How to know exactly the year of the release of the Xiaomi phone: from the box to service teams

You bought a used Xiaomi smartphone or found an old box in your closet — and now you want to know when exactly the phone was released? The year of production affects the battery life, update support and even the market value of the device. Unfortunately, the release date is not always found in the settings — the manufacturer often hides this information. But there are at least 5 working ways to determine the age of your Redmi, POCO or Mi, and we will discuss each of them in detail.

In this article you will find:

🔍 How to decrypt the serial number (IMEI/SN) to determine the date of production
📦 Where to look for a year on a box and why it might not be there
⚙️ Hidden menus and service codes for processor-based models Qualcomm/Mediatek
🔧 What to do if none of the methods worked (spoiler: official service will help)

Important: The methods have worked for all Xiaomi smartphones since 2016, including the Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra and newer models. For devices older than 2015 (such as the Mi 3 or Redmi 1S), some methods may not work due to outdated firmware.

📊 Why do you need a year of Xiaomi phone launch?

To check the originality

To assess battery wear

Before buying a used device

Out of interest.

Other

Serial number (SN) - the main key to the production date

The serial number (SN) is your phone’s unique identifier, which encrypts information about the model, the manufacturer and, often, the exact date of assembly. Xiaomi’s SN format has changed over time, but in most cases the first 4-6 characters contain data about the year and week of production.

Where to find the serial number:

📱 In the phone settings: Settings → The phone. → General information → Serial number.
📦 On a sticker under the battery (if the phone is collapsible) or on a box
🔋 Battery-on (for older models until 2019)

How to decipher:

Take the first 4 characters of the SN. Example: K68C or 9DL3.
The first letter or digit is the year: 8 or H – 2018 9 or J – 2019 K or 0 – 2020 L or 1 – 2021 M or 2 – 2022 N or 3 – 2023 P or 4 – 2026

week-end

Example of the decoding of SN L34D9ABC1234:

L → 2021
34 → Week 34 (August)
Bottom line: the phone was released in August 2021.

⚠️ Warning: Starting in 2022, Xiaomi began using the new format SN for some models (e.g., Redmi Note 12), where the year is coded differently. If your SN starts with 22, 23 or 24, it is likely the year of release (2022, 2023, 2026, respectively).

How to verify the authenticity of the serial number?

If you're buying a used phone, compare the SN settings to the number on the box and the number under the battery. They should match. If they don't, there's a good chance that the phone is repaired or tampered with.

2.Date on the box: where to look and why it may not be

The original Xiaomi box almost always contains the production date information — but not where you expect it to be. Many people look for it on a barcode label, but the data they want is actually hidden in small text on the end of the box or under a sticker.

Where exactly to look:

📦 Side of the box (usually right): Look for a string in the format MFRD DATE: YYYY-MM-DD or Date of Manufacture.
🏭 Serial number sticker: Sometimes the date is shown next to SN in YYYY/MM/DD format.
🔖 Under QR-code: On some models (e.g., POCO F3), the date is in small print under the main label.

Examples of real boxes:

Model phone	Where the date is	Date format
Redmi Note 10 Pro	Side of the box	2021-03-15
POCO X3 NFC	Under the QR- code	2020/09/22
Mi 11 Lite	SN sticker	MFRD: 2021.04
Redmi 9A	End of the box (small text)	2020-07

⚠️ Warning: If the box looks new but the date on it is older than 2021 is a cause for concern. Xiaomi often updates the design of the package, and old boxes in their original form are rare. The phone may have been restored or repackaged.

If the box is missing or the date is erased, go to the next method – check through IMEI.

3. IMEI Test: Does This Method Work for Xiaomi?

IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is another unique phone identifier, but unlike the serial number, it doesn't contain direct production date information, but IMEI can tell the phone model and the country of origin, which indirectly helps determine the age of the device.

How to check:

Find out your phone’s IMEI: Enter the code *#06# in the phone app. Or look at Settings → About Phone → General Information → IMEI.

🌍 IMEI.info (shows model and year of series release, but not exact date)
🔍 Xiaomi Device Info (model database with release dates)

What you can learn from IMEI:

📅 Model release year (e.g. Redmi Note 9 came out in 2020, but your phone could have been released later).
🏭 Country of manufacture (China, India, Indonesia) Phones for India are often released later than global versions.
⚠️ Device status (not blacklisted or not).

Limitations of the method:

❌ Does not show the exact date of the build - only the year of the model release.
❌ For phones released 1-2 years after the announcement (e.g., POCO X3 in 2021), the data may be inaccurate.

💡

If you are buying a used phone, be sure to check the IMEI on imei.info – this will help to identify a fake or stolen device.

Xiaomi phones with Qualcomm or Mediatek processors have hidden service menus that sometimes display production dates, a method that doesn’t work on all models, but can be a lifeline if other methods don’t work.

