iPhone model codes by country: what LL/A, ZP/A, J/A and other region codes mean for wholesale buyers

The short answer

An iPhone part number is a short code that says what the unit is and which market it was made for. In MG913LL/A, the M says it was sold new, G913 is the model block, LL is the region code and the slash suffix closes the number. For a wholesale buyer the region code is the useful part: it tells you which SIM configuration, features and warranty setup to expect before the lot ever arrives.

How is an iPhone part number built?

Take the example MG913LL/A. It reads left to right in four pieces.

What do M, N, F and P mean?

The first letter is widely read as a unit-type flag. M is a unit sold new, N is a replacement unit issued through a repair or exchange, F is a refurbished unit, and P is a personalised unit, such as one with an engraving. This convention is described by Apple Community answers and trade references, and the Apple support pages we checked do not publish the key themselves. Treat the letter as a strong hint rather than proof. Third-party refurbishers can also keep the original letter, so an M on a box does not on its own prove the unit was never refurbished. The guide to refurbished, used and NIB stock covers how those labels differ in a trade context.

Part number versus model number

Apple uses two different identifiers, and the Settings screen shows both. Under Settings, General, About, the Model Number line first shows the part number, for example MG913LL/A. Tap it and it switches to the model number, which starts with the letter A followed by four digits. Apple's "Identify your iPhone model" page lists the model numbers for each generation grouped by country, and one A-number can cover several countries. The part number is the finer of the two for region, which is why traders read it first.

What does the region suffix tell a buyer?

The region code is the letters just before the slash. It marks the sales market the unit was configured for, not the factory it came from and not the country it is in now. A unit with a US code can sit in a Dubai warehouse, and a unit with a Hong Kong code can be sold into Europe.

That is why the same iPhone model can arrive as several different variants. Two units that look identical on the outside can differ in SIM slots, a few built-in behaviours, the plug on the bundled accessories where one is included, and the terms of the warranty that applies. For a trader the region code is part of the product description, in the same way storage size and colour are.

Which region codes map to which markets?

The table lists the codes buyers meet most often. Apple does not publish an official master list, so this table is compiled from community reference tables and trade guides that agree with each other. Where sources disagree, the code is left out or flagged in the note below.

The example part numbers only show where the region code sits. They are illustrative, not real stock listings.

A few cautions. Some codes cover more than one country, and Europe in particular is split across several codes. Some references list LL for Canada as well as the United States, and others give Canada its own codes. The code for Singapore is listed differently by different sources. When a code is not in this table, do not guess: read the unit, ask the seller, and use the iPhone part number decoder, which says so plainly when a suffix is outside its table.

Why does the region matter in wholesale?

Region changes what a unit can do and who will want it. Most of the differences are small for one phone and large for a pallet, because a mismatch with the destination market turns into returns or a discount.

• SIM configuration. Apple's dual SIM support page says certain iPhone models bought in China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao use two nano-SIM cards. Some Hong Kong and Macao models use an eSIM for the second line instead. A buyer who wants a standard single physical SIM plus eSIM setup should check the exact model and region before agreeing a price.
• eSIM-only units. Apple states that iPhone 14 models and later bought in the United States can only be activated with an eSIM and have no SIM tray. A US-code unit therefore suits a buyer who is comfortable with eSIM and can be awkward for a market that relies on physical SIM cards. The eSIM-only iPhones guide goes through what this does to resale.
• Camera shutter sound. Community reports say iPhones sold in Japan and South Korea play the camera shutter sound even when the phone is on silent. The reasons given vary, from local rules to industry practice, and we could not confirm the cause on an Apple page. If your buyers expect a silent shutter, check the code before buying Japanese or Korean stock.
• FaceTime availability. FaceTime has not been available everywhere. Reports from the iPhone 4 launch in 2010 described it missing on units sold through carriers in the United Arab Emirates, and later community threads quote Apple support wording about limited availability in some Middle East countries. Treat this as historical context and confirm current availability for the destination country before assuming anything about AE-code stock.
• Charger and plug. Plug type follows the market, so a unit meant for one country may need an adapter in another. Check what is actually in the box, because Apple has changed what ships with the phone over the years.
• Warranty region. Whether a unit has coverage, and where it can be serviced, depends on the unit, the seller and the market. Do not assume a warranty travels with the part number. Agree in writing who handles a fault, and run the serial number through Apple's coverage check on a sample.
• Carrier compatibility and LTE bands. Apple lists the supported bands per model number in its tech specs. A model sold for one market may support a different band set from the model sold for another, so compare the band list for the A-number against the networks in your destination. A code that suits the origin market is not automatically right for yours.

None of this is a reason to avoid a region. Hong Kong and US stock both trade every day. The point is that region belongs in the offer, next to grade and quantity, and a seller who lists it clearly is easier to price.

Are the units activated or not?

A part number describes a model and a market. It says nothing about the history of the individual unit, so it cannot tell you whether the phone has been activated, whether it is tied to a carrier, or whether its IMEI is blocked. Those are separate checks. For sealed stock, a "not activated" claim is a statement by the seller until you test a sample on arrival. For used stock, assume activation has happened and check the lock state instead. The NIB glossary entry sets out what new-in-box normally means in the trade, and the guide to buying iPhones wholesale shows where a part number check sits in the wider buying process.

How do you read the code on the device and the box?

On the phone, open Settings, then General, then About, and look at the Model Number line. It shows the part number first, and a tap switches it to the A-number. Apple's support pages also describe finding the model number on the SIM tray area or the device itself on some models, but the Settings screen is the quickest check on a powered-on unit.

On the retail box, the label normally carries the part number alongside colour, storage and serial details. The useful test is agreement: the part number on the box should match the one in Settings, and the region code should match what the seller listed. A mismatch can be a repacked box, a swapped label or a mixed lot, and it is worth raising with the seller before the lot is accepted. If you want to check a number without typing it into a spreadsheet, paste it into the part number decoder.