If you want to know how old your phone is, you may have different reasons for doing so. Maybe you are curious about when your phone was made, or maybe you want to sell or buy a used phone and need to check its condition and value. Whatever your reason, knowing your phone’s age can be useful and interesting.
However, finding out your phone’s age is not as easy as it sounds. You can easily find out when a phone was launched, but finding out when it was manufactured is a different story. Your phone may have been produced months or even years after the model was released, depending on the demand and supply of the market. Every phone manufacturer has its own way of marking the manufacturing date on their phones, and some of them are more obvious than others.
In this article, we will show you how to check your phone age using four different methods: checking the box, decoding the serial number, using an IMEI checker, and using a phone info app.
Method 1: Checking the Box
The easiest and most straightforward way to check your phone age is to check the box that came with your phone. Some phone manufacturers add the manufacturing date on the box, usually on a sticker or a label that has other information, such as the phone model, IMEI number, and barcode. The manufacturing date may be written in different formats, such as year-month-day, month-year, or week-year. For example, 2024-03-15, 03-2024, or 11-2024.
To check your phone age using the box, you need to do the following:
- Step 1: Find the box that came with your phone and look for the sticker or label that has the manufacturing date.
- Step 2: Compare the IMEI number on the box with the IMEI number on your phone, to make sure that they match. You can find the IMEI number on your phone by dialing #06# on the keypad, or by going to Settings > About Phone > Status > IMEI Information.
- Step 3: Read the manufacturing date on the box and calculate how old your phone is, based on the current date.
Method 2: Decoding the Serial Number
Another way to check your phone age is to decode the serial number of your phone, which is a unique code that identifies your phone. Some phone manufacturers add the manufacturing date in the serial number, using a specific pattern or code that indicates the year, month, or week of production. For example, the third digit in Apple’s serial number represents the last digit of the year, and the fourth and fifth digits represent the week of the year.
To check your phone age using the serial number, you need to do the following:
- Step 1: Find the serial number of your phone, which is usually printed on the back of your phone, or on the SIM card tray. You can also find the serial number on your phone by going to Settings > About Phone > Status > Serial Number.
- Step 2: Search online for the serial number pattern or code of your phone’s manufacturer, and see how to decode it to find the manufacturing date. You can also use a serial number decoder website or app, such as Chipmunk or Serialio, to decode your serial number automatically.
- Step 3: Read the manufacturing date from the serial number and calculate how old your phone is.
Method 3: Using an IMEI Checker
Another way to check your phone age is to use an IMEI checker website or app, which is a tool that can provide various information about your phone, such as the model, brand, carrier, warranty, and manufacturing date. IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity, and it is a 15-digit number that uniquely identifies everything about your phone. You can find the IMEI number on your phone by dialing *#06# on the keypad, or go to Settings > About Phone > Status > IMEI Information.
For you to check your phone age using an IMEI checker, you need to do the following:
- Step 1: Find the IMEI number of your phone, as explained above.
- Step 2: Visit an IMEI checker website or app, such as IMEI.info, DoctorSIM, or IMEI24, and enter your IMEI number in the search box. You may need to verify that you are not a robot, or pay a small fee, to access the information.
- Step 3: Read the information about your phone, and look for the manufacturing date or the age of your phone. If the manufacturing date is not available, you can use the warranty start date or the activation date as an approximation.
Method 4: Using a Phone Info App
Another way to check your phone age is to use a phone info app, which is an app that can display various details about your phone, such as the hardware, software, battery, network, and manufacturing date. There are many phone info apps that you can download from the Google Play Store or the App Store, such as Phone Info, Device Info, or Phone Check. Some of these apps may require root access or special permissions to access the system files and settings.
To check your phone age using a phone info app, you need to do the following:
- Step 1: Download and install a phone info app of your choice from the Google Play Store or the App Store, and grant it the necessary permissions to access your phone’s data.
- Step 2: Open the phone info app and look for the manufacturing date or the hardware version of your phone, which may be under the General, About, or Device section.
Conclusion
Knowing your phone’s age can be useful and interesting for various reasons, such as selling or buying a used phone, checking the condition and value of your phone, or satisfying your curiosity. However, finding out your phone’s age is not as easy as you may think, as different phone manufacturers have different ways of marking the manufacturing date on their phones, and some of them are more obvious than others.
In this article, we have shown you how to check your phone age using four different methods we mentioned: but these methods may vary in accuracy and availability, depending on your phone’s model and brand, so you may need to try more than one method to find the best result.
