How to Spot Fake Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones

It took 3 attempts but my fake Sony WH-1000XM6 finally arrived  My previous 2 orders were cancelled, so I was not hopeful a third order would even go through. But thankfully it shipped. I bought one so you would not have to. Unlike my WF-1000XM5 fake comparison/review, I do not own a real WH-1000XM6, so I can only compare with photos. At the end of the guide, I will teardown the headset to reveal what actually goes into a fake.

I paid around $61 CAD (37 Euros/43 USD) for my fakes, this is with shipping from Aliexpress, with a transit time of around 2 weeks.

Appearance 

The fake uses a square retail box, similar to the WH-1000XM5 fakes, it might even be the same box, with a different photo on the front and rear. The box was covered in clear plastic wrap, which the real model will not have. I think the photo is meant to look like a sleeve on account of the shadow line on the right side. The photos on the box are of the actual fake and not press photos of the real model.

Here are comparison photos of the real retail box. There will be regional differences on the back when it comes to certification agencies, but the front should be identical. There should be no plastic film on the real box.

It is possible that future WH-1000XM6 fakes could adopt a newer box design copying the original blended material look of the real headset. The updated WH-1000XM5 fakes have a design similar to the real model, and the WF-1000XM5 fakes use a similar design to the real one, using plastic instead of paper.

Sliding the paper sleeve off, we have a black paper box with nothing on the outside. Well at least it is paper, so recyclable. The real model uses 2 paper halves, both white, with the top piece sliding off the bottom one. Tale a look at this video from Sony to see the real design.

Opening the black box, we can see a black carrying case inside.

The fake case has a zipper around 3 sides and is made from some kind of polyurethane. There is a logo on the front and a strap near the top. The case is light and feels flimsy.

Here is a photo of the original WH-1000XM6 carrying case from Best Buy.