How to find out your iPhone model. Ways. iPhone lineup How to find out which iPhone 5 or 5s

When buying an iPhone, sometimes it is necessary to determine the model of the smartphone. In addition to different generations of devices, which are very similar to each other, Apple smartphones also
may differ from each other by different cellular communication standards - GSM and CDMA. The question arises - what is the difference between them? The fact is that these are different communication standards. We do not have CDMA, and also some internal parts of CDMA and GSM are different, so you should not buy a CDMA phone.

Let's look at the distinctive characteristics that will help you identify the iPhone model you're dealing with. This will also help you avoid mistakes when purchasing your first smartphone from Apple.

iPhone 6

The model numbers on the back of the case are A1589, A1586, A1549.

Distinctive characteristics:
Screen diagonal – 4.7”. Body with rounded edges. The back surface of the case is made of anodized aluminum, the IMEI number is engraved. Home button with built-in TouchID fingerprint sensor. On the right side surface there is a tray for Nano-Sim and a lock button.

iPhone 6 Plus

Available model numbers are listed on the back of the device: A1593, A1524, A1522.

Distinctive characteristics:
Display diagonal – 5.5”. All other external characteristics are completely the same as the iPhone 6.

iPhone 5s

The numbers on the back of the device are: A1555, A1530, A1528, A1518, A1457, A1453.

Distinctive characteristics:
Screen diagonal – 4”. The back of the body is made of anodized aluminum, with contrasting inserts at the top and bottom, with dual TrueTone flash. The home button is equipped with a TouchID sensor. The lock button is located on the top end of the device. The IMEI number is engraved on the back cover.

iPhone 5c

Model numbers on the back of the smartphone: A1532, A1529, A1516, A1507, A1456.

Distinctive characteristics:
The back panel is made of hard plastic in bright colors. The Home button is recessed, without TouchID, with a pattern.

iPhone 5

Model numbers shown on the rear panel: A1442, A1429, A1428.

Distinctive characteristics:
The back of the smartphone is made of anodized aluminum. Available only in black and white colors. The screen lock key is on the top edge. Home button with a pattern, without a fingerprint sensor.

You can also find out the model of your Apple smartphone directly in the iOS system. To do this, by selecting the “Settings” application, you need to go to the “General” menu, select the “About this device” submenu and tap on the “Model” item.

Often people are given a phone from Apple as a gift or borrowed, as a result of which they want to know which model they got. After all, it depends on what applications you can run, the quality and capabilities of the camera, screen resolution, etc.

Finding out which iPhone is in front of you is not difficult, even if you didn’t buy it yourself. The simplest methods are to inspect the box, as well as the inscriptions on the cover of the smartphone. But you can also use iTunes.

Method 1: Box and device data

This option involves searching for the necessary data without using special software designed to control a smartphone.

Packaging inspection

The easiest way to find out information is to find the box in which the smartphone was sold. Just turn it over and you can see the model, color and memory size of the device, as well as IMEI.

Please note - if the phone is not original, the box may not have such data. Therefore, make sure that your device is authentic by using the instructions from our article.

Model number

If there is no box, you can determine what kind of iPhone it is by a special number. It is located on the bottom back of the smartphone. This number starts with a letter A.

After that, we go to the official Apple website, where you can see which model corresponds to this number.

On this site you can also find out the year of manufacture of the device and technical specifications. For example, weight, screen diagonal, etc. You may need this information before purchasing a new device.

Here the situation is the same as in the first case. If the phone is not original, there may not be an inscription on the case. Check out the article on our website to check your iPhone.

Generations and varieties of iPhone

Since the summer of 2007, when the first generation of iPhone was released, a lot of models and varieties of Apple smartphones have accumulated:

• iPhone 2G (aluminum)
• iPhone 3GS in two varieties - with old and new boot
• iPhone 4 in three varieties - regular model, CDMA model and 2012 model
• iPhone 5 in two versions - a model for America and a "global model"
• iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max

The very first aluminum iPhone, unlike other generations. A characteristic difference is the large black plastic insert for the antennas in the lower part of the rear wall of the case. Although this generation has a name attached to it, it does not refer to the generation of the iPhone itself, but to the generation of the cellular networks in which it operates. The first iPhone supported only second generation networks (including GPRS and EDGE).

