iPhone 16 IMEI Check: A3081 and the Rest
The iPhone 16 is new enough that many are still on a carrier plan. See which A-number you hold and how 182 US-build phones read.
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Four builds, one of them mostly seen in France
Apple released the iPhone 16 in 2024 in 128, 256 and 512 GB. Apple's "Identify your iPhone model" page (read 10 November 2026) lists four builds. Our counts below are distinct handsets checked on FullIMEI between 12 August and 10 November 2026; cells under ten are hidden.
| A-number | Sold in | Checked on FullIMEI (90 days) |
|---|---|---|
| A3081 | United States, Puerto Rico | 182 devices |
| A3287 | Other countries and regions | 30 devices |
| A3286 | Bahrain, Canada, Iraq, Guam, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US Virgin Islands | 11 devices |
| A3288 | Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao | under 10 |
The rest-of-world A3287 build is the one to notice: its checks came mainly from France (16 of 30), a different pattern from the US build, whose lookups are split between the United States and Pakistan. A French check of a US-build phone and a French check of an A3287 phone mean different things, so match the A-number to the seller's story.
What the A3081 lookups say
Of 182 phones the lookup read 53 locked and 23 unlocked, with 106 unknown.
| A3081 result | Devices | Share of 182 |
|---|---|---|
| Locked to a carrier we read | 53 | 29 % |
| Unlocked | 23 | 13 % |
| Unknown (lock not readable for free) | 106 | 58 % |
Three years of the same base iPhone
Putting our own readings for the base model side by side shows the locked share holding steady: 27 % for the iPhone 15, 27 % for the iPhone 14 and 29 % for the iPhone 16. The unlocked share is where they differ, at 8 %, 13 % and 13 %.
| Base model | Locked | Unlocked | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 (A3081) | 29 % | 13 % | 58 % |
| iPhone 15 (A2846) | 27 % | 8 % | 65 % |
| iPhone 14 (A2649) | 27 % | 13 % | 60 % |
A newer phone is not safer to buy secondhand; it is more often still under a plan. Lookups came from the United States (69), Pakistan (34), Nigeria (11) and Ghana (10).
Questions for the seller
- Is the phone fully paid off? A balance can keep the carrier's hold on it, and a later block, even when the seller has already used it happily.
- Show Settings, General, About with Model Number and Carrier Lock visible together.
- There is no tray on a US build, so ask for the retail box and compare its IMEI label with *#06#.
- Open the iCloud lock page and sign out of the Apple Account in front of you.
Model numbers are Apple's; all tallies are ours and will shift as more phones are checked.
Questions people ask
What are the model numbers for the iPhone 16?
Apple lists A3081 for the United States and Puerto Rico, A3286 for Bahrain, Canada, Iraq, Guam, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US Virgin Islands, A3288 for mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, and A3287 for other countries and regions.
Does the iPhone 16 have a SIM tray?
Apple says: "In the United States, there's no SIM tray." Elsewhere there is a tray on the left side that holds a physical nano-SIM card.
Which storage sizes does the iPhone 16 come in?
Apple lists 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB.
Does the free check show if an iPhone 16 is locked?
It reads T-Mobile and Metro locks only. Of 182 US-build units checked in the last 90 days, 76 returned a reading and 106 did not.
Why does a nearly new iPhone 16 come back locked?
A phone bought on a carrier instalment plan stays tied to that carrier until the balance and the waiting period are done. A seller offering one early is often selling a phone that is not yet theirs to release.