How to find out the year of release of the smartphone Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: all working methods

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is one of the most popular models of 2019, but even a few years later, you can find both new devices from the warehouse and used devices with a dubious history. Knowing the exact release year will help you avoid buying a repainted “drowned”, a phone with a switched battery or a device that is about to lose support for updates. In this article, 5 proven ways to determine the date of production, including hidden system menus and online services, which even official instructions are silent about.

The Redmi Note 7 (codename lavender) is that Xiaomi has produced it in several factories in China, India and Indonesia — and the dates on the boxes or in the firmware may not match the actual age of the iron. We'll look at which methods give 100% results and where you can run into a fake. For example, on devices for the Indian market (with the IN suffix in the model), the production date in MIUI can be displayed with an error of up to 3 months — and this is normal.

1. IMEI check: the most reliable method

The International IMEI is your smartphone’s passport, which not only tells you the year of release, but also the country of manufacture, and checks to see if the device is blacklisted. The Redmi Note 7 has two IMEIs (for each SIM slot), but both lead to the same production date.

To find IMEI:

• 📱 Dial on the phone keyboard *#06# - a window with two 15-digit codes will appear.
• 📄 Look at the sticker under the battery (if you removed the back cover) or on the box.
• 🔧 Go to Settings. → The phone. → General information.

Then use one of the services:

⚠️ If the service shows that the phone is released after 2020, most likely, IMEI The original Redmi Note 7 rolled off the assembly line until May 2020.

2.Date on box and stickers: where to look

The official Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 packaging contains three locations where the production date is indicated - but only one of them is reliable. On the front of the box, the month and year of assembly of the batch are usually printed, rather than the specific device. For example, if the box is 2019.04, this means that the phone is assembled no later than April 2019, but could have been in storage for up to a year.

Where to look exactly:

• 📦 Barcode side sticker: look for a line MFG DATE (format YYYY/MM/DD).
• 🔋 Under the battery: the white sticker under the battery shows a Week-Year date (e.g., a week-year date, 15-2019 = 15-I'm a week. 2019 year-end).
• 📄 Warranty card: the date of activation of the warranty may differ from the date of production by 1-6 months.

The image below shows an example of the original Redmi Note 7 sticker (Indian version).Note the line MFG DATE: 2019/03/12, which is the exact build date:

⚠️ Note: If the battery sticker is missing or the date is erased, the phone is likely to have been repaired with a replacement motherboard.

3. Hidden menu of engineering settings

MIUI's firmware has a service center menu that displays, among other things, a production date, which works even without the Internet, but it requires caution that improper actions in the engineering menu can lead to resets.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and dial ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select Phone Information.
3. Scroll down to the Hardware info block.
4. Look for Manufacture date or RF cal date (month/day/year or week-year).

On the Redmi Note 7, the date can be displayed in one of three formats:

• 📅 MM/DD/YYYY — American format (for example, 03/15/2019 = 15 March 2019).
• 📅 WW-YYYY — week and year, for example, 12-2019 = March 2019).
• 📅 YYYYMMDD — Chinese format (e.g. 20190315).

Open the Phone app | Dial ##4636##|Select Phone Information |Find a line with a production date-->

If you see a Unknown or empty field instead of a date, it could mean:

• 🔄 The firmware was refashioned by an unofficial version MIUI.
• 🛠️ The device was in repair with the replacement of the motherboard.
• 📵 The phone is made of spare parts (called Frankenstein").

4. Through MIUI settings: where the date is hidden

The standard MIUI settings don't have a direct production date, but they can be calculated indirectly, which is less accurate, but it will help if other methods are not available.

Steps:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Click 7-10 times on the firmware version until the word “You became a developer” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
4. Find the kernel version (e.g. 4.4.157-perf+).
5. Copy this line and type it into the search engine with the words Redmi Note 7 release date.

The release date of the kernel can approximately determine the age of the phone:

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If the developer's settings don't include "Kernel Version," try installing the Kernel Adiutor app from Google Play, which will show the kernel assembly date to the day.

Online databases by serial number

The Redmi Note 7 serial number (S/N) is another unique identifier that some services can use to determine a release date, and unlike IMEI, the serial number is tied to a specific motherboard and does not change when you flash it.

Where to find S/N:

• 📄 In settings: About the phone → General information → Serial number.
• 📦 On the box next to the barcode (line) S/N).
• 🔋 Under the battery (if the lid was removed).

Services for verification:

• 🌍 SNDeePInfo – Shows country and date (free for the first 3 checks).
• 🔍 IMEI24 — paid report with device history.
• 📊 Apple Coverage – Yes, this service is sometimes recognized by Apple and Xiaomi (method for experienced users).

An example of the Redmi Note 7 serial number decoding:

Serial number: 8QX90ABC1234




Transcript:




8QX90 → Plant Code (China, Foxconn Plant)




- A → 2019 (B = 2020)




- BC1234 → Serial lot number

⚠️ Note: If the serial number begins with 9L or 9M, The original Redmi Note 7 numbers always start with defective parts or fakes. 8Q, 8R or 8S.

Physical examination: what gives the age of the phone

Even without access to the settings or box, you can roughly determine the age of the Redmi Note 7 by appearance, a method that doesn't give an exact date, but can help identify a fake or a phone that has been repaired.

What to look out for:

• 🔋 Battery: On the original batteries of the Redmi Note 7 date in format YYYY-MM-DD (for example, 2019-03-15). If the battery is inflated or the date is erased, the phone is older. 3 years.
• 📱 Back cover: In early batches (2019), the lid is matte, in late ones (2020) with a light glossy hue. Counterfeitings often have rough seams.
• 🔌 Charging port: Devices 2019 port USB-C It's black, it's gray in 2020, and if the port wobbles or bends, the phone's been used extensively.
• 🎵 On models until June 2019, the speaker is one (mono), after stereo (two speakers).

Another sign is the color marking on the motherboard, and if you've been disassembling the phone, look at the paint point next to the processor.

• 🟢 Green - 2019 (first batches).
• 🔴 Red - end of 2019 - beginning of 2020.
• 🟡 Yellow - 2020 (late games).

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If the phone has firmware older than MIUI 12 and the core date is 2020, it’s likely that the device has been in storage for more than 12 months, and these phones can have battery problems even with a zero-charging cycle.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the Redmi Note production date 7