It has a completely plastic body in white or black. All inscriptions on the back wall are made with gray paint. The iPhone was named so due to the fact that it supported 3G cellular networks.

Externally, it almost completely replicates the appearance of the iPhone 3G, the only difference is that the inscriptions on the back wall are painted in exactly the same silver mirror paint as the Apple logo.

Old and new iPhone 3GS bootroms

From the point of view of the prospects for jailbreaking, there are two types - with the old bootrom and with the new bootrom. Butrom(bootrom) is a non-rewritable hardware bootloader of the device, and the prospects for jailbreaking largely depend on the presence of vulnerabilities in it. The difference between the old and new bootrom is evident to this day: for iPhone 3GS with old boot untethered jailbreak is guaranteed on any version of iOS, and for iPhone 3GS with new boot- only tethered (read about the difference between tethered and untethered jailbreak).

It is easy to distinguish an iPhone 3GS with a new boot by its serial number. It is necessary to take the third, fourth and fifth digits. The third digit encrypts the year of production (9 = 2009, 0 = 2010, 1 = 2011), the fourth and fifth are the serial number of the week of the year in which the iPhone was released (from 01 to 52). The first iPhone 3GS with the new boot began to appear in the 40th week of 2009, and from the 45th week the new boot began to be used in all released iPhones. So, if the third digit of the iPhone 3GS serial number is 0 or 1, it definitely has a new bootrom. If the third digit is 9, you need to look at the fourth and fifth digits. If they are less than or equal to 39, the bootrom is definitely old; if they are greater than or equal to 45, the bootrom is definitely new.

You can find out the serial number of your iPhone 3GS without turning on the device, because... The serial number is printed on the SIM card tray. However, this is not a very reliable method, especially when purchasing, because... The tray is easy to replace. You can find out the exact serial number either in iTunes (on the main device properties page) or on the device itself, in the menu "Settings-General-About this device-Serial number".

It is significantly different from all previous iPhones, firstly, in design, and secondly, in display. Both the front and back panels are made entirely of glass, and the smartphone is surrounded by a metal rim-antenna along the perimeter.

There are three iPhone 4 models:

• regular GSM model, which looks exactly like the photo above
• CDMA model iPhone 4 It is distinguished by the absence of a SIM tray and a different antenna design - it lacks a black stripe to the right of the headphone jack.
• second revision of iPhone 4, which began production in 2012, looks no different from the regular iPhone 4 GSM, but its processor has much fewer jailbreak vulnerabilities. This iPhone model can only be distinguished using third-party utilities, for example, redsn0w. Connect the gadget to your computer, download redsn0w for OS X or Windows, run the utility. Go to the Extras-Even more-Identify menu, in the window that opens, scroll down the text and look at the value in the ProductType line. If there is "iPhone3,1" - this is a regular GSM-iPhone 4, if "iPhone3,2" is a new revision of iPhone 4 GSM; and the CDMA model is designated "iPhone3.3".

It looks almost the same as the iPhone 4 GSM, but its antenna design is the same as the iPhone 4 CDMA, while the iPhone 4S is always equipped with a SIM tray.

However, the most reliable way to distinguish an iPhone 4S is the model code on the back wall. If the second line under the word iPhone says “Model A1387”, this is definitely an iPhone 4S.

It differs from all other generations of iPhone in height - with the same screen width, its diagonal has grown to 4 inches. The back panel of the iPhone 5 is made of aluminum, and there are glass inserts at the top and bottom that cover the antennas.

Initially, the iPhone 5 was released in two versions - the “American model” and the “global model”. The difference between them is the list of supported LTE bands, but for Russia this practically does not matter, because none of these models can operate on Russian frequencies allocated for 4G.

You can distinguish iPhone 5 models by the model code on the back wall. "Model A1428" gives "US model" and "Model A1429" says "global".

The first iPhone released in a multi-colored plastic case. Available in blue, green, pink, yellow and white models.

iPhone 5c was released in 6 hardware models - A1532 (for North America and China), A1456 (CDMA model for the USA and Japan), A1507 (worldwide model), A1529 (for Southeast Asia), A1516 and A1526 (for China) which differ in the composition of supported LTE bands.

