If you own an iPad or are just thinking about buying one, you may be interested in the meaning of the iPad serial number. It’s not as complicated as it may seem at first glance, but it can give you a lot of useful information about the iPad. This article will tell you where to find the iPad model and/or serial number and how to decode the iPad serial and model numbers.
Let’s imagine you’re interested in questions like: ‘When was my iPad made?’, ‘What iPad model do I have?’ or even ‘What generation is my iPad?’. In this case, we have four different ways to get this info:
iPad serial number lookup, iPad model number lookup
You should know the following information about the model number of the iPad, which might confuse you a bit. That is, you will have the model A2270 on the box, but if you open the iPad information in the tablet menu, you will see the following information Model number MYL92LL/A. This is not a mistake, it’s just that Apple has simplified the presentation of the information for the average buyer. The actual model number is actually A2270, but iPad models are shipped to stores all over the world and the lot number is used to control and identify the tablets. Many people don’t know what a lot number is, so they replace that name with a model number in the iPad menu, even though it’s actually a lot number.
Also on the menu of the tablet, as well as on the box and on the back of the iPad itself, you will find not only the model number, but also the serial number. On the box and in the menu you can also see the commercial name of the tablet, e.g. iPad (8th generation). All of this information allows you to accurately identify the device.
A brief overview of iPad information iPad model number, iPad serial number, iPad model name
- Check the model name of your iPad. All iPad models have commercial names, such as iPad (8th generation) or iPad Air (4th generation). Under this name the tablets are sold in stores, the amount of built-in memory is added to the name, you may see the name Apple iPad 8th generation 128 GB or Apple iPad 8th generation 32 GB. You get most of the information about the device.
- Check the part number of your iPad. It looks like, for example, MYL92LL/A. As I said in the tablet menu, this would be the model number. It identifies the batch of devices, what region they are made for, and the specifications.
- Check the model number of your iPad. It looks like: A2270, you will find this number on the box and on the back of the iPad. It is a general model number.
- Check the serial number of your iPad. It looks like this: F9FDN4NKQ1GC, the serial number identifies a specific device and is required when contacting support and to check available support services on the Appple website by serial number.
All numbers are given just for example, but below I would explain how to use them to get information about when your iPad was made, what generation your iPad is and so on.
Three ways to find information about the iPad
The first way to find information about iPad: iPad model name and model number in iPadOS
If you are interested in information about the tablet or you want to know the model or serial number of the iPad, the easiest way for you to do this is simply to look at the information in the menu of the tablet, to do the following:
- Go to Settings;
- Tap on ‘General‘ and then ‘About‘;
- In the opened tab you would find your iPad Model Name, your iPad Model Number, and iPad Serial Number.
If you’re interested in information about the iPad, you’ll get it. If you are interested in more detailed information, such as when this model of the tablet was released. For that, you can use our article Apple iPad List, iPad Models by Year (2010-2022), in which I’ve compiled information about the beginning and end of production of all iPad models.
You can also click on the iPad model number to switch to A#### format, as this format is easier to identify.
The second way to find the serial number and model number of iPad
The iPad serial number can be found on the back cover of your iPad. To avoid fakes, Apple laser engraves the model and serial number on the back of each iPad. Depending on the year of the iPad, the lettering may vary slightly, but you can see an example of the iPad serial and model numbers in the photo below.
The third way to find the model and serial number of the iPad using the iPad box
You can get all the information about the iPad using its own box, all the information is written there. On the box of the iPad you can find all the information about the device, I will list and show in the photo:
- iPad model name;
- Internal memory size;
- iPad model number;
- Part number;
- iPad serial number.
The iPad model name and memory capacity are written right on the box, and the rest of the information is on a sticker that is affixed to the box after the particular iPad is packaged. This sticker is printed after the information is engraved on the back cover.
What model iPad do I have?
Note: in this part of the article we talk about the model number of the iPad, if you are interested in the serial number, just scroll down the page a little bit.
