How to Spot Fake Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones

Here are some close ups of the hinge and Sony logo on the fake.

The injection parting line on the fake is visible on the plastic hinge. There is something similar on the real model, but it only follows the seam on the side, and not on the front.

The the plastic hinge on the fake has a difference appearance than the frame, making it appear like metal. Deceptive, but clever.

Something I noticed after I took the photo is the wire that connects from right to left is visible inside the hinge when the earcups are folded in. This would be something to look out for when checking if any headset is fake or real.

The logo on the fakes is gold, but it is too dark and the quality is poor.

The right earcup on the fake has no controls or touch sensor, this is why the left side has the volume up and down buttons.

The headband design is very close to the original, except it seems to be back to front on my uni. Not sure if all fakes have this problem, or just mine. The stitching is visible on the fake, while the real model does not have this issue.

The reason I say it the headband is back to front is because the when looking at the genuine headset from the left side, the top of the headband has a piece extending to the back. On the fake, this top headband piece extends to the front. One can just flip the fakes around to get the correct headband orientation, with the controls moving from the left to the right side. I tried taking a photo of the headset on the cover but the photo is glossy and there were too many reflections. I scanned the front of the box, while the quality is not that good, it does show the incorrect headband orientation.

A noticeable error on the fakes is that both side marks are just embossed into the plastic. The real model has white (L) and red (R) side marks. Here is the left side as an example with the real side mark for comparison. So if the WH-1000XM6 headset you are looking at is lacking the red and white side marks, then it is a fake.

 

The earpads are pretty decent. They provide a good seal and are comfortable. There are no ruffled edges like on some other fake earpads. Comparing them to the earpads on my WH-1000X5, I would say they are very close in feel and comfort.