What country is your iPhone from?

While most iPhones are made in the same factory in China, Apple has to change the hardware based on government requirements in different countries, so knowing which country your iPhone comes from can help you understand what you can and can't do with your device.

Why does it matter where your iPhone comes from?

China is the most likely answer when you're wondering which country your iPhone is manufactured in. But checking your iPhone variant is more important than that; you need to check to see which iPhone models support dual SIM capabilities.

In 2018, Apple released the first iPhone models with dual SIM card slots. However, the feature was limited to the iPhone XR and XS Max models sold in China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Unlike dual-SIM models released later in other countries, iPhones made for these countries allow you to use two physical SIM cards — rather than one physical SIM and one eSIM. This is partly due to mainland China's ban on eSIMs. The iPhone 14, 15, and 16 lines — including the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max — are all eSIM-only in the US. This is just the beginning of the eSIM revolution, and we can expect the trend to spread elsewhere in the future.

Also, the country you intend to buy your iPhone from is one of the factors that people check before buying a used device.

How to find out where your iPhone is made

To find out which country your iPhone was made for, here's what you have to do:

1. On iPhone, go to Settings .
2. Select General Settings > About .
3. Next to the Model Number , note the letters at the end of the slash. For example, the iPhone in the example has /A which means it was made for Canada.

Here is a list of Apple country codes:

There are subtle differences between models depending on the country where the iPhone was manufactured. As more countries introduce country-specific hardware requirements, the differences between iPhone models can become more significant. So knowing how to check your iPhone variant is helpful.

However, all iPhones sold through Apple and its various official retailers have definitely passed quality testing. Additionally, iPhones purchased through quality retailers will also come with a warranty, regardless of where they were manufactured. So when you buy an iPhone from an official retailer, you can be sure that it will be suitable for your region.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 10 December 2024