You can find out what model of iPad you have using the Model Number of iPad. As written above, all you have to do is go to Settings -> General -> About, and then click on the model number to convert it to the format A####.
We’ve divided the entire table into sections in the following order: iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad Pro. That way you can scroll down to the iPad model you want.
| iPad Model Number | iPad Model Name | Year |
| A1219 (Wi-Fi only) A1337 (Wi-Fi + 3G) | iPad (1st generation) | 2010 |
| A1395 (Wi-Fi only) A1396 (Wi-Fi + GSM) A1397 (Wi-Fi + CDMA) | iPad 2 (2nd generation) | 2011 |
| A1416 (Wi-Fi only) A1403 (Wi-Fi + CDMA) A1430 (Wi-Fi + LTE) | iPad 3/The New iPad (3rd generation) | Early 2012 |
| A1458 (Wi-Fi only) A1459 (Wi-Fi + LTE) A1460 (Wi-Fi + CDMA) | iPad 4/iPad with Retina (4th generation) | Late 2012 |
| A1822 (Wi-Fi only) A1823 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad 5 (5th generation) | 2017 |
| A1893 (Wi-Fi only) A1954 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad 6 (6th generation) | 2018 |
| A2197 (Wi-Fi only) A2200 (Wi-Fi + Cellular US, Canada) A2198 (Wi-Fi + Cellular Global) | iPad 7 (7th generation) | 2019 |
| A2270 (Wi-Fi only) A2428 (Wi-Fi + Cellular US, Canada) A2429 (Wi-Fi + Cellular Global) A2430 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad 8 (8th generation) | 2020 |
| A2602 on iPad (Wi-Fi only) A2604 on iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular A2603 on iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (North America only) A2605 on iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (China mainland only) | iPad 9 (9th generation) | 2021 |
As you see, the standard iPad was the flagman model since 2010, when the first iPad was launched. But in 2013 Apple has launched iPad Air to replace the standard iPad and frozen the development of new iPad models since 2017, when a company has launched the iPad 5, as a cheaper solution for people who only need the basic iPad functions.
iPad mini model number lookup
Also, in 2012 Apple has launched iPad mini, a solution for those people, that need something bigger than iPhone, but more compact than the iPad. However, the company took a break between 2015 and 2019 and hasn’t announced a new iPad mini in 2020. Some analysts and journalists attribute this to the declining popularity of the iPad mini, as smartphones have almost equaled its display diagonal.
| iPad mini Model Number | iPad mini Model Name | Year |
| A1432 (Wi-Fi only) A1454 (Wi-Fi + LTE) A1455 (Wi-Fi + CDMA) | iPad mini (1st generation) | Late 2012 |
| A1489 (Wi-Fi only) A1490 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A1491 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad mini 2 (2nd generation) | 2013 |
| A1599 (Wi-Fi only) A1600 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad mini 3 (3rd generation) | 2014 |
| A1538 (Wi-Fi only) A1550 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad mini 4 (4th generation) | 2015 |
| A2133 (Wi-Fi only) A2124 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2126 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2125 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad mini 5 (5th generation) | 2019 |
| A2567 (Wi-Fi only) A2568 Wi-Fi + Cellular A2569 Wi-Fi + Cellular (China mainland only) | iPad mini 6 (6th generation) | 2021 |
By the way, we can also assume that announcing iPad mini 5th generation in 2019 was kind of experiment that didn’t pay off, so Apple made a decision not to offer new iPad mini in 2020.
iPad Air model number lookup
iPad Air was launched in the late 2013 as the successor to the original iPad. The main difference of iPad Air were much narrower display frames. However, in 2014 Apple stopped launching new iPad Air models, as company has focused on iPad Pro’s.
