How to Spot Fake Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds

My initial plan was to use photos from marketplace listings of the fake WF-1000XM5, but the photos were of mediocre quality and did not show enough details. So I decided to order a pair from Aliexpress myself so I could get a better hands on with the fakes. With free shipping, the fake WF-1000XM5 cost about 21 Euros/24 USD, which was surprisingly cheap.

Here is a screenshot of the listing, it has gone up in price since I bought the fake. The store is using photos of a real WF-1000XM5, and not the fake to trick potential buyers. None of the photos in the listings have the Sony logo, but it is present on the fake. So let us take a look at what I received.

Appearance

The retail box is covered with clear plastic wrap, which is absent on the real model. But I have seen grey/black market imports wrapped in plastic, so plastic wrap on the box is not always an indicator of a fake, but it should arouse suspicion.

Her are some comparison photos with the real box (right). The photo of the earbuds on the front is not the same, the earbud seems stretched out and elongated. The logos on the top of the box are also incorrect, especially the Hi-Res Audio Wireless logo. The noise cancelling logo is just text on the fake. Turning to the rear, text is wrong and logos are missing.

The fake model uses a plastic box instead of paper. On my fake box, the right side corners are misshapen. It looks like the plastic is dented, but in reality, the shape is moulded this way. Almost as if the plastic became dented after it came out of the mould.

Not all fakes have this issue, as the photo below shows rounded corners on a fake box on the right side.