Everything runs in your browser from a bundled table. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored.
How an iPhone part number is built
An iPhone part number looks like MG913LL/A. It carries two pieces of information a wholesale buyer cares about: the first letter tells you how the unit was supplied, and the letters just before the slash tell you the region Apple sold it into.
Reading left to right: the first character is the unit-type prefix (M, F, N or P). The middle characters identify the specific configuration (model, colour, capacity). The one or two letters before the slash are the region code. The character after the slash (usually A) is a packaging or hardware revision, not a region, so the decoder ignores it.
- M, new retail. A brand-new, retail-boxed unit sold through Apple or authorized channels.
- F, refurbished. An Apple Certified Refurbished or factory-refurbished unit. Perfectly tradeable, but it must be described as refurbished, never as new.
- N, replacement. A service or warranty replacement, the unit Apple issues when it swaps a faulty device. Internals may be refurbished. It should never be sold as new.
- P, personalized. A personalized unit, usually laser-engraved with text or an emoji at the time of order. The engraving is fixed, so the resale audience is narrower.
Worked example
Take FN2M3ZP/A. The decoder splits it as F | N2M3 | ZP | /A. The F flags a refurbished unit, and ZP maps to Hong Kong and Macau. So a seller listing it as a brand-new US unit would be wrong on both counts: it is a refurbished unit that entered the market through the Hong Kong region.
That is the whole point of the tool for a trader. When a supplier sends a mixed lot described loosely as "new and used," a quick pass over the part numbers surfaces the F and N units hiding inside, and shows you the regional spread that affects resale value and things like physical-SIM or eSIM configuration.
Region codes the decoder knows
The suffix maps to a sales region. Common examples: LL United States and Canada, B United Kingdom and Ireland, ZP Hong Kong and Macau, X Australia and New Zealand, CH mainland China, J Japan, ZD parts of Europe, ZA Singapore, IP Italy, Y Spain, HN India. Apple does not publish an official master list, so the region result is indicative. If a suffix is not in the bundled table, the tool tells you rather than guessing.
Frequently asked questions
Does the model number letter really prove the phone is new?
No. It shows what the printed part number claims. Labels can be swapped and boxes repackaged, so treat an M result as a good sign, not a guarantee. Cross-check the part number on the device screen (Settings, General, About) against the box.
My part number suffix is not recognised. Why?
Apple uses many region codes and does not publish a full official table, so our bundled list covers the common ones but not every code. If yours is missing, the unit type still decodes from the first letter; only the region shows as not found. Send it to connect@aikon.app and we will add it.
Is this the same as an IMEI check?
No. A part number describes the model, unit type and region. An IMEI check validates a device identity number and its checksum. They answer different questions, and serious buyers use both.
Is anything I type sent to a server?
No. The decode runs entirely in your browser against a table bundled into the page. Nothing is transmitted, logged or stored, and the tool works offline once the page has loaded.
Trade verified stock on Aikon
Aikon is the B2B wholesale electronics trading platform. Every seller is a verified company, and offers carry structured fields for region, condition and lock status, so mixed lots are easier to read before you commit. Free for verified companies.