How to Tell If Your IPhone Has Been Refurbished by Model Number
When you buy a used iPhone, there is always a bit of a mystery. Was the phone bought by a new person who sold it to you? Is it renovated?
It turns out that you can actually find out this information by looking at the serial number of the device.
It’s a trick that’s been around for a while, but the OS X daily pointed it out again this week.
Basically, the first letter of your phone’s serial number will let you know if the phone is new, refurbished, replaced, or personalized.
To find out on your phone, go to Settings on iPhone, then General, and then About. From there, search for “Model”. The first letter of this model number will be M, N, F or P and explains the background history of your phone.
M – New phone
F- Refurbished phone
N – Phone replacement. This is for devices that the original owner most likely got from the Apple store after their original phone had some kind of problem.
P – Individual. At the time of purchase, these phones were decorated with engraving.
That’s all! It’s very simple and can be a great way to learn a little more about this iPhone before you buy it.