Instructions for Qualcomm (most flagships and mid-budget models):

Open the Phone app.
Enter the code: ##4636###.
Go to the tab Information about the phone.
Look for Manufacture Date or Build Time.

Instructions for Mediatek (Redmi 9A, POCO C31, etc.):

Enter the phone app: ##36446337##.
Go to Engineer Mode → Hardware Testing → Version.
Look for the Manufacture Date or RF Calibration Time field.

Examples of what you can see:

Manufacture Date: 20210815 → August 15, 2021
Build Time: Sun Mar 14 2022 → March 14, 2022 (the firmware build date does not always coincide with production).

⚠️ Warning: Not all service menus show a production date. If you only see the firmware version or module data, this method didn't work. Don't change the settings in the engineering menu unless you're sure they're there!

☑️ Checking through the service menu

Learn the processor model (Qualcomm/Mediatek)Enter the correct code for your chipsetCheck all tabs for date availabilityDo not change other parameters

Done: 0 / 4

5. Xiaomi's official service: when nothing helps

If none of these methods worked (for example, you have a phone without a box, with a non-standard SN or outdated firmware), the last option is to contact the official Xiaomi service. This is the only way to get 100% accurate information about the date of production, especially for models older than the 2018 year.

How to do this:

Find the nearest Xiaomi service center on the official website.
Provide: Serial number (SN) of the phone. IMEI (can be found by code *#06#) Photo of the box (if any).

Ask about the date of production – specialists will check it on the database.

What you'll get:

📅 Exact assembly date (day, month, year).
🏭 Manufacturer (e.g. Foxconn, BYD).
🔧 Warranty information (if still valid).

How much does it cost?

✅ Free if you just ask for a date on SN/IMEI (no repair).
⚠️ Diagnostic fees (around 500–1000 ₽) are possible if the phone requires a physical examination.

The alternative is to tweet Xiaomi's official Twitter account or chat support on the site, and sometimes they answer questions like this, but they don't guarantee a quick answer.

💡

The official service is the only way to know the exact date for phones over 5 years old or with non-standard serial numbers.

6. Indirect signs: how to determine the age of the phone without accurate data

If you can’t find the date of production by any of the above methods, pay attention to indirect signs that will help to approximately determine the age of the device:

🔋 Battery status:

Go to Settings → Battery → Battery status.
If the capacity fell below 80% of the original – the phone is older than 2-3 years.
If the charging cycle is more than 500 – the device is more than 2 years old.

📱 Android and MIUI versions:

Phones of 2020 and later support Android 12+.
If you have a MIUI 10 or lower, your phone is older than 2019.

🔍 Design and configuration:

The presence of a 3.5 mm connector is a sign of the model until 2021 (except for POCO X3 Pro).
Charging 18W is most likely a phone of 2019-2020 (the new models come with 33W+).
Plastic case - typical for budget models until 2021.

💰 Market value:

If the phone sells for 5,000 to 10,000 ₽, it’s probably 3 to 5 years old.
The price of 15,000-25,000 ₽ is 1-2 years old.

Example: If you have a Redmi Note 8 Pro with 75% battery, 18W charging and MIUI 12, chances are the phone will be released in 2019-2020.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's production date

Can I find out the date of production by model number (for example, M2007J22C)?

No, the model number (e.g., the M2007J22C for the Redmi Note 9 Pro) only indicates the series and modification of the phone, not the date of its release. However, the model number can tell you the year of the announcement (for example, the Mi 10 was released in 2020), but not the exact date of assembly of your instance.

I'm buying a used Xiaomi. How do I check if the serial number is fake?

Compare SN from three sources: In phone settings (Settings → About phone). On the box (if any), under the battery or on the IMEI sticker. If the numbers don't match, the phone is either repaired or fake. Also check the SN on imei.info, it must match the model.

Could the date on the box be different from the actual date of production of the phone?

Yes, and here's why: Boxes are printed in advance, so the date on them can be 1-3 months before the actual assembly of the phone. If the phone was in stock, the date on the box will be older. For phones assembled in India or Indonesia, the date on the box may indicate the release of a batch, not a specific device. The most accurate method is to check by serial number or service menu.

How to find out the date of production if the phone is not turned on?

If the phone doesn't work, try: 📦 View the date on the box (if it's still there). 🔋 Check the sticker under the battery (for collapsible models). 🔧 Contact the service center with IMEI (it can be read through a special app if the phone is even occasionally turned on). If nothing helps, all that remains is to do is disassemble the phone and look for the date on the motherboard (usually applied with a laser in the format YYWW, where YY is a year, WW is a week).

Does the production date affect the support for the updates?

Yes, but not directly. Xiaomi provides updates depending on: 📱 Phone models (flagships get updates longer than budget devices). 🌍 Regional firmware (global versions update longer than Chinese ones). 📅 Model release dates, not a particular device. For example, Redmi Note 9 (2020) stopped receiving updates in 2023, regardless of when your instance was released. However, phones released later often have a more recent preinstalled version MIUI, which can affect the number of updates available.