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.

Update: These seem to have disappeared off the marketplaces, like Aliepxress and Alibaba. But no doubt they will reappear eventually in the new year.

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.

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.

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.