The first iPhone with a Touch ID scanner. The fingerprint scanner is built into the Home button, which has lost the icon but has a metal bezel. Other external differences between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5 are the dual flash and reduced clearance around the Power button and volume control buttons.

iPhone 5s came in 6 hardware models - A1533 (for North America and China), A1453 (CDMA model for North America and Japan), A1457 (global model), A1518 and A1528 (for China) and A1530 (for Southeast Asia ), which differ in the composition of supported LTE bands.

An unusual version of the iPhone, as evidenced by its name. There are no numbers, and the letters SE stand for Special Edition. Externally, the smartphone differs little from the iPhone 5s, but its hardware corresponds to the iPhone 6s. As for performance, the smaller iPhone even leads here, ahead of Apple's top flagships of 2015. There are practically no external differences between the iPhone 5s and SE: the SE is available in rose gold, while the 5s is not; In addition, there is additional marking on the back wall of the iPhone SE - a square with rounded corners and the inscription "SE" inside.

iPhone SE was released in 3 hardware models - A1662 (for America), A1724 (for China) and A1723 (for the rest of the world). It is important to note that the American model A1662 does not support LTE band 7, which is popular in Russia.

In 2017, the iPhone SE line was redesigned, instead of models with 16 and 64 GB of memory, models with 32 and 128 GB were produced.

Marked not only by a change in design, but also by another increase in screen diagonal. Externally, the iPhone 6 is similar to the very first generation of iPhone - a lot of metal, rounded corners. But that's where the similarities end: the iPhone 6 is much thinner and has different shapes and button positions. Thus, the Power button has moved from the top end to the right side of the smartphone. Another characteristic (and not the most pleasant) difference between the iPhone 6 and previous generations of iPhone is the camera protruding from the body. The iPhone 6 has only one hardware model, universal for all regions. iPhone 6 comes in three hardware models - A1549 (for the Americas), A1589 (for China) and A1586 (for the rest of the world).

The only thing that differs externally from the iPhone 6 is its size. But this is quite enough, because anyone will notice the difference between the diagonals of 5.5 and 4.7 inches. This is actually the largest iPhone ever. Like the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus has three different hardware models aimed at different regions of the world: A1522 for America, A1593 for China, and A1524 for most other countries.

The iPhone 6s cannot be visually distinguished from the iPhone 6; they are completely identical. However, the iPhone 6s is the first iPhone in history to also come in a new rose gold color. Other distinctive features of the iPhone 6s are the 3D Touch display, which recognizes pressure, and a 12-megapixel camera. But a switched off iPhone 6s can only be unambiguously determined after examining the back cover. There, under the iPhone inscription, you will see a capital letter S in a square with rounded corners. Engraved below in small print is the hardware model code - A1633 (US model), A1700 (China), A1691 (Southeast Asia) or A1688 (rest of the world).

For the iPhone 6s Plus, everything that is written above about the iPhone 6s is true. It is also impossible to distinguish the 6s Plus from the 6 Plus without looking at the back cover and making sure that there is an “S” there. Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 6s Plus comes in four hardware models - A1634 (US model), A1699 (China), A1690 (Southeast Asia) or A1687 (rest of the world).

In 2016, Apple's long-standing rule that a new number in an iPhone's model number always meant a redesign of the case was broken. Of course, the iPhone 7 can be distinguished from its predecessors, but only if you look closely. Firstly, the new generation iPhone does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Secondly, the camera now does not stick out from the body so much; the protrusion has been smoothed out. Thirdly, the design of the antennas on the case has been simplified - the transverse straight stripes have been removed, leaving only stripes that go around the top and bottom edges of the iPhone along the perimeter. The iPhone 7 is no longer available in space gray; it has been replaced by two shades of black - matte and glossy (marketing name "black onyx"). The iPhone 7 has one of 4 hardware model numbers on the back wall - A1660, A1778, A1779 or A1780.

In the spring of 2017, a new color for the iPhone 7 case appeared – red.

For the iPhone 7 Plus, what is written in the paragraph above is again relevant, with the exception of the camera. It is difficult to confuse it with other models... if only because the iPhone 7 Plus has more than one. iPhone 7 Plus was the first iPhone ever to feature a dual-camera setup with 2x optical zoom and bokeh effects. Like the iPhone 7, the iPhone 7 Plus is available in 4 hardware models – A1661, A1784, A1785 and A1786.

