Buzz
To distinguish between new and refurbished iPhones, you don't need to know too much. Just the knowledge in this article alone can somewhat assist in your iPhone selection. As you know, iPhones are always sought after by various demographics, from the affluent to the average consumer. Whether it's old or new, iPhones still garner significant attention.
To help readers understand more about distinguishing between new and refurbished iPhones, aside from Apple's announced iPhone IMEI checks, there are still a few other methods they don't mention. These methods will make it extremely easy and quick to distinguish between new and refurbished iPhones, similar to checking iPhone IMEIs. To avoid purchasing counterfeit or poor-quality products, attention must be paid to the following issues.
Guide to Distinguishing Between New and Refurbished iPhones
First, let's explore what new iPhones and refurbished iPhones are, with Mytour.
What is a new iPhone?
Simply put, these are devices distributed by Apple through authorized companies, partners in Vietnam, or imported products, but all of these types of products have not been activated and are only activated when they reach you. These products enjoy full accuracy according to Apple's region and Vietnam, and are warranted for one year at authorized dealers. Imported products will depend on the store where you purchase them, with different policies and regulations.
What is a refurbished iPhone?
It's a product that encountered issues during usage and has been returned to the manufacturer. After thorough inspection in the second phase alongside Apple's testing, this product is resold at a lower price while still offering a 12-month warranty for users.
1. Differentiating Between New and Refurbished iPhones Based on Packaging
If you've just bought a phone, you can differentiate between a new or refurbished iPhone by checking all the information about the device, including its IMEI located at the back, as well as its model number. Additionally, you can check the information affixed to the back of the device for verification. This is a fundamental step in distinguishing between new and refurbished iPhones.
2. Checking the Current Model.
With the first method, just glancing over, this approach will help you thoroughly examine to differentiate between a new or refurbished iPhone.
Step 1: The simplest way to check and differentiate between new and refurbished iPhones is by examining the device specifications in the Settings > General menu.
Step 2: Next, navigate to About and check what Model is being used.
Step 3: Once you know what model your device is, you can check its origin to see where your iPhone comes from using the following characters:
Models come in the form of characters: MxxxYY/A
- xxx: unique code
- YY: Market origin of the device.
Replace the YY code with the following numbers and compare with your device to see its origin:
ZA: Singapore
EU: European countries
HK: South Korea
TU: Turkey
B: United Kingdom
ZP: Hong Kong
F: France
VN: Vietnam
TA: Taiwan (Taiwan)
T: Italy
TH: Thailand
XA: Australia (Australia)
LL: United States
C: Canada
J: Japan
3. Differentiating Between New and Refurbished iPhones
To distinguish between new and refurbished iPhones, pay attention to the character M in the number sequence MxxxYY/A
- MxxxYY/A - the character M represents brand new commercial products (genuine products).
- NxxxYY/A - the character N represents Apple replacement warranty products.
- FxxxYY/A - the character F represents Refurbished products or CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) Apple products.
- 3xxxYY/A - if the first character is a number (3), it represents display models in stores.
For example, if the Mytour device has the code MG5X2LL/A, it is a genuine iPhone device (M) distributed in the US market (LL/A).
Above is a guide on how to distinguish between new and refurbished iPhones that you need to know. Additionally, the article also mentions checking the origin of the device. For a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the device's origin, readers should refer to methods for checking the origin of an iPhone to accurately determine where their device was purchased.
