If you purchased a used iPhone or perhaps you received ones as a gift, you might want to check if your iPhone is new or refurbished. This kind of information can be useful when you’re trying to sell, troubleshoot, or repair your device among other scenarios.
Interestingly, it’s quite easy to find out if your iPhone is new, refurbished, personalized by engraving, or a replacement. All the information you need is available right inside the device.
How to check if your iPhone is new or refurbished
The method relies on finding the model prefix of your device. It turns those seemingly random letters and numbers actually have a meaning. Here’s how you can determine your iPhone’s original status:
Open the Settings app and navigate to General -> About. There’s a lot of information on this screen but what we’re interested in is the “Model” number. Depending on the first character of the model, you can find out if your device is new, refurbished, replacement, or personalized. Here’s what that first letter means:
- M – This means the device was purchased as brand new
- F – The device has been refurbished and re-sold
- N – This is a replacement device, likely after a service request
- P – This is an iPhone that was personalized with engraving on purchase
The iPhone in our screenshot has the M prefix which means it was bought as a new device. As you can see, it’s very easy to find out the status of your iPhone based on the model number. Nevertheless, there might be some other identifiers which we are not aware of. If you know any, leave us a comment!
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