Knowing the origin country of your iPhone is important, even though most iPhones are manufactured in the same Chinese factories, Apple must modify its hardware to comply with various countries’ government regulations.
Therefore, identifying the country your iPhone originated from can help you understand what features might be available or restricted on your device.
Why the Origin of Your iPhone is Important
When you wonder where your iPhone was manufactured, China is usually the most likely answer.
However, checking your iPhone variant serves a much greater purpose than just identifying its origin; it’s essential for determining which models support dual SIM capabilities.
In 2018, Apple introduced its initial iPhone models featuring dual SIM card slots. However, this feature was restricted to the iPhone XR and XS Max versions available in China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
In contrast to the dual SIM models available later in other regions, iPhones made for these specific countries allow users to utilize two physical SIM cards rather than combining one physical card with an eSIM.
This approach was partly necessitated by a ban on eSIMs in mainland China. In the US, however, the iPhone 14, 15, and 16 series—including the Pro and Pro Max versions—are exclusively equipped with eSIM capabilities.
This marks merely the beginning of widespread adoption of eSIM technology; we can anticipate this trend expanding globally over time.
How to Determine the Manufacturing Location of Your iPhone
Here’s how you can find out which country your iPhone was intended for:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Go to General and choose About.
Beside the Model Number, pay attention to the letter(s) following the slash. For instance, my iPhone’s designation is /A—which indicates it was produced for Canada.
Here is a list of Apple’s manufacturing codes by country:
| 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 |
Conclusion
Subtle variations exist in iPhone models based on the origin country of your iPhone for which they were manufactured.
As more countries implement specific hardware requirements, these differences may become increasingly significant. Therefore, it is valuable to know how to perform an iPhone variant check.
All iPhones sold by Apple and its authorized retailers undergo rigorous quality testing.
Furthermore, purchasing an iPhone from these reliable sources ensures it comes with a warranty, regardless of where it was made.
Therefore, when you buy an iPhone from an official retailer, you can be confident that it’s compatible with your region.
