Do you know which of the many available models and variants of iPhone you actually own? It may seem a silly question, but in fact there are so many out there, it can be tricky to identify which one you are actually using. With other makes of smartphones, you can usually look into the equivalent of the settings menu to find the information, but iOS doesn’t display this information for Apple iPhones. If you bought your iPhone brand new from a reputable store in the original packaging, it should be pretty clear which version you have. However, if your iPhone was a gift or you bought it second hand, it can be a bit tricky to visually identify precisely which iPhone you own.
There are some visual clues, which relate to the shape and size of the smartphone, and these can help you to identify the range that your iPhone belongs to. There is also a Model Identification Number (MIN) that can give you precise details as to which model it is.
Let’s look at the visual identification clues first:
Black band on the rear
The very first and therefore the oldest model has a silver/grey back, with a broad black band across the bottom. The original iPhone is the only model with this feature, so it’s pretty distinctive.
Curved plastic rear
If the back of the iPhone has a gentle, elegantly curved shape, and is made of black plastic, it could be an iPhone 3G or 3GS (the 3GS also came in white). If the back of your iPhone is slightly curved and in a bright colour, it is more likely that you have an iPhone 5C.
Glass front and rear
The iPhone 4 and 4S come in black or white, and have space for 4 rows of apps plus the 4 main icons for Phone, Mail, Safari and Music. The iPhone 5 and 5S are similar, but the display is a little taller and have space for 5 rows of apps plus the 4 main icons.
The iPhone 5S can be separated from the iPhone 5 because the Home button has Touch ID (it lacks the white square of the iPhone 5), and comes in a different set of finishes such as Space Grey, Silver and Gold.
Larger models of iPhone
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S are distinctive in that they are larger (4.7 inch display) and slimmer than any of the previous models, and come in a subtle range of metallic finishes. The iPhone 6 Plus is the largest of the lot with a 5.5 inch display.
For the definitive Answer – Use the Model Identification Number
This number is in very tiny print on the back of the iPhone, and begins with ‘A’.
| iPhone Model | Model Identification Number |
| Original iPhone | A1203 |
| 3G | A1241 |
| 3GS | A1303 |
| 4 | A1332 & A1349 |
| 4S | A1387 |
| 5 | A1428 & A1429 |
| 5C | A1507, A1456, A1526, A1529 & A1532 |
| 5S | A1528, A1453, A1530, A1457 & A1533 |
| 6 | A1549, A1586 & A1589 |
| 6S | A1633 & A1688 |
| 6 Plus | A1524, A1522 & A1593 |
| 6S Plus | A1634 & A1687 |
