Have you ever ever been to China? I’m on my eighth go to to the largest nation on this planet, at the least by inhabitants dimension, and a rustic that’s integral to the entire expertise we use immediately.
A growth in manufacturing and technological developments over the previous 40 years has positioned Shenzhen, situated subsequent to Hong Kong and beforehand a fishing village, as arguably an important metropolis in expertise. Most main tech corporations have a big presence on this metropolis, and alongside that, most of the factories that produce our favourite shopper electronics are additionally based mostly right here.
I’ve spent virtually two weeks in China, and yesterday I paid a go to to Huaqiangbei, the world’s largest and craziest electronics honest. That is the place you will discover the most effective inside parts — superb should you’re constructing a tech product of your personal — in addition to completed merchandise which can be typically indistinguishable from the true factor.
You can too purchase the most effective merchandise at insanely inexpensive costs, as I discovered with these AirPods Professional.
Sure, the AirPods Professional 2 value me simply $9
In Huaqiangbei, you’ll discover a collection of markets promoting quite a lot of merchandise that you just’re accustomed to. Additionally they supply a variety of telephones and equipment that aren’t generally seen, however most stalls additionally promote their wares by way of Apple Watches, Apple cables, and Apple AirPods. I purchased all three of those whereas in Huaqiangbei, and essentially the most attention-grabbing is the AirPods Professional 2.
It’s simple to mistake this as a pair of faux AirPods Professional — one thing that it’s important to be cautious of, no matter the place you purchase them from, until it’s straight from a licensed retailer — nevertheless it seems, they’re actual. They’re a pair that was both misplaced or given to the Genius Bar as a part of a guaranty declare, they usually made their strategy to Shenzhen.
They arrive in a case that reads ‘Designed by Apple in California’ and ‘Made in China’. The case options USB-C charging. They match precisely just like the AirPods Professional 2 do. Whereas they didn’t have a case with magnetic charging (and I checked a number of shops), they’re a real pair of AirPods Professional that I purchased at a fraction of the worth.
This pair value me simply 70 RMB, which converts to $9.59 on the time of writing. For context, the AirPods Professional 2 prices between $179 (on sale) and $249 (MSRP), so to pay lower than 5% of the worth is unbelievable. Nevertheless, does it work correctly? The reply could shock you!
Do $9 AirPods Professional 2 work correctly?
This was my largest concern when shopping for them, however in actuality, even a $9 pair of AirPods Professional 2 that simply performed audio would have been a worthwhile funding. It seems that this can be the most effective $9 I’ve ever spent.
If you purchase a pair of AirPods Professional from Apple, they seem in your iPhone display, making it simple to attach. If you purchase these, they don’t, however as soon as linked, the identical window seems on-screen while you open or shut the case. But, when linked, all of the common options, similar to spatial audio, head monitoring, and noise cancellation, work simply in addition to my unique pair of AirPods Professional 2.
What about different Apple options? That is the place issues get murky. On my Mac, they sync and seem inside my Bluetooth menu as AirPods Professional #8, which is routinely set because the title, as I’ve had seven different pairs. But, they gained’t join routinely until you disconnect them from the iPhone.
There are a few points that I’ve seen. First, the left earbud typically disconnects, whereas the appropriate earbud works completely. Secondly, the spatial monitoring doesn’t work in addition to my unique pair, however these are small gripes.
What about AppleCare? That is the place issues get attention-grabbing.
Are these actual AirPods Professional 2?
In response to Apple’s protection checker, it comes with AppleCare till July 2026. It has a purchase order date of July 2024, which primarily means I’ve received somebody’s outdated pair that has virtually actually been refurbished and repaired. It’s not simply AppleCare, however AppleCare+, which incorporates protection for injury.
This solutions the query about whether or not these are actual; the reply is that they’re. Have you ever ever puzzled what occurs when the Genius Bar replaces your product? There’s a powerful probability it leads to Huaqiangbei, however how remains to be a thriller.
There are tons of of stalls promoting these, so it’s unclear whether or not I simply received fortunate or if all of them are of this high quality. What’s plain, nevertheless, is that it is a discount like no different. The timing is fortuitous… The pair I purchased from Apple final yr is presently on a Qatar flight someplace, ready to be discovered. I had additionally misplaced the appropriate earbud, and as a substitute of paying $89 to switch it, or $249 to switch the complete set, I’ve sourced a alternative for simply $9.
This would be the discount of the yr, bar none. Excuse me whereas I decide up a number of extra pairs, simply in case! I’m wondering in the event that they’ll make it onto our finest earbuds checklist!