AirPods 3 counterfeits appear with leaked design — don't be fooled

AirPods 3 counterfeits appear with leaked blueprint — don't be fooled

(Epitome credit: @DuanRui)

The Apple AirPods 3 is, by most estimations, however a few months off at the least. But that hasn't stopped its first apocryphal models from showing up, seemingly copying the AirPods 3 design that leaked earlier this year.

Twitter user DuanRui posted a video of the fake AirPods and charging case, which is an unnervingly believable-looking replication of that leaked design — correct down to the shortened stems and enlarged IR sensors.

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However, even without DuanRui noting that these earbuds are counterfeits, it's articulate from the timing that this isn't the real thing. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors last month that the AirPods three won't even start mass production until Q3 2021, a timeline that was after backed up by a report on Apple tree's wireless earbuds.

AirPods 3 counterfeit products pic.twitter.com/2uLzqzWPViApril 8, 2021

A major Apple April issue, supposedly including an AirPods 3 announcement, was originally tipped to showcase a suite of Cupertino'south products simply now looks unlikely to happen at all. Then in terms of an AirPods 3 release date, you probably are looking at later in the year, potentially in tandem with the iPhone 13 launch.

In any case, the AirPods 3 is almost definitely not in production still. And while early on prototype designs seem to be the source of inspiration for these apocryphal models, the emergence of the latter means yous should remain vigilant about unfamiliar sources claiming to have the AirPods iii in their possession.

For what information technology'south worth, though, this video does at least provide a more extensive wait at how the AirPods iii could stop upwards. Shorter, AirPods Pro-style stems are 1 of the more than in-demand changes, though the design doesn't include replaceable in-ear tips like Apple's premium buds do. That said, in both previous leaks and on this counterfeit model, the speakers appear slightly sunken into the earbuds, so you may exist able to listen using this semi-open up blueprint or plug a set of silicone tips into the gap.

For now, we'll have to wait and see. Simply do beware of such AirPods 3 fakes. This is arguably the nigh highly-anticipated pair of headphones in 2021, so other forgeries are likely to show up earlier release day.

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James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Newspaper Shotgun, just earlier that was Audio Editor at Tom'south Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote calculating and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard it is to detect graphics carte du jour stock.