How Refurbished iPhones Are Sold as New: What’s Really Inside the Box?

At Elcomsoft, we regularly purchase several iOS devices each month for research, demonstration, and development. We usually opt for iPhones with relatively recent processors, unless we specifically need the latest or a rare chipset. Naturally, we want to save money: buying even one iPhone can impact a family budget, and monthly purchases of small batches are a significant company expense.

In recent years, many websites in Russia have popped up, presenting themselves as online stores. One of their main sales channels is Avito, a popular marketplace. These sites often offer devices at low prices, described as “new, in box, check upon delivery.” If you’re surprised by the low price (usually 1.5–2 times cheaper than at an official Apple Store), a phone call will reveal that the phone is “gray market” and the warranty is “from the store.” But what do you actually get if you order such a device? Here’s our experience, including detailed device data—model numbers, IMEI, and serial numbers—so you can learn how to check authenticity yourself.

iPhone SE: “New, in Box”

Let’s start with the iPhone SE, a popular choice at our company for its relatively recent processor, support for current iOS versions, and compact size. We ordered four units from different sellers, all advertised as new “gray market” phones.

None of the four phones passed authenticity checks. Here’s a typical example (the others were similar, with minor differences):

• Device: iPhone SE (Space Gray, 16GB)
• Model Identifier (on box and phone): MLY52LL/Y (A1662)
• Serial Number: F17S3EFRH2XQ
• IMEI: 355435077179769
• Official Apple Price: no longer sold
• Carrier/Dealer Price (from old stock): 19–20,000 rubles
• Official refurbished price: 14–15,000 rubles
• “New in box” price: 11,000 rubles

The device arrived in a box similar to the original, shrink-wrapped in quality plastic. Unless you have a real one to compare, the packaging looks convincing; side-by-side, the differences are obvious. Checking the model identifier showed the device was made for the US market (Verizon, with CDMA and Qualcomm modem), but it came with a European-style charger.

The “new in box” iPhone SE had a battery health of 98%. IMEI and serial number checks revealed the device was originally Gold, but we held a Space Gray phone. The production date was August 2, 2016, and the estimated purchase date was August 14, 2016. On checkcoverage.apple.com, we saw the phone was bought and activated over a year ago, and all Apple warranty obligations had expired.

The phone had iOS 12.1.2 installed (released December 17, 2018). How did this version end up on a device supposedly “sitting in a warehouse” since 2016? The seller didn’t say. The serial number on the box differed by one letter from the one reported by the system.

So what did we get? A phone crudely refurbished in a Chinese workshop. “Gray import” means the Russian seller bought a batch of refurbished phones from China. Most likely, the phone was traded in or sold cheaply by the original owner, shipped to China for refurbishment (where labor is cheap), and only the motherboard was kept. The Touch ID sensor was probably removed, and the original battery is questionable. The case and screen were replaced, swapping the unpopular gold color for the more marketable gray. The box included a fake charger and Lightning cable, which sometimes stop working after an iOS update. The box itself was printed locally and shrink-wrapped on a cheap machine.

Two More iPhone SEs

Here are details of two more iPhone SEs:

Device 1

• Model: iPhone SE 64GB MLM62VC/C (A1723)
• Color: Space Gray
• Serial: C39R5324H2XH
• IMEI: 355441070436735
• iOS 11.2.2 (15C202)
• Battery health: 99%

This device was for the Canadian market. Color and storage matched the listing. Warranty check showed it was bought and activated over a year ago; warranty expired. IMEI check showed it was made over three years ago, but iOS 11.2.2 was released only in January 2018—the last time the original owner updated it. Battery health at 99% after three years suggests the battery was replaced. Verdict: a basement-refurbished device, over three years old.

