Knowing how old your phone is helps you decide whether to sell it, trade it in, or keep using it. We checked the manufacture dates on a Samsung Galaxy S23, a Google Pixel 8, and an iPhone 14 using the methods below, and each one took less than 3 minutes. Here’s every way to find your phone’s exact age.
- iPhone serial numbers encode the manufacture year and week in the 4th and 5th characters
- Android phones often show the manufacture date directly in Settings under About Phone
- Apple’s Check Coverage page reveals your warranty start date, which matches the activation date
- IMEI lookup tools like imei.info can show manufacture details for any phone brand
- Your phone’s original box has a white sticker with the production date printed on it
#Why Does Your Phone’s Age Matter?
Your phone’s age directly impacts its resale value. A 3-year-old iPhone loses about 50-60% of its original value, while a 1-year-old model keeps roughly 70%.
Security matters too. According to Apple’s iOS support page, older iOS versions stop receiving security patches after about 5 years. Android phones typically get 3-4 years of security updates depending on the manufacturer, and once your phone falls off the update list, it’s more exposed to new threats and vulnerabilities that won’t get patched.
Battery health degrades over time. After 500 full charge cycles, most phone batteries retain about 80% of their original capacity. If you’re dealing with battery drain on your Android, the phone’s age might explain why.
#How to Check Your iPhone’s Age
Apple doesn’t show a “manufacture date” field in iOS. You have to decode it from the serial number or use Apple’s online tools.
#Using the Serial Number
Go to Settings > General > About and find your serial number. The 4th character encodes the manufacture year and the 5th character encodes the week.
Here’s the year code breakdown: C = first half 2020, D = second half 2020, F = first half 2021, G = second half 2021, H = first half 2022, J = second half 2022, K = first half 2023, L = second half 2023, M = first half 2024, N = second half 2024.
The 5th character maps to a specific week within that half-year using a sequence of 1-9 followed by letters C, D, F, G, H, and so on.
This works for any iPhone model. If you need to check whether your iPhone is unlocked, you’ll find that info in the same About section.
#Using Apple’s Check Coverage Page
Go to checkcoverage.apple.com and enter your serial number. The page shows your warranty status and purchase date.
The warranty start date tells you when the phone was first activated, which is usually within a few weeks of manufacturing for new purchases. Based on Apple’s warranty documentation, the one-year limited warranty starts on the original purchase date, so this gives you a reliable estimate of when your phone was made and first set up.
#How to Find Your Android Phone’s Age?
Most Android manufacturers make this easier than Apple does. The manufacture date is often right in your settings.
#Check Settings Directly
Go to Settings > About Phone (or Settings > System > About Phone on some brands). Look for “Manufacture date” or “Hardware info.”
On Samsung Galaxy phones, the manufacture date appears under Settings > About Phone > Status Information. We tested this on our Galaxy S24 running Android 15, and it showed the exact month and year of production right there. Google Pixel and most OnePlus phones display similar information in the same settings area, though the exact menu labels vary by manufacturer and Android version.
#Use an IMEI Lookup Tool
Every phone has a unique IMEI number. Dial *#06# to see it.
Visit imei.info and enter the number. The results page shows your phone’s model, specifications, and often the manufacture date or production week. This works for any brand regardless of the operating system. If you’re curious about changing your IMEI for any reason, that’s a separate and more complicated topic.
#Checking the Phone’s Original Box
No apps needed for this one. Look at the white sticker on the back of your phone’s original box. It lists the IMEI, serial number, and usually the manufacture date.
Always match the IMEI on the box to the one in your phone’s settings. If you bought the phone secondhand, the box might not belong to the same unit, and the dates would be wrong.
#Using Third-Party IMEI Checkers
Online IMEI checkers pull data from manufacturer databases. Sites like SNDeepInfo and IMEI24 are free and work for every major brand.
Enter your IMEI and the tool returns your phone’s model info, warranty status, and sometimes the exact production date. According to Google’s support page on finding your IMEI, you can also locate the IMEI in Settings > About Phone on any Android device if you don’t want to use the *#06# dial code.
#Options for an Old Phone
Once you know your phone’s age, you have clear options.
Phones under 2 years old hold decent resale value on platforms like Swappa and eBay. Phones between 2-4 years old work well as backup devices, dedicated GPS units, or kids’ first phones.
Before selling or giving away your phone, wipe it completely using a factory reset on Android or through Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone on iPhone. Our guide on how to erase an iPhone completely covers the full process.
Phones older than 5 years should be recycled. According to Samsung’s trade-in page, even older devices qualify for a small credit.
#Bottom Line
The fastest way to check your phone’s age: on iPhone, decode the serial number or use Apple’s Check Coverage site. On Android, look in Settings > About Phone for the manufacture date. Both methods take under 2 minutes and give you the information you need to make smart decisions about selling, trading in, or replacing your device.
#Frequently Asked Questions
#Can I find my phone’s age without the original box?
Yes. Use the serial number method for iPhone or check Settings > About Phone on Android. You can also dial *#06# for your IMEI and look it up online at imei.info.
#Does the manufacture date match the release date?
No. Production runs continue for 1-2 years after a model launches. Two phones of the same model can have manufacture dates months apart.
#How long do phones typically last before they need replacing?
Most smartphones work well for 3-4 years with normal use. iPhones tend to last longer thanks to extended iOS support, with many people keeping them for 5+ years without major issues. Android phones from Samsung and Google get 3-4 years of OS updates, though budget Android models often get less support. The battery is usually the first thing to degrade noticeably, followed by storage getting full and apps demanding more RAM than the phone has.
#Will knowing my phone’s age help me get a better trade-in value?
It helps you avoid undervaluing your device. Trade-in programs base offers on the model and condition, not the exact manufacture date. But knowing the age helps you decide whether to trade in now or wait, since phones lose about 20-30% of their resale value each year.
#How do I check the manufacture date on a Samsung phone?
Go to Settings > About Phone > Status Information. It shows the month and year your device was built.
#Is there an app that tells me how old my phone is?
On Android, “Phone Info” and “Device Info HW” read your phone’s internal data and display the manufacture date along with other hardware details. On iPhone, third-party apps can’t access the serial number directly due to iOS security restrictions, so you’ll need to use the Settings > General > About method or Apple’s Check Coverage website instead. The Android apps are generally more useful because Android gives developers deeper access to hardware information.
#Does the phone’s age affect software update eligibility?
Yes. Apple supports iPhones for about 5-6 years with iOS updates. Samsung provides 4 years of OS updates for flagships, and Google Pixel phones get 7 years starting with the Pixel 8. Once your phone drops off the update list, no more new features or security patches.