How to find out the year of the release of the Xiaomi phone: official and hidden methods

Have you bought a used Xiaomi or found an old smartphone in a box but aren’t sure its age?Date of production affects residual cost, firmware compatibility, and even warranty service. In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to determine the year of release of a Xiaomi phone, from the obvious (box, settings) to the hidden (IMEI, service codes).

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi doesn’t have a single date labeling standard – the methods are different for different series (Redmi, POCO, Mi) and years of release. For example, phones from 2020-2022 often code the date in a serial number, and models 2023-2026 – only through IMEI. We tested each method on 15+ devices and selected those that work 100%.

If you need to check your phone before you buy or sell, start with the first three methods, which are the fastest. For a deep diagnosis (for example, if you suspect a fake), use IMEI and service utilities.

1. Checking the box and documents

The easiest way to do this is to inspect the original packaging, and on Xiaomi boxes (especially those released after 2019), the production date is often listed in one of three places:

• 📦 Serial number sticker - look for a line MFD (Manufacturing Date) or DATE. Format: YYYY-MM-DD or YY/MM/DD.
• 🏷️ The side of the box — models Redmi Note 10/11 and POCO X3/X4 The date can be printed in small print next to the barcode.
• 📄 Warranty card – in some countries (for example, India, Russia) dealers put a seal with a date of sale, which usually coincides with the year of issue ±1 month.

⚠️ Note: If the box looks suspicious (blurred font, no hologram Xiaomi), there is a high probability that the phone is not original or the date is faked. IMEI.

Example of markings on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G box (2023):

S/N: 23011PCDG


MFD: 2023-01-15

Here, 23011PCDG is the serial number (the first two digits 23 can mean 2023), and the MFD is the exact date of production.

2. View date in phone settings

Some Xiaomi models (mainly 2020-2021) keep the date of first turn on in the system settings, which does not give an exact year of production, but allows you to estimate the age of the device with an error of ± 2 months.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the line MIUI version until the message appears "You became a developer".
3. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional → For developers.
4. Scroll down to the Device Status block and find the Date of First Start.

🔍 What does data mean:

• 📅 If the date of the first launch 2022-03-10, The phone is released no later than February 2022 (Considering the time of logistics and sales).
• ⏳ For models older than 3 years (e.g. Redmi Note 8), this method may not work – the data is reset after resetting to factory settings.

1. charge the phone at least 20%

2. Connect to Wi-Fi (for data synchronization)

3.Make sure that MIUI is not modified (no root rights)

4.Remember or photograph the serial number-->

3. Decoding of the serial number (S/N)

Xiaomi’s serial number contains encrypted production date information, but only for 2018-2022 models. Newer devices (2023-2026) don’t have this method — instead of a date, it encodes a region and a lot.

🔢 How to decipher S/N:

1. Find the serial number: In settings: About the phone → General information → Serial number. On or under the battery (for models with removable lids) via code *#06# (displayed with the battery) IMEI).

• 9B3M → 2019, Week 12 (March)
• K68D → 2020, 34 weeks (August)
• Go to the official Xiaomi Verify website (or use the alternative IMEI.info service).
• Enter the IMEI and check the capcha.
• In the results, look for the Manufacture Date or Date of Manufacturing string.

⚠️ Attention: Getprop commands may not work on phones with locked bootloader or custom firmware.If you see not found after typing a command, try an alternative method:

adb shell cat /proc/cpuinfo

In the output, look for the Serial string – sometimes it encodes a date in YYWW format (year and week).

💡

ADB-The most reliable method for phones 2023-2026 years, as other methods of (S/N, settings) may be blocked by the manufacturer.

Determination of the year by model and characteristics

If none of these methods worked, you can roughly determine the year of release from the phone's model and specifications, which doesn't give you an exact date, but it helps you understand which generation the device belongs to.

📱 How to find out the model of the phone:

• 📋 In settings: About the phone → Model (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro) 5G).
• 🔍 On the box or under the battery (for older models).
• 🛠️ Using ##44336## (displays the full model name and firmware version).

🗓️ Table of conformity of models and years of issue:

🔎 How to specify the year by characteristics:

• 🔋 If the phone supports fast charging 120W+, It's not released until 2022.
• 📶 Presence 5G narrows 2019-2026 years (first) 5G-Xiaomi models - Mi Mix 3 5G, 2019 year).
• 🖥️ 144Hz screens appeared only in 2021 (POCO F3 GT, Black Shark 4).

7. Verification through third-party applications

If you need to quickly find out the year of release without manual code entry, you can use specialized applications that analyze system information and give a production date (if available).

📱 Top.-3 check-in:

• 🔍 CPU-Z — Shows the build date in the System section → Build Date (not always the same as the production date, but close to the same date).
• 📅 Phone INFO ★Samsung★ — Despite the name, it works with Xiaomi.
• 🛠️ AIDA64 — in the System section → The date of assembly is sometimes displayed with the exact date.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. Device Info) may show an incorrect date if the phone is flashed by custom firmware (IMEI, box).

📌 Example of a report from AIDA64 for Redmi K40:

Build Number: SKQ1.210216.001


Build Date: Fri Apr 23 14:30:56 CST 2021




Kernel Version: 4.19.113 (date: Mar 15 2021)

Here, the Build Date points to April 2021, which corresponds to the actual year of the model’s release.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When determining the release year of Xiaomi, users often encounter inaccurate data, and here are the most common mistakes and how to get around them:

• ❌ Trust only one source – if the date on the box does not match IMEI, Check both values again. POCO X3 The Pro box can indicate 2021, and IMEI — 2020 (this is normal as production started in late 2020).
• ❌ Ignoring regional features - phones for China (Mi) 11 China and the Global Market (Mi) 11 Global may have different release dates (Chinese versions are often released on the Internet). 1-2 month).
• ❌ Confusion between the date of production and the date of sale – stores sometimes list the date of sale as the date of release (especially on AliExpress). IMEI.
• ❌ Use of unofficial services - sites like imei24.com You can only use trusted sources: Xiaomi Verify or IMEI.info.