It's estimated that there are a billion iPhones in the world. However, these billion iPhones are not all the same. Because Apple sells iPhones in various countries, it has to alter its hardware slightly depending on government requirements across the globe.
Although most iPhones were made in the same Chinese factories, learning which country your iPhone was originally made for reveals interesting facts about your device. If you want to perform an iPhone country check, you're in the right place; that's what we'll discuss today.
Why It Matters Where Your iPhone Came From
China is the most likely answer when looking to see which country your iPhone was made in. But an iPhone variant check is crucial for much more than that; you need it to understand which iPhone models support dual SIM capabilities.
In 2018, Apple released the first iPhone models with dual SIM card slots. However, it was limited to the iPhone XR and XS Max models sold in China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Unlike the dual SIM models released later in other countries, iPhones manufactured for these countries let you use two physical SIM cards—instead of supplementing one for an eSIM. This was partly due to mainland China having a ban on eSIMs. The iPhone 14, meanwhile, is eSIM only—but only in the US.
In addition, your iPhone's intended country is one of the factors that people check before purchasing a second-hand device.
How to Find Out Where Your iPhone Was Manufactured For
To learn which country your iPhone was made for, here's what you have to do:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap About.
- Next to Model Number, take note of the first two letters before the slash.
- Match the two letters to the table of manufacturing codes below.
Here's the list of Apple's country manufacturing codes:
Code |
Country |
A |
Canada |
AB |
Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE |
B |
Ireland, UK |
BG |
Bulgaria |
BR |
Brazil (Assembled in Brazil) |
BT |
UK |
BZ |
Brazil (Assembled in China) |
C, CL |
Canada |
CH |
China |
CI |
Paraguay |
CM |
Croatia, Hungary |
CR |
Croatia |
CS |
Czech Republic, Slovakia |
CN |
Slovakia |
CZ |
Czech Republic |
D, DM |
Germany |
DN |
Austria, Germany, Netherlands |
E |
Mexico |
EE |
Estonia |
EL |
Estonia, Latvia |
ER |
Ireland |
ET |
Estonia |
F |
France |
FB |
France, Luxembourg |
FD |
Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland |
FS |
Finland |
GB |
Greece |
GH |
Hungary |
GP |
Portugal |
GR |
Greece |
HB |
Israel |
HC |
Hungary, Bulgaria |
HN |
India |
IP |
Italy |
J, JP |
Japan |
IP |
Italy, Portugal |
ID |
Indonesia |
K |
Sweden |
KH |
China, South Korea |
KN |
Denmark, Norway |
KS |
Finland, Sweden |
LA |
Barbados, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico |
LE |
Argentina |
LL |
United States |
LP |
Poland |
LT |
Lithuania |
LV |
Latvia |
LZ |
Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay |
MG |
Hungary |
MM |
Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro |
MY |
Malaysia |
ND |
Netherlands |
NF |
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Portugal |
PK |
Poland, Finland |
PL, PM |
Poland |
PO |
Portugal |
PP |
Republic of the Philippines |
PY |
Spain |
QB |
Russia |
QN |
Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden |
QL |
Italy, Portugal, Spain |
RO |
Romania |
RP |
Russia |
RR |
Moldova, Russia |
RS, RU |
Russia |
RM |
Kazakhstan, Russia |
RK |
Kazakhstan |
SE |
Serbia |
SL |
Slovakia |
SO |
South Africa |
SU |
Ukraine |
T |
Italy |
TA |
Taiwan |
TH |
Thailand |
TU |
Turkey |
TY |
Italy |
VN |
Vietnam |
X |
Australia, New Zealand |
Y |
Spain |
ZA |
Singapore |
ZD |
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland |
ZG |
Denmark |
ZO |
UK |
ZP |
Hong Kong, Macau |
ZQ |
Jamaica |
Learn Where Your iPhone Is From
There are subtle differences in models depending on which country an iPhone was manufactured for. As more nations introduce country-specific hardware requirements, the differences between iPhone models may matter more. So, knowing how to do an iPhone variant check is useful.
However, all iPhones that are sold through Apple and its various official retailers are sure to have passed quality testing. In addition, an iPhone purchased through quality retailers will also have a warranty, no matter where it was manufactured.