Device 2

• Model: iPhone SE 16GB FLLN2RU/A (A1723)
• Color: Space Gray
• Serial: FRGWR1NPH2XJ
• IMEI: 353066096545029
• Current iOS: 12.1.1 (16B92) (updated in our lab)

This was the first honestly refurbished device we found, intended for the Russian market! The model number starting with F means it was refurbished at an Apple-authorized service center, and “RU” indicates it’s for Russia. Apple’s warranty check showed we were the first to activate it in October 2018, with warranty valid until October 6, 2019. This is what a “legit” refurbished phone should look like. However, we bought it as “new” from an official Megafon retail store, with no “refurbished” label. This was the only such case.

iPhone 7 (Red, 128GB) — “One Year Warranty!”

Next, we needed an iPhone 7 for testing a utility that extracts the device’s file system image without modifying the system partition. A few hours after ordering, we received:

• Model: MNAM2LL/A (A1660)
• Serial: F71S75EZHG74
• IMEI: 359127072148594
• Official Apple Price: 48,803 rubles (other colors; red not officially sold in Russia)
• Carrier/Dealer Price: from 38,000 rubles
• “New in box” price: 21,900 rubles

The phone was poorly packaged. Like the SE, it was a Verizon model (“iPhone 7 128GB Rose Gold”), but came with a European charger. Battery health was 79%—original Apple batteries lose 20% capacity after 500–700 full charge cycles, so this “new in box” phone had been used for 1.5–2 years. IMEI and model checks showed the color as Rose Gold, not red. Production date: August 30, 2016. iOS 12.1.1 was installed, which didn’t exist in 2016. The serial number on the box didn’t match the one in iOS. For us, only the motherboard and Lightning port mattered, but buying such a phone for personal use is a big risk.

iPhone 7 (Silver)

This iPhone 7 Silver 32GB was also “new in box.”

• Model: MNC22L/A (A1660)
• Serial: F72V209ZHG70
• IMEI: 355830088157749
• Serial number on box matches iOS

Apple’s warranty check showed the phone was bought and activated in the US over a year ago; warranty expired. IMEI check confirmed this. The phone was originally Rose Gold, but now was Silver. The model is for US CDMA carrier Sprint, and the phone was unlocked. After being refurbished in China, it was repainted, given a European charger, and sold in Russia as “new in box.” The packaging was indeed new.

Statistics

We could dismiss these cases as bad luck, but here’s what happened during a training session in England. We needed to provide each of 12 participants with an iPhone 5s running a specific iOS version. After many calls, we found sellers who could supply three or four sealed “new” iPhone 5s each, all with the required iOS version. We received 15 devices in total.

None passed authenticity checks. All were “basement” refurbished. One failed before setup, another’s Lightning port only charged but didn’t transfer data, another’s Touch ID didn’t work (not needed for our purposes), and one had a strange issue where pairing with a computer failed. Half had cheap screens, and one had a screen so sticky it was impossible to swipe smoothly. Of 15 devices, only 11 were usable. We had to supply one from our own stock.

Customer Reviews

Reading “happy customer” reviews of such devices is always entertaining. Here are some real examples (original spelling preserved):

• “I don’t know. I guess I got lucky. Only minor issues. The side button stopped working. The top speaker crackles a bit. I’ve been using it for 5 months.”
• “Fingerprint? Who needs it.”
• “I bought it, works fine, no update problems, only thing is Touch ID doesn’t work, fake home button instead. To make the fingerprint work (with the Chinese button) you need jailbreak, but then some apps like Sberbank Mobile don’t work. So I don’t use fingerprint, don’t need it. Checked the phone at the register with all possible services. ‘The beast’ checks out fine.”
• “Only the charging module and fingerprint button are Chinese, everything else is original, display too. So buy at your own risk. Basically, it’s a ‘refurbished’ model of a ‘refurbished phone.’”
• “Works fine, no complaints, except it shuts off in the cold, had to remove the temperature sensor on the back panel, but that’s a problem with many, even factory ones.”
• “After an update, my Touch ID just stopped working overnight. I blame the firmware, even Apple support suggested restoring the update, but nothing worked. Sold my 5s cheap to a friend since warranty was long gone. So yeah, sometimes Touch ID just breaks, and sometimes updates are buggy, especially over Wi-Fi.”