In the spring of 2017, the iPhone 7 Plus also began to be produced in a red body color.

Although the iPhone 8 received the following number in its name, it was actually supposed to be called the iPhone 7s. There really are few differences from the “seven”: a glass back cover that makes wireless charging possible, updated cameras and a processor. Even their dimensions are the same, which makes it possible to use cases from iPhone 7/7+. The iPhone 8 has fewer colors than its predecessors: silver, space gray and gold. iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus each received 4 hardware models: A1863, A1905, A1906 and A1907 for iPhone 8; A1864, A1897, A1898 and A1899 for iPhone 8 Plus.

iPhone X is the same anniversary iPhone, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the iPhone era that changed the world. This iPhone is radically different from anything that came before. It does not have a Home button (and indeed no buttons on the front at all) - this alone allows it to be clearly distinguished from other iPhones. This is also the first iPhone with an OLED display and the new Face ID authorization technology based on a three-dimensional facial model, which replaced the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The iPhone X has only two body colors: silver and space gray.

The iPhone X has two hardware models – A1865 and A1901.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max

iPhone XS is a logical continuation of the development of iPhone X. This generation was the first in history to support 512 GB of memory. Unlike the iPhone X, this iPhone was sold in three colors (a gold tint was added to silver and space gray) and in two sizes - along with the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max.

The Max version of the iPhone XS also received two hardware SIM cards for the first time (in versions for China and Hong Kong, model A2104), the rest are content with eSIM. The remaining hardware models are the US version (A1920 and A1921 for the XS and XS Max, respectively), the global version (A2097 and A2101), the Japanese version (A2098 and A2102), and the XS model for China (A2100).

The iPhone XR was Apple's next big experiment since the not-so-successful iPhone 5c. The iPhone XR is deliberately cool - even the name emphasizes that it is only one letter of the alphabet behind the XS. There are not many compromises in it: an IPS display instead of OLED, one camera instead of two, and the absence of 3D Touch, but there are 6 bright body colors.

The iPhone XR has four hardware models - A1984 (American), A2105 (worldwide), A2106 (Japanese) and A2108 (Chinese, with two physical SIMs).

There are various situations when it is necessary to determine the iPhone model. Today we’ll look at several options, services and tips that will help you find out which iPhone is in front of you. Of course, all models have their own characteristics, but the phone’s firmware does not display other technical characteristics (and 5s, 7 Plus consoles) besides memory capacity. Accordingly, to identify the model without the original box, you need to do a little digging, plus some Apple iPhone models are very similar to each other (for example, 5 and 5s, 6 and 6s).

By eye, by appearance, the model can only be determined by a person “in the know” (although he can sometimes make a mistake), but if there is no such thing nearby, then we read and apply:

Box

The iPhone model is always indicated on the box - 5s, 6 Plus

The easiest way to determine the iPhone model is the packaging box. If you did not throw away the box and you currently have access to it, then turn the box over and look at the model; the color is indicated next to the model.

Did you know that some iPhone models do not turn off the camera click sound?

Model number

If there is no box, then you can find out which iPhone it is by the model number, this number is indicated on the back cover of the phone, it begins with the letter - A.

After looking at the number, go to the Apple company page - Determine the model.

On the website, in addition to the model, you can find out the year of manufacture. Well, if you are interested in more in-depth characteristics (for example, before purchasing), then, under each model, see the link to the specification. There you can find out all the technical characteristics of any iPhone model: phone dimensions in millimeters, weight, screen diagonal, etc.

Serial number or IMEI

The IMEI code and serial number also help in identifying the iPhone model. If you don’t yet know where to find these combinations of numbers and letters, then read here:

Now, using these identifiers, you can determine the iPhone model, then there are services that allow you to do this:

• (check by serial)

This page is archived and is no longer updated. The new section can be found at the link provided.

There are many instructions on the Internet for identifying iPhone models and generations, most of which are not clear enough. I decided to tell you as clearly and simply as possible how to determine the phone model.

• iPhone Model Determination

There are several ways to determine your iPhone model:

• In iTunes, on the device tab;
• By model number on the back of the case;
• By external signs.

The first method is the simplest, but if for some reason you cannot connect your phone to iTunes, then you can look at the model number; if this cannot be done, then you can only determine it by external signs.

