US Customs seizes OnePlus Buds, thinks they’re counterfeit Apple AirPods
- The US Customs and Border Protection has confiscated OnePlus Buds.
- It was alleged that the audio accessories were counterfeit Apple AirPods.
We have seen numerous approaches to true wireless earbuds over the past few years, following in the footsteps of Apple’s very own AirPods. Some companies have mimicked the looks of Apple’s product a little too closely, and it looks like doing so has had unintended consequences for OnePlus and its OnePlus Buds.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a press release late last week announcing that it had seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods at New York City JFK Airport. The shipment arrived from Hong Kong and the agency said they were worth $ 398,000 if they had been real AirPods.
The only problem is that images attached to the CBP announcement and subsequent tweet show that the seized earbuds are actually OnePlus buds which are legitimate real wireless earbuds. Check the manufacturer’s announcement and response below.
Hey give it back! ?
– OnePlus USA (@OnePlus_USA) September 14, 2020
It’s a shame the CBP didn’t realize that OnePlus Buds was a legitimate product from a well-known brand, as a few seconds of Googling would have shown. However, it may highlight the AirPod clones issue, suggesting that the average consumer may not be able to tell the difference by comparing the actual products side by side.
OnePlus isn’t the only culprit in this regard, as several other well-known brands also offer true wireless earbuds that look very similar to Apple’s AirPods. We hope to see more original designs from all of these companies in the future.
We asked the CBP to comment on the seizure and contacted OnePlus to find out more. We’ll update the article when the two get back to us.
Next: Apple AirPods Pro review – the third time is really the attraction
