What Phone Is This? Find the Model from an IMEI
The first eight digits of an IMEI name the model. Use that to catch a wrong listing before you check anything else.
What phone is this IMEI? — free
See device, blacklist and lock status in seconds — no signup. Dial *#06# on the phone to display its IMEI — or scan a photo or screenshot of that screen, or of the barcode on the phone's box or SIM tray.
Check many IMEIs at once — paste, photo or Excel (up to 100) →100% free · no signup · no card needed
Reading the answer: what each line is telling you
| What you see | What it comes from | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Model name | The first eight digits (the TAC) matched to a model table. | Compare with the listing, the box and Settings, About phone. |
| Model asked, not named | The code is not in the tables. We ask the visitor. | Treat the model as unconfirmed; use the phone's own About screen. |
| Name with "reported by other users" | Three different visitors gave the same answer for this code. | A good clue, not a proof. Verify on the phone. |
| Different model than the seller says | The IMEI belongs to another variant. | Ask why. Do not buy until it is explained. |
We never display a model name that we cannot tie to the code or to agreement from several different visitors.
Why the model is the first thing to check
A listing can lie about almost anything: storage, colour, age, even the make. The IMEI is harder to fake, and its first eight digits tie to a model the maker registered. A listing for a flagship that resolves to a budget model of the same brand is a counterfeit shell or a swapped board, which is why the match is worth doing before the blacklist or lock checks.
Once the model matches, the other lines become easier to trust. A blacklist or lock answer on a phone that is the right model is an answer about the phone you intend to buy.
A short routine for matching the model
- Ask the seller to dial *#06# on camera, so the number comes from the phone itself.
- Run it in the box above and note the model name.
- Open Settings, About phone on the phone, and compare the model name or number.
- Check the model on the box or the label under the back cover. All three should agree.
- If they disagree, ask the seller for a reason. A reasonable reason exists sometimes, for example a screen or battery repair, but the seller should be able to explain it.
What the TAC cannot say
The code names a variant, not a unit. It cannot tell colour, build date or whether the phone has been repaired. It also cannot tell whether the unit is the original one in a counterfeit case where the maker's code has been copied onto another handset. For a cloned or copied number, see the guide to cloned IMEI warning signs.
If you want the arithmetic and the full breakdown of the digits, use the IMEI validator. For a whole list of phones, the bulk checker gives each model in one table.
Questions people ask
How does an IMEI tell you the phone model?
The first eight digits are the Type Allocation Code, which a manufacturer registers for one model variant. Looking those eight digits up in a table gives the make and model name. The remaining digits identify the individual unit and say nothing about the model.
Why does it say "unknown model"?
The code is not in the tables we can reach. This happens with very new releases, regional variants and rebadged phones. The number can still be valid. The result will ask what phone it is, and a name is shown only after several different visitors give the same answer.
The model shown differs from what the seller says. What now?
Take it seriously. A mismatch can mean a typo in the listing, a swapped board, a counterfeit shell, or a different regional variant. Ask the seller to read the IMEI from *#06# on camera and compare it with the one on the box and in Settings.
Can two phones of the same model share the first eight digits?
Yes, that is normal. Every unit of a variant starts with the same eight digits. Only the full 15 digits are unique.
Does the lookup show colour or age?
No. The model comes from the TAC, and a TAC does not encode colour or manufacture date. For those, read the phone: Settings then About phone, and the label under the back cover or on the box.
What if I have two IMEIs?
Dual-SIM phones have two. Both begin with the same model code, usually differing in the last digits. Either one will identify the model.