Determining your iPhone model in iTunes

Everything is as simple as possible here. We connect the iPhone to the computer, launch iTunes and go to the tab of your device.

You will see your phone model, serial number and memory capacity. If iTunes sees an iPhone, then this is definitely not a Chinese counterfeit.

Determining iPhone model by number

This is also a fairly simple method; on each iPhone, iPad or iPod model there is a small text on the back panel, among which you can find the model number. It looks like this: Model AXXXX, where XXXX is the model of your device. Next you will find a table with all generations of iPhone, where its model is written next to each one, just compare the number with what is written on the body of your phone. You can also get acquainted with detailed information about all phone models.

Determining the iPhone model by external features

iPhone 6 Plus

Models: A1522, A1524
Year of manufacture: 2015
Memory capacity: 16/64/128 Gb

Visual features: glass front panel, anodized aluminum back panel. The "Home" button has no pattern and has a metal frame. The IMEI is engraved on the back panel. The display diagonal is 5.5 inches - the phone is very large. When you rotate the screen, the interface switches to landscape mode. The camera lens has a protrusion and the on/off button is on the right.

iPhone 6

Models: A1586, A1549
Year of manufacture: 2015
Memory capacity: 16/64/128 Gb
Colors: Grey, silver, gold

Visual features: glass front panel, anodized aluminum back panel. The "Home" button has no pattern and has a metal frame. The IMEI is engraved on the back panel. Display diagonal 4.7 inches. The camera lens has a protrusion and the on/off button is on the right.

iPhone 5s

Models: A1533, A1457, A1533, A1453, A1528, A1530
Year of manufacture: 2013
Memory capacity: 16/32/64 Gb
Colors: Grey, silver, gold

Visual features: glass front panel, anodized aluminum back panel. The "Home" button has no pattern and has a metal frame. The IMEI is engraved on the back panel.

iPhone 5c

Models: A1532, A1507, A1532, A1456, A1526, A1529
Year of manufacture: 2013
Memory capacity: 16/32 Gb
Colors: White, blue, pink, green, yellow

Visual features: glass front, plastic back (hard polycarbonate). The IMEI is engraved on the back panel.

iPhone 5

Models: A1428, A1429, A1442
Year of manufacture: 2012
Memory capacity: 16/32/64 Gb
Colors: White, black

Visual features: glass front panel, anodized aluminum back panel. The IMEI is engraved on the back panel.

iPhone 4s

Models: A1431, A1387, A1442
Year of manufacture: 2011
Memory capacity: 8/16/32/64 Gb
Colors: White, black

Visual features: front and back panels are glass. Stainless steel frame with divisions at the top and bottom left and right.

iPhone 4

Models: A1349, A1332
Year of manufacture: 2010
Memory capacity: 8/16/32/64 Gb
Colors: White, black

Visual features: front and back panels are glass. The edging of the case is made of stainless steel with a division at the bottom on the left and right, as well as near the Power button.

iPhone 3GS

Models: A1325, A1303
Year of manufacture: 2009
Memory capacity: 8/16/32 Gb
Colors: White, black

Visual signs: the front panel is glass, the back panel of the case is made of plastic. The SIM card tray is on the top side and the phone is printed on the tray.

iPhone 3G

Models: A1324, A1241
Year of manufacture: 2008
Memory capacity: 8/16 Gb
Colors: Black

Visual signs: the front panel is glass, the back panel of the case is made of plastic. The SIM card tray is on the top side and the phone's serial number is printed on the tray.

iPhone 2G

Models: A1203
Year of manufacture: 2007
Memory capacity: 4/8/16 Gb
Colors: Silver

Visual features: the front panel is glass, the rear panel of the case is made of plastic for one quarter, the rest is anodized aluminum. The SIM card tray is on the top side, and the phone's serial number is engraved on the back of the case.

I note that even if you checked the second and third methods, you cannot be 100% sure that this is not a Chinese iPhone. Connecting to iTunes is a very reliable method in this regard. An experienced user will always see a fake, if you are not one and do not have the ability to connect your phone to iTunes, then read about.

If you haven’t found an answer to your question or something didn’t work out for you, and there is no suitable solution in the comments below, ask a question through ours. It's fast, simple, convenient and doesn't require registration. You will find answers to your and other questions in the section.

Join us on