How to find out the model of the Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Owning a device from a popular Chinese manufacturer often requires users to accurately identify their gadget, such as when searching for accessories, installing specific firmware or contacting a service center for parts, but the brand’s range is so large that the visual similarity of different generations can be misleading even for an experienced owner.

Often, the back cover is just a Redmi or POCO logo, and the specific design is hidden from view. The internal code names used by developers may also be different from the marketing names we see in stores. Understanding the difference between these designations is key to successful technical tasks.

There are several proven methods to get a complete information about your device in seconds, and we will look at both software methods through the interface of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, and physical methods of inspecting the case, this knowledge will help you avoid mistakes when buying cases or screens.

Identification through the About Phone menu

The most obvious and accessible way to find out about the device is to look at the system settings. The interface of MIUI and the new HyperOS is structured so that the main information is displayed on the first screen of the system section, and it displays not only the name of the model, but also the version of Android, the build number and the memory capacity.

To get to the right section, you need to open the Settings app and scroll to the top of the list, and you'll see About the phone, which is usually the first item on the list, and clicking on it, you'll go to the page with the detailed specification of your gadget.

Note the line "Model." This is where you get a technical identifier that's made up of letters and numbers. For example, for the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, it'll say 2101117SG, which is unique to the region and memory configuration.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse the marketing name (e.g. Redmi Note 10) with the technical code of the model (M2101K7BG). For the search for firmware and spare parts, it is the technical code that is critically important.

This menu often hides additional information about the processor and the GPU if you click on the MIUI version several times quickly. However, for the main task of determining the model, the top of the screen is enough, the data here is updated automatically when system parameters change.

Use of engineering USSD-code

If the settings menu is limited or the interface is not working properly, hidden system codes come to the rescue. Xiaomi’s smart phone’s engineering menu allows you to access diagnostic data without the graphics shell, which is especially useful when buying a used device when you need to quickly check the hardware with the stated.

To call the version information menu, just dial ##6484## on the standard dialer, and immediately after entering the last star, the CIT (Customer Integration Test) list will open, and the exact model will be indicated at the top of the screen or in the Version section.

Alternative code *#06# displays IMEI-codes and serial number, although the direct model name may not appear here, IMEI You can accurately identify a device through operator databases or warranty verification services, and it's a reliable way to verify that a device is authentic.

There is another useful code ##4636## that opens the testing menu, and in the Phone Information section, you can often see more detailed data about the radio module and device ID, which help with deep diagnostics.

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If the code doesn't work, check if you have a third-party call. Xiaomi's standard dial is best for system commands.

Search for information on the case and box

Physical markers remain the most reliable source of information when the phone is completely discharged or not turning on, and manufacturers are required to apply technical information to the device in accordance with international standards, usually located on the back cover or at the end of the frame.

In older models, the information was printed directly on the plastic lid in fine print, and in modern glass and metal cases, this data is often transferred to the tray. SIM-maps or paste on a factory film. Carefully inspect the frame of the device in good lighting.

The smartphone package contains the most complete information, a sticker with a barcode on the side or bottom of the box, and the Model, Color and Memory fields are always there, and saving the box is useful not only for identification, but also for safe transportation when you get it repaired.

• 📦 Back cover: small text at the bottom, often requires a magnifying glass to read.
• 📱 Tray SIM: On some models (for example, Mi 6, Mi 8) the model is knocked out on a metal sled.
• 🏷️ Factory film: if the phone is new, the sticker on the screen duplicates the data from the box.
• 📄 Warranty card: the documents always prescribe the full article of the goods.

It's worth noting that in some regions (e.g. China), only a code name, like lmi or cepheus, can be written on the box, which is an internal project name that fits a specific global model, and understanding this connection helps when ordering parts from Chinese sites.

Differences between Code and Marketing Name

One of the main reasons for the confusion is the dual nomenclature used by the company: a marketing name is what we see in advertising and on price tags. A codename is a one-word identifier used by firmware developers and system files.

For example, Xiaomi Mi 10 is codenamed umi. Budget Redmi 9A is known in development circles as dandelion. Knowledge of the code name is necessary when searching for custom recavities (TWRP), camera patches (GCam), or when trying to unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool.

Often the same hardware platform is released under different names for different markets, the global version may be called Redmi Note 9, and the Chinese version may be called Redmi 10X 4G. However, their code names may differ, which is critical when reflashing, installing global firmware on Chinese hardware without changing the region can lead to an error.

It is often more effective to search the Internet with a code name, and a search for “TWRP for sweet” will yield a more accurate result than a search for a full commercial name, which may contain unnecessary words and variations, and community developers always use these short identifiers.

Use of third-party applications

If the built-in tools fail to get information or it seems incomplete, specialized utilities come to the rescue. Apps from the Google Play Store are able to read data directly from the processor’s hardware registers, providing information in a structured form.

One of the most popular tools is the CPU-Z. Once installed and launched, the program immediately shows the SOC, Device, System tabs. In the Device section, the Model field will specify the exact name, and the application will show the real screen resolution, the number of cores and the temperature of the sensors.

Another powerful tool is AIDA64, which provides comprehensive data not only about the model, but also about all the components: display, battery, network and installed codecs, and is especially useful if you want to know the exact model of the screen matrix or the type of camera sensor.

⚠️ Be careful with applications that require root rights for basic information. For simple model definition, you can use the usual access rights that all programs from the official store have.

Also worth mentioning is the Device Info HW app, which specializes in identifying component manufacturers. If you want to know which camera sensor your Xiaomi is using (Samsung, Sony or OmniVision), this app will show you the exact sensor model.

Model definition through computer and ADB

For advanced users with access to a PC, the most accurate method is to use the Android debugging bridge (ADB), which allows you to get raw data from the system that can not be tampered with by the software interface, this is important for checking phones after repair or re-patching cases.

First, you need to enable USB debugging in the Developer menu, and then you connect the phone to the computer with a cable, and then you put the adb device command on the PC command line, after you install the ADB drivers, to check the connection.

Once you've confirmed the connection on your phone screen, you input a command to get the system properties, and it outputs a long list of parameters, which you want to find ro.product.model, and that's the value you want.

adb shell getprop ro.product.model

This method also allows you to know the region of the device (CN, Global, EEA) through the parameter ro.product.locale. This is important, since the presence of a pre-installed Google service and the operation of NFC depends on the region. Chinese versions often require firmware reflashing for full-fledged work in Europe.

Table of popular code names Xiaomi

To make users more comfortable, we have created a table of how popular devices match their internal identities, which will help them navigate forums and knowledge bases more quickly, where models are often referred to as code names.

Using this table, you can instantly understand what device you're talking about in the technical documentation, for example, if you see a firmware file with a name on it. venus_global_images..., You know right away that it's for Mi. 11.

Remember that code names can have suffixes indicating modifications, such as sweetin, a version of the Note 10 Pro with a different processor (MediaTek instead of Snapdragon), and installing firmware from sweet to sweetin will cause the device to fail.

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Always check the code name suffix before you run the firmware. A one-letter difference could mean a hardware platform.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)