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You are here: Home / Apple Watch / How to spot a fake Apple Watch Series 9 from the real one

How to spot a fake Apple Watch Series 9 from the real one

Last Updated: November 4, 2023 by Dave Johnson

From checking packaging to serial number, there’s more than one way to know if your Apple Watch Series 9 is original or fake. In this article, i’ll explain how to spot a fake Apple Watch Series 9.

QUICK ANSWER

To tell if the Apple Watch series 9 is original or fake, check the watch serial number in Apple’s coverage checking tool. If it show up there, the watch is authentic. If the serial number is identified as invalid, the watch is fake.

Two Apple Watch Series 9 devices are shown with a motion blur effect against a black background.

Worried you have fake Apple Watch Series 9, or you may be about to buy one? Fortunately, there are ways to tell the differences between genuine and counterfeit Apple Watch Series 9.

We recently wrote an article on how to spot a fake iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, in this article, we’ll teach you how to spot a fake Apple Watch Series 9.

Contents show
1 How to spot a fake Apple Watch Series 9
1.1 Check the packaging
1.2 Check the design
1.3 Check the controls
1.4 Check the case materials and colors
1.5 Check the display
1.6 Check if the straps are removable
1.7 Check the size
1.8 Check OS
1.9 Check the charger
1.10 Check the Serial Number
1.11 Check the price
1.12 Power on the watch and try it out
2 What to do next if you have purchased fake Apple Watch Series 9?
3 How to avoid buying fake Apple Watch
4 FAQs
4.1 How much does the Apple Watch Series 9 cost?
4.2 Where can i buy a genuine Apple Watch Series 9?
4.3 What’s new in the Apple Watch Series 9?
4.4 Editors' Recommendations:

How to spot a fake Apple Watch Series 9

Here are some foolproof tips and tricks to help you spot fake Apple Watch Series 9.

Check the packaging

Although scammers have become quite smart these days, they still make mistakes, which can help you spot fake Apple Watch Series 9.

A genuine Apple Watch Series 9 comes in a smaller box, and that’s great as a knockoff is really extra long and weirdly shaped.

Carefully look at the packaging of the Apple Watch box, and if you notice spelling mistakes, double spaces, printing issues, and pixelation in photos, the Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t genuine.

Inside the box, youll find the Apple Watch Series 9 itself and a braided Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m), plus some user manuals and the strap you order.

If something is off — the USBC cable is USB-A or lightning rather than braided Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable, say — you know you have a fake Apple Watch Series 9.

Check the design

The design of the Apple Watch Series 9 can also signal to you whether it’s genuine or not. Authentic Apple Watch Series 9 is rectangular in shape. If your watch is in a different shape like round, it’s a fake.

Check the controls

There is a Digital Crown on the right side of a genuine Apple Watch Series 9 for scrolling and navigation. Below it, there is a side button for bringing up frequently used apps, accessing emergency services, confirming Apple Pay purchases, and more. These two controls should both be present, and on the same side of the watch, with nothing else on that side.

Note that the Digital Crown looks different depending on the Apple Watch Series 9 model you purchase. LTE models have a red ring around the Digital Crown so you know that they have cellular functionality, while GPS-only models lack the red ring.

The left side of a genuine Apple Watch Series 9 contains a thin rectangular cutout for microphones and speakers, with nothing else on that side.

If you notice any extra controls, missing buttons, or wrong button placement, you’re holding an Apple Watch Series 9 clone.

Check the case materials and colors

A genuine Apple Watch Series 9 is available in two case materials: aluminum and stainless steel.

The aluminum cased watch is offered in five colors:

  • Pink
  • Starlight
  • Silver
  • Midnight
  • (PRODUCT)RED

The ‌Apple Watch Series 9‌ is also available with a polished stainless steel casing in four different color options:

  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Graphite
  • Space Black (Apple Watch Hermès only)

If you see Apple Watch Series 9 in any other material or color than these: it’s fake, so don’t buy it.

Check the display

The screen is one of the biggest tells for the Apple Watch Series 9 replica. A genuine Apple Watch Series 9 has extremely slim bezels around the screen. Basically, the bezels surrounding the Series 9 screen are 1.7mm.

The brighter display is shown on Apple Watch Series 9, shot against a black background.

The Apple Watch Series 9 imitations often have a fat bezel around the screen because they are cheaper to manufacture them this way.

Check if the straps are removable

Authentic Apple Watch Series 9 comes with removable straps. Some fake manufacturers replicate this design, but if you can’t remove the straps, you can be confident it’s a fake.

Straps are universal, too. That means if you remove your watch’s straps, it should be able to fit another Apple Watch. If they don’t, then it’s a fake.

Check the size

Real Apple Watch Series 9 comes in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. This might seem like a simple detail for a counterfeiter to get right, but you’d be surprised: many fakes are larger than the real thing, because it’s so hard to match Apple’s engineering capabilities.

Check OS

Another absolutely massive indicator of a fake Apple Watch Series 9 is the operating system.

Authentic Apple Watch Series 9 runs on watchOS, and is only compatible with iPhones. Counterfeit Apple Watch Series 9, on the other hand, runs on Android, and are not compatible with iPhones.

Check the charger

The original Apple Watch Series 9 ships with a braided Apple Watch to USB-C charger. Some Apple Watch Series 9 replicas come with cables of a different design; others come with cables that don’t work.

Try charging the watch — it should snap neatly on to the magnetic charge mat, make a little beep when charging starts, and then display a lightning bolt symbol as it charges. If it doesn’t charge, it’s either a defective watch or a fake.

Check the Serial Number

The most foolproof way to tell if Apple Watch Series 9 is fake is to go directly to the source: Apple. Apple has an online to check a product’s warranty status. Just enter the watch’s serial number and, if you find it there, it’s the real deal. If you don’t, you’ve spotted fake Apple Watch Series 9. Here’s what to do:

  1. In your web browser, go to Apple’s coverage checking tool.
  2. Find your Apple Watch serial number. Here are ways to find Apple Watch Series 9 serial number:
    • You’ll find the serial number on the original box.
    • remove the band from your watch, then look inside the band slot to see the serial number – you might need a magnifying glass to read it though.
    • On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app. Tap General > About, then scroll down to find the serial number.
    • If you’ve already connected the watch to your iPhone, open the Watch app on your iPhone and go to General > About to find the serial number.
  3. Enter the serial number on the text field provided, solve the CAPTCHA, and click Continue.
  4. If the tool returns information for that serial number (especially a valid purchased date), the Apple Watch Series 9 is real.

Check the price

Apple products aren’t cheap. The starting retail price for aluminum body model Apple Watch Series 9 is $399, and $699 for the stainless steel option. If you paid much less than that—say, $100 for Apple Watch Series 9—it might not be real.

Power on the watch and try it out

Fakes are most easily identified by their inability to replicate the interface and general user experience of a genuine Apple Watch. Start it up and swipe through a few screens and apps: the touchscreen should respond near-instantaneously to your swipes. A fake Apple Watch Series 9 feels sluggish and underpowered while switching apps.

What to do next if you have purchased fake Apple Watch Series 9?

  • Ask for a refund. If you purchased the watch on Amazon, the company will issue you a refund once you provide proof, even if Amazon was not the seller. If it is a third-party seller or a one-night online e-commerce store, you may not get a refund.
  • If the seller declines to process a refund, issue a chargeback to dispute the sale with your credit card issuer if you paid with your credit card.
  • If you purchased the watch from a seller from a marketplace like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, etc., write a review on the site so others will know.
  • Report the fake watch to Apple by following this link: https://www.apple.com/legal/contact/counterfeit-prevention.html.
  • You can also report it to the local police office and file a report.

How to avoid buying fake Apple Watch

  • Only buy the watch from a trusted source. This can be Apple or an Apple authorized reseller. You can visit this website https://locate.apple.com/sales and find these trusted sources.
  • Do not buy from Amazon unless the watch is sold by Amazon. A lot of third-party sellers list their products on Amazon, and sometimes fake Apple Watch may end up there. To determine if Amazon is the seller, check under the Buy Now button; if it says Ships From and Sold ByAmazon, you are safe to buy it.

FAQs

How much does the Apple Watch Series 9 cost?

The aluminum ‌Apple Watch Series 9‌ starts at $399, while the stainless steel model costs $699.

See also: Top Apple Watch Series 9 Tips and Tricks You Should Know About

Where can i buy a genuine Apple Watch Series 9?

You can buy a genuine Apple Watch Series 9 at Apple stores, authorized retailers and on Apple’s website.

What’s new in the Apple Watch Series 9?

The primary upgrade for the Series 9 comes from a new processing chip, called the S9 SiP, which the company claims will be faster than the one introduced in 2020.

Editors' Recommendations:

  1. How to spot a fake iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
  2. How to spot a fake AirPods Max from a real one
  3. How to spot a fake AirPods Pro 2 from a real one

About Dave Johnson

Dave Johnson is the editor-in-chief of iPhoneArena. He covers how-to guides, and troubleshooting instructions for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

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