Knowing exactly what you’re receiving when purchasing a smartphone might be challenging. Refurbished products are available from retailers and manufacturers, such as Amazon’s Renewed program and Apple’s official refurbished shop.

In some situations, parts (such as the battery) have been changed. In others, traded-in phones have merely been categorized into several groups based on their condition and level of functioning.

If you are looking for an iPhone, you may want to know if the iPhone you are considering purchasing is new or refurbished. The ways to determine if an iPhone is refurbished or a brand-new smartphone are provided below.

Is Your iPhone Refurbished?

As you may be aware, Apple offers certified refurbished smartphones, and many consumers prefer purchasing refurbished iPhones owing to the reduced pricing and good quality of Apple-sold used gadgets.

While the quality of Apple-certified refurbished iPhones is excellent, the seller currently attempting to sell you the iPhone purchased it for a lower price than a new device.

As a result, you may utilize this knowledge to negotiate a fair deal while shopping for secondhand iPhones.

Because a Seller is unlikely to offer this information, you can check the model identification number to see if the iPhone is Refurbished or if it was purchased as a new item.

How to Determine Whether an iPhone is Refurbished or New

iPhones are popular in the used market because they may be expensive when new. 

If you’re purchasing from a private seller, presume the Phone has been used and that any claims to ‘like new’ or refurbished are because the seller has maintained it in good condition or has opened but not used it. Assume there is no warranty unless they can provide a receipt from an Apple store or another merchant. When purchasing from Apple, reconditioned models are identified.  

Follow the procedures below to determine whether the iPhone was refurbished or purchased as a brand-new device by the vendor:

1. Go to Settings > General and scroll down to About.
2. Examine the Model Number on the About screen carefully. The first character of the Model Number specifies whether the iPhone is brand new, refurbished, a replacement device, or a customized iPhone.

Here’s a rundown of what the first character in a model number means:

• M: New device; the iPhone was purchased as a new device.
• F: Refurbished item; the iPhone has been refurbished.
• N: Replacement device; this gadget replaced the initially purchased iPhone.
• P: Personalized gadget; the item was engraved with a personal message.

If you see a Model Number beginning with the letter A, tap on it. This will change the Model Number to the standard one, which begins with the letters M, F, N, or P.

Apple’s device has two numbering schemes. The first numbering method begins with the letter “A” and is followed by four numbers. The second sort of Model Number often begins with the letters M, F, N, or P, depending on whether the item is New, Refurbished, Replacement, or Personalized.

It is not usually a concern if you discover that your Phone has been refurbished. Apple has a rigorous procedure to make its Certified Refurbished items as good as new. They carefully clean each item, repair broken parts as needed, and replace the battery and outside shell. You can buy refurbished iPhones from Phone Daddy, but they are not certified. 

Devices Refurbished by Third Parties

The Apple-certified refurbished iPhone is distinct from the carrier-certified refurbished versions, and it is easy to mistake the two at times. The carrier supervises the refurbishing procedure in the case of a carrier-refurbished model. 

If your Phone was previously repaired by an unofficial repair service not recognized by Apple, the model number might not reflect that. Few third-party vendors have the exact high refurbishing requirements as Apple. 

Final Thoughts 

That’s all there is to it; you now know how to tell whether an iPhone is new, referred, replaced, or something else.

While understanding your iPhone’s Apple-based roots won’t make much of a difference in how it functions—more that’s dependent on how past owners treated it—it’s always nice to be better educated, and this quick tip accomplishes the trick.