| iPad Air Model Number | iPad Air Model Name | Year |
| A1474 (Wi-Fi only) A1475 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A1476 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad Air (1st generation) | 2013 |
| A1566 (Wi-Fi only) A1567 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad Air 2 (2nd generation) | 2014 |
| A2152 (Wi-Fi only) A2123 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2153 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2154 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad Air 3 (3rd generation) | 2019 |
| A2316 (Wi-Fi only) A2324 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2325 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2072 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad Air 4 (4th generation) | 2020 |
| A2588 (Wi-Fi only) A2589, A2591 Wi-Fi + Cellular | iPad Air 5 (5th generation) | 2022 |
As you see, Apple has stopped making iPads Air in 2015, but in 2019 company re-launched this iPad line, positioning it between standard iPad and iPad Pro.
iPad Pro model number lookup
| iPad Pro Model Number | iPad Pro Model Name | Year |
| A1584 (Wi-Fi only) A1652 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation) | 2015 |
| A1673 (Wi-Fi only) A1674/A1675 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad Pro 9.7-inch | 2016 |
| A1701 (Wi-Fi only) A1709 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad Pro 10.5-inch | 2017 |
| A1670 (Wi-Fi only) A1671 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) | 2017 |
| A2228 (Wi-Fi only) A2068/A2230 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2231 (Wi+Fi + Cellular China) | iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation) | 2018 |
| A1876 (Wi-Fi only) A2014/A1895 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A1983 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) | 2018 |
| A2229 (Wi-Fi only) A2069/A2232 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2233 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) | 2020 |
| A2228 (Wi-Fi only) A2068/A2230 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) A2231 (Wi-Fi + Cellular China) | iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) | 2020 |
| A2377 (Wi-Fi only) A2459 Wi-Fi + Cellular A2301 Wi-Fi + Cellular with mmWave A2460 Wi-Fi + Cellular (China mainland only) | iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) | 2021 |
| A2378 (Wi-Fi only) A2461 Wi-Fi + Cellular A2379 Wi-Fi + Cellular with mmWave A2462 Wi-Fi + Cellular (China mainland only) | iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) | 2022 |
iPad Serial Number Explained
You should know that starting in 2021, Apple has changed its approach to assigning serial numbers to iPad tablets. All tablet models released in 2021 and all subsequent models have random serial numbers. Thus, in models introduced since 2021, you won’t be able to recognize anything from the serial number.
Like the iPhone, iPad devices have a lot of information coded in their serial numbers. The serial number can be found on the iPad’s box or in the iPad’s settings. The iPad serial number format is similar to the iPhone serial number. The iPad serial number is 12 characters long.
iPad serial number decoder until 2021
- F9 – factory location. Note: the main assembly place for iPads in China. F9/DN means that the iPad was assembled at Foxconn;
- F – assembly line number at the factory;
- YC – year and week when iPad was made (below is a table for understanding the month and week when iPad was made;
- 6FBL – unique device number;
- LM – iPad model identifier (below is the full list of iPad models and their identifiers);
- P – modification, for example:
- P – iPads with Wi-Fi only;
- W – iPads with Wi-Fi + Cellular.
- D – color;
iPad Generation Serial Number: What generation is my iPad?
- Q1 – iPad (8th generation)
- NR – iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
- LM – iPad Air / 3rd Generation
- LM – iPad mini (5th generation)
- MF – iPad (7th generation)
- K7 – iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
- KD – iPad Pro 11-inch
- JF – iPad (6th generation)
- J2 – iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
- HL – iPad (5th generation)
- HP – iPad Pro (10.5-inch)
- H1 – iPad Pro (9.7-inch)
- HG – iPad mini 4 manufacture 2017
- GH– iPad mini 4 manufacture 2015-2016
- GM – iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
- G5 – iPad mini 3
- FC – iPad mini 2
- G5 – iPad Air 2
- FK – iPad Air
- F1 – iPad mini
- FC – iPad (4th generation)
- DV – iPad (3rd generation)
- DK – iPad 2
- PZ – iPad
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