to avoid getting fakes/scammed?
Is it normal for the real AirDots to disconnect constantly when no audio is playing?
I guess the only way to be sure is buy from an official store or retailer. So depends on the country.
I don’t know anymore, I was so freaking out as the ones I bought were from Gearbest and had so many positive reviews. I bought the real ones from the official retailer in Sweden. So best tip, get a official retailer? There’s a lot of really well done (until you test them) copies out there… 🙁
I’d say no, but then again, I just put them back in the case when I finish listening. If your listening sessions have 0 disconnection issues I wouldn’t worry. Also, check point number 10, seems no fakes has the serial number behind the pads, or I haven’t been able to find any reports online.
Truly and honestly, if it wasn’t for your post… I would have been fooled by the packaging and the styling of the fake ones (before trying them out of course). Glad you were able to buy them from the official retailer, here in the US we don’t have Xiaomi stores or stores that carry Xiaomi products so places like Gearbest, Banggood and also Amazon become a thing and I’m sure eBay also but that would probably not be a good call at this point
I’d try with Amazon. If they are selling them themselves (not a 3rd party) you should be fairly sure. In the case they send you copies (as you see in the pics, is really difficult to tell…), you’ll get a refund, a replacement and a great customer service. I’ve been buying things from Amazon since a lot of years (from the USA, UK, France, Spain, Germany…) and never had a problem.
That’s actually a fair point, it’s probably easier to deal with than gearbest and also other websites!
Yeah…my pair seems to be real according to all the points you mentioned but it’s hella annoying that I can’t pause my music for more than 10 secs because they disconnect instantly.
Ahhh I didnt think of that. Try another device? I have no problems with pausing.
Not talking only about dealing with them, but trusting them. I got my refund from Gearbest (via Paypal), but the fake store is still listed. And I’m sure I’m not the only one that got fakes… TL;DR I dont think Amazon would sell fakes knowing it, or allow others to sell fakes knowing it.
Glad you were able to get a refund so easily but honestly when buying things from Gearbest or even banggood and with shipping from China, it just takes too long to reach the US. If I was to buy from Amazon, it would have to be direct from amazon if I knew there were too many fakes going around, maybe that’s something amazon can’t control if it’s someone that lists on their site and ships a product once it’s ordered
I’m pretty sure mine are real and they never disconnect. They can be connected for hours even if nothing’s playing.
I bought them directly from Gearbest, no shop name etc, and branded as “original” shoul i be worried? I only experienced de-sync first time between each piece.
I feel fake products are becoming very difficult to distinguish between them and the real ones.
even S/N doesn’t do the trick! (except if it redeemable one and such).
So how did you know it’s a knockoff ?
Do they sound good? No disconnections at all? Do they have the serial number under the pads? Check the pictures. If they sound good, dont worry. For further check, if you install a “bluetooth identifier” app, the fake ones should have a “unknown” vendor.
They should not disconnect at all I’m afraid.
I tried them. Within 5 minutes I was getting a lot of disconnections, even being about 10 cm from my phone. Then I googled and got similar pics to the ones I’ve taken, but seems the fakes are getting better and better, and are harder to spot.
Is there a verified seller for these air dots? Scared to get fakes 🙁
I’m using them with a Bluetooth 4.2 player and have no problems.
There’s official Xiaomi store on AliExpress, so as with any other thing on Ali (a place full of cheap fake replicas), you should simply go with official one if there IS one already. Few dollars saved is not worth experimenting with 3rd party sellers, especially if price is unrealistically low. I bought mine from official store, and they are amazing. If they are listed for $30 on official store, obviously the price range of $10-15 is a bit fishy.
What’s the use of fake airdots when the regular ones are just 20€ ? I just don’t get why would they do this…
I’m looking to buy from Ali, but hell, how can I know if the product is original or not? So many fakes…
I also got scammed from AliExpress with this and some other Xiaomi products. Hey, I got an idea. Why don’t we crowdsource a list of legit Xiaomi resellers?
There is no official store on AliExpress.
Thankyou for making this, hopefully more people won’t be scammed. I have the real ones and wished I would have switched to these earlier.
Airdots is fucking gooodd
While not always 100% accurate, when it comes to buying off aliexpress, ill search for my item, and filter by highest orders.