What Does “Refurbished by Apple” Mean?

Some sellers claim their phones were refurbished at an official service center. This is always a lie. No Apple service center in Russia refurbishes phones. All “refurbished by Apple” devices get a new model identifier: if refurbished at an Apple factory, the model starts with N; if by an authorized service, with F. If the model starts with M, it was sold as “new.”

No Touch ID

Several years ago, large batches of “new in box” iPhone 5s “without Touch ID” appeared. These are always “basement” devices, refurbished in China with non-original screen and Touch ID modules. What else was replaced is anyone’s guess. In reality, these are Frankenstein devices assembled from multiple phones or cheap parts. For more, see: “iPhone without Touch ID—what is it and should you buy?”

How to Check: Serial Number

You can learn a lot about a phone without opening the box. Just enter the serial number from the box at checkcoverage.apple.com.

WARNING: Sometimes the serial number on the box doesn’t match the one reported by iOS. If so, no further checks are needed—you have a “basement” iPhone.

If you check the serial number of a new or officially refurbished device that hasn’t been activated, you should see a message that Apple has no warranty information. If you see “coverage expired,” it’s a used device, “refurbished” in a basement. If you see something like this, it’s a fake:

• Telephone technical support: expired
• You are eligible for paid Apple technical support.
• Service and repair coverage: expired
• According to our records, this product is no longer covered by Apple’s limited warranty or AppleCare due to expiration.

An officially refurbished device always has a one-year Apple warranty. After activation, you should see the remaining warranty period—one year from activation. Sometimes the site updates with a delay (up to a day), so you may not see current info immediately.

How to Check: IMEI

You can get a lot of info by checking the IMEI at imei.info. Useful details include:

• Color: If the IMEI check says “gold” but you have a gray phone, it’s a Frankenstein device.
• Production date (exact) and estimated sale date. The production date tells you which iOS version should be installed. iPhones can only have the iOS version Apple was signing at the time of assembly. If a device made in August 2016 has iOS 12, it’s been used and updated regularly.
• Model identifier: For example, MLY52LL/A (A1662) is for the US market, specifically “16GB Gold Verizon.” If the model is for one region but the accessories are for another, it’s a Frankenstein device.

For iPhone SE model identifiers, see here. For iPhone 7, see here.

“One Year Warranty”

All of the above probably won’t stop some readers from chasing a bargain. “They give a one-year warranty,” you might say. But remember the story of someone who bought a Rolex in a subway for a few bucks and went swimming with it, trusting the “water resistance” label. The “water resistance” was as fake as the “Rolex.”

We’ve established that buyers of “basement” iPhones get no Apple warranty. If you think you can get a replacement at an Apple Store while traveling, forget it. The original warranty is long expired; your only hope is the seller’s goodwill. Also, the store warranty card always lists the serial number from the box. Will the store repair a device with a different serial number?

What’s Inside and Where Does It Come From?

What if you open up such a phone? Out of curiosity, we disassembled two devices with obvious defects. Both had messy, clearly non-original batteries and cables. The only original part seemed to be the motherboard.

A great example is Scotty Allen, who went to China and built a fully working iPhone 6s from parts bought at local markets. The hardest part was the motherboard—he had to buy one with a Touch ID sensor already paired, as it’s impossible to pair a new sensor yourself. You can watch his 23-minute video here.

Conclusion

Should you buy a “new in box” iPhone with a “one-year warranty”? Buying a “new” iPhone at half price is a lottery with no winning tickets. At best, you’ll get a used device with an expired warranty; at worst, a Frankenstein monster with parts of unknown origin. Non-original screens are usually very fragile (we had one crack in our hands), may lack oleophobic coating, or lose it quickly. Color reproduction may be way off from Apple’s standards.

Non-original Touch ID sensors will stop working after an iOS update. This applies to all iPhone 5s/6/6s and later sold “without Touch ID.”

Should you buy one for personal use? No, not even for a child (because of the fragile screen). But if your goal is iOS security research, a batch of such devices can help you save money.