iPhone SE (2022) New iPhone SE 2022 activation screen shows IMEI instead of "hello" animation - is it a fake or tampered phone?

[Shadowbech]

You might run your serial through Chipmunk. This site tends to be pretty spot on.

This website only works on older serial numbers. I believe starting from the 12 (at least from when the purple released in spring) and 13 and 14 are randomized so that website won't show it. I believe that same goes for the SE3.

 

[eyoungren]

This website only works on older serial numbers. I believe starting from the 12 (at least from when the purple released in spring) and 13 and 14 are randomized so that website won't show it. I believe that same goes for the SE3.

Thanks. I'm using an 11 Pro Max so I wouldn't know that.

 

[kitKAC]

This is what Chipmunk says:

We are very sorry, but this serial number does not make sense...

And this is what the serial number decoder provided by kitCAC says:

Results for Apple serial number JM4PxxxVJ

This device was made in week 4 of 2014.

Click here to see what an Apple may be worth (via previously sold items on eBay)

Apple serial format= 2010 onward
Date of manufacture= Week 4 of 201

Nothing else, no model info

In the iPhone settings, in "about" it says "iPhone SE" not SE2022 or SE 3.
So... I suspect Am_a_zon UK sold me a (very sophisticated, I grant them that) fake or refurbished or renewed or who knows what kind of product... and not a genuine, absolutely new, untouched iPhone.

This is the link I provided: https://support.apple.com/en_GB/specs

 

[Andeddu]

This is what Chipmunk says:

We are very sorry, but this serial number does not make sense...

And this is what the serial number decoder provided by kitCAC says:

Results for Apple serial number JM4PxxxVJ

This device was made in week 4 of 2014.

Click here to see what an Apple may be worth (via previously sold items on eBay)

Apple serial format= 2010 onward
Date of manufacture= Week 4 of 201

Nothing else, no model info

In the iPhone settings, in "about" it says "iPhone SE" not SE2022 or SE 3.
So... I suspect Am_a_zon UK sold me a (very sophisticated, I grant them that) fake or refurbished or renewed or who knows what kind of product... and not a genuine, absolutely new, untouched iPhone.

Don’t be paranoid.

Official Apple Serial Check

Paste your serial number under “search tech specs” and you will see you have an SE3.

We have already explained that third party decoders only work until iPhone 12s.

 

[MazingerZND]

Sounds like a refurbished unit.

 

[Andeddu]

Sounds like a refurbished unit.

What makes you say that? It was sold a new and was sealed on receipt.

The OP has been running the code through decoders that do not support phones manufactured in 2021/22 so has been returned false information.

I have never purchased a refurb from anywhere so I would like to know why you believe this unit is refurbished.

 

[nicho]

But what about the fact that the first time it was opened it was showing 3 or 4 rows of numbers on a blu-ish background - IMEI and presumably others, I did not have time to read them as they vanished fast - instead of opening with the familiar "hello" animation? Is that normal?

It is