Read an iPhone model number: A-number and market

An iPhone presents two identifiers on the same Settings screen. Record both, because they serve different purposes when you verify a wholesale unit.

Find both identifiers

Open Settings, General, About. Apple says the value first shown beside Model Number is the part number. Tap that value to reveal the model number beginning with A, commonly called the A-number. Apple’s model-number guide shows this sequence.

Keep the complete part number as a recorded identifier. Use the A-number with Apple’s public references when checking the hardware and associated countries or regions.

What the A-number tells you

Apple’s Identify your iPhone model page groups A-numbers under exact iPhone models. The entries include identifying features, capacities and countries or regions for a hardware model. Match all of these fields rather than relying on a seller’s shorthand.

The A-number also lets you locate the correct entry on Apple’s cellular compatibility page. If a destination carrier requires particular LTE or 5G bands, compare the exact A-number with that carrier’s current requirements.

Do not decode the suffix as a substitute

Regional suffix tables such as LL/A, CH/A and ZP/A circulate among resellers, but the Apple public sources used for this guide do not provide an authoritative suffix-to-market table. A suffix alone is therefore not enough evidence for SIM configuration, bands or purchase market.

The safer record is:

• exact model name;
• full part number;
• A-number;
• stated purchase market;
• observed SIM slot type;
• carrier compatibility required at destination.

Check the SIM arrangement separately

Use Apple’s SIM type guide after identifying the exact model and purchase market. U.S.-purchased iPhone 14 through iPhone 16 families are eSIM-only, while the iPhone 17 family has a longer no-tray market list. iPhone Air is incompatible with physical SIM cards in every market.

China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao have exact-model exceptions. Apple’s two-nano-SIM guide lists the supported combinations. A broad rule such as “all China-region iPhones have two physical SIM slots” is inaccurate.

Use the identifiers on a lot

1. Ask for both identifiers per unit, along with the exact model and purchase market.
2. Match the A-number on Apple’s identification page.
3. Check SIM hardware on Apple’s current SIM pages and compare it with the observed tray.
4. Check bands and eSIM activation with the destination carrier.
5. Spot-check the About screen against the written unit list before approving the balance.

The BiteLot model and SIM guide describes the same workflow. The written unit fields and current remedies are maintained on how to order and in the terms of sale.