But generally i will put in some effort and read the reviews etc, i now have a few stores i trust as i have bought heaps of xiaomi products from them over the years and all have been genuine
That’s what I did. +3000 good reviews. Over 4.5 score… In this case: Either it was a fake batch, they removed the bad reviews, or people just accept the quality of the fake ones.
I’m afraid not with all products. And here the only S/N / barcode is the same 🙁
Because truly wireless ear buds is more than 8 billion dollar market. Apple airpods made 8 billion dollars alone.
I was convinced that mine were fake because they sound like hot garbage. But they match the ones on the left exactly except for the bar code sticker placement on the box. But they are the Chinese model.
Ontop of what the others have said, the people who run the “Xiaomi Official Store” also run the “Lenovo Official Store” and countless other X Official Stores.
I work with a lot of Chinese companies and know the company behind them. They’re simply resellers.
Bought mine for 18 euros on Ali express and didn’t even know there were fakes. Luckily I got original ones. I will say the legit headphones have good sound and decent battery.
The weird thing is that the ones I got from aliexpress have the CMMIT ID stamp on the airdots, but they have the embossed L-R indicator – so they are probably upping the counterfeiting quality. I am still fairly certain they are fakes because I ordered two pairs and the print on the back of the case is \*very\* bad quality and even different size on the two pairs, plus they turn on randomly as if they don’t make good contact with the charging case.
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Thank you for this post. Luckily I’ve got the real ones.
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I hate AliExpress. Not only do the pictures look so much better compared to what you receive, I have a feeling that sellers there sell product that should be discarded from the factory. Half the products I got had severe quality issues.
Even gearbest has fakes? Fuck…
Because they produce them for $3 and pocket the rest. There needs to be a crackdown.
Well the store is named ‘Official Xiaomi Store’ and it’s having a ton of Xiaomi products, and I believe they are only resellers, but at least they sell only Xiaomi products, and most importantly the prices are not ridiculously low on anything. They are basically what you would pay in any other reail store in your country (minus 10-20%). Also, it would be extremely unlikely that they sell a bunch of phones and other expensive genuine Xiaomi stuff, and to mix some cheap knock-off replicas at the same time.
I saw the MKBHD video too 😉
I was looking for this exact comparison for months now!
Thanks i hope i can choose wisely now.
Only way to know for sure is Bluetooth scanner where you can see who the vendor is, on real ones it is Dongguan Electronics, and on the fake ones it is “unknown”
Thanks for this, I just received some that I believe are fakes, especially as they have embossed L+R and no serial number under the earpads. I got them from eBay so I have started a dispute,
I’m looking at some on Amazon UK “Amazon’s Choice”, twice the price but a customer’s review photos show that the L+R are NOT embossed, so I think you helped me find a genuine pair too.
Mine have Mi embossed on the case but those on Amazon have Redmi embossed on the case in the customers review photos.
This has been really useful. The first pair I bought, from eBay, were £10.99 and were fakes. I asked for a return and was given a full refund, I wasn’t asked to return them.
I then bought a pair on Amazon UK for £23.05 which appear to be genuine.
Other differences I have noticed:The Bluetooth device name is “Mi True Wireless EBs Basic\_R” on the real, “Redmi EBs\_R” on the fakes.the plastic covering the contacts was red on the real EBs, clear on the fakes.the plastic band around the real case has instructions to remove the plastic covers on the contacts, on the fakes it was not printed.the connection beeps are different when pairing with phone and each other.
My fakes had a delay between left and right, the reals don’t.Reals are much louder.My new real EBs have Mi embossed on the lid, but not so deep as the fakes.The LED charging light on the case is much brighter on the reals EBs.Surprisingly the real EBs didn’t come with a charging lead, the fakes did.Fakes had a guarantee sheet, real EBs have an instruction booklet, with a spine.
The box they come in has Bluetooth and other logos printed on the sides, on the fakes it isn’t in the middle, on the real box it is.
Just had a phone call while testing the earbuds and so asked if they could hear me ok, yes and vice versa.
I think Bluetooth Scanner in the Play Store shows the vendor information if I remember correctly
Did they arrive? I want to buy a pair from aliexpress as well but I’m going want to buy the fake ones.
What seller did you buy them from?