Manufacturers of counterfeit Apple products often go to great lengths to make their knock-offs look genuine, which brings the added risk of concealing potentially dangerous flaws in substituted electrical components.

In the past we've covered the efforts manufacturers go to when counterfeiting iPhone and iPad chargers, courtesy of product teardowns on Ken Shirrif's technology blog. Now, a new post on Shirrif's site offers a detailed teardown and analysis of the differences between a counterfeit MacBook charger and a genuine unit, providing a great example of how cosmetic similarities can hide major safety defects.

Counterfeit MacBook charger comparison

A counterfeit MagSafe 45W charger (left) and a genuine 60W charger (right).

Shirrif notes that counterfeit chargers he's examined in the past have usually had external flaws that give them away, but that this latest MacBook charger knock-off almost had him fooled, too.

The exterior text on this charger was correct, no "Designed by Abble" or "Designed by California". It had a metal ground pin, which fakes often exclude. It had the embossed Apple logo on the case. The charger isn't suspiciously lightweight. Since I've written about these errors in fake chargers before, I half wonder if the builders learned from my previous articles.

Only when Shirrif cracks open the charger are the differences laid bare. A real Apple charger is packed full of complex circuitry, but the counterfeit contains a fairly low density board that uses a simpler power supply with a dangerously small isolation gap between the AC input and the low-voltage output.

Shirrif also identifies a distinct lack of insulation tape between the two voltages on the circuit board, a metal grounding pin not connected to anything, and a fluctuating power output. See his post for the full comparison.

Three years ago, a Chinese woman was electrocuted by a counterfeit charger while charging her iPhone, highlighting the significant dangers these products pose to consumers. Users who suspect they have a counterfeit charger can take part in Apple's third-party charger takeback program to safely dispose of the adapters.

Top Rated Comments

jayhawk11 Avatar
113 months ago
Using a fake charger is certainly a terrible idea, but so is charging $80 for a replacement MagSafe charger.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
113 months ago
What do you people do to your chargers? Seriously?

I've only had one magsafe charger go bad in the history of my using them, back in 2007. Even then it was a known defect at the time; the springs that push the pins out failed. The cable itself was fine.

I've had my current chargers ever since then, and never has one broken since. I also see people who go through lightning cables like water; they break all the time for them, whereas I still have my original lightning cables going back to my iPhone 5 three years ago.

I suspect most people are really rough with their chargers. I treat my stuff with care. Maybe ya'll should too?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randyroverly Avatar
113 months ago
Apple's version looks vastly superior compared to the knockoff but the problem is, they are just as faulty. I've personally replaced 4 power adapters in the last 3 years. Consider me unlucky, but I never had to replace any power cords on any other laptops I've owned. I didn't mind it so much until the Applecare ran out, then you have to pay retail for replacements. I love the design of the magsafe (having small children), but it definitely needs improvement on reliability.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
113 months ago
You can grab Apple original chargers for $40 from Groupon.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-apple-magsafe-2-power-adapters-for-macbook-1
No no no!

Such deals are a surefire way to get counterfeits. There are no great deals on originals. Retail margins are too low. If its even 20% off, be very suspicious.

If it says "bulk packaging" (and it does!), stay the hell away. Apple doesn't sell them in bulk. But counterfeiters want to avoid the expensive trouble of faking the packaging. But some still do, so everything other than big retailers is kinda risky.

I personally don't mind cheaper 3rd party alternatives. But if the manufacturer tries to deceive or is too ashamed to put their own name on the box, I don't trust them with my life.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MasterMac Avatar
113 months ago
Using a fake charger is certainly a terrible idea, but so is charging $80 for a replacement MagSafe charger.
The rest of the thread will be filled with one of the two types of replies:

I have taken care of my cables and have never had to replace them ever.

I have had to replace it 10 times in my 6 months of owning it.

Take your pick on the more popular one this time!

Edit: seems I was a little too slow to catch the first two :(
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
113 months ago
Using a fake charger is certainly a terrible idea, but so is charging $80 for a replacement MagSafe charger.
I've written to Apple (via Feedback forms) about this. The price is $99.99 here in Canada. Absolutely disgusting how Apple gets away with this. If you're going to charge that much, at least make the low-voltage cable detachable and replaceable on its own, as that's the one part that is usually the reason for replacing. Why replace the entire power adapter block every time? Apple REALLY needs to fix this flawed design!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M4 Mac mini Ortho Silver Cooler

Amazon Leaks Smaller Mac Mini With M4 and M4 Pro Chips, Two Front USB-C Ports, Up to 64GB of RAM, and More

Monday October 28, 2024 7:16 pm PDT by
Amazon has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini ahead of Apple's announcement this week, revealing several details. Our concept of a smaller Mac mini According to a comparison chart on Amazon's product listing for the new iMac, the new Mac mini will be available with M4 and M4 Pro chip options, with up to a 14-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU. In addition, the chart indicates ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces Redesigned Mac Mini With M4 and M4 Pro Chips, Two Front USB-C Ports, and More

Tuesday October 29, 2024 8:01 am PDT by
Apple today announced fully redesigned Mac mini models featuring the M4 and M4 Pro chips, a considerably smaller casing, two front-facing USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and more. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The product refresh marks the first time the Mac mini has been redesigned in over a decade. The enclosure now measures just five by five inches...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 Cinema 4D Slack Finder Xcode 1

Apple Announces MacBook Pro Models With M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips, Thunderbolt 5 Support, and More

Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:01 am PDT by
Apple today announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, alongside a new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M4 chip. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new M4 Pro and M4 Max machines come with a minimum of 24GB of Unified Memory as standard, up from 18GB in the previous models. Both models feature three...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Announces MacBook Air Now Starts With Increased 16GB of RAM With No Price Increase

Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple today in its new MacBook Pro press release announced that the MacBook Air lineup now starts with 16GB of RAM, up from 8GB previously. This change applies to the 13-inch model with the M2 chip, the 13-inch model with the M3 chip, and the 15-inch model with the M3 chip. In the U.S., the MacBook Air lineup continues to start at $999, so there is no price increase associated with the...
m3 mbp space black

Apple Leaks M4 Max Chip Icon Ahead of Announcing New MacBook Pros

Tuesday October 29, 2024 8:48 am PDT by
Oops! Eagle-eyed developer Charlie Joseph today discovered that Apple has leaked its upcoming high-end M4 Max chip through an image uploaded to its website. The discovery was shared with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on social media. It was already pretty obvious that Apple plans to announce new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips this week, after Apple promised...
iOS 18

iOS 18.1: What You Get If You Don't Have an iPhone With Apple Intelligence

Monday October 28, 2024 3:49 pm PDT by
iOS 18.1 is the first iOS 18 update with Apple Intelligence capabilities, and that's what a lot of the coverage about the new software has focused on. If you don't have an iPhone that's capable of Apple Intelligence, you're probably wondering just what's in the update for you. While Apple Intelligence does make up the bulk of what's new, if you have an older device, you still get some solid...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.1

Monday October 28, 2024 8:05 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.1, the first major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.1 comes one month after Apple released watchOS 11. watchOS 11.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.1 can be downloaded on an iPhone running iOS 18.1 by opening up the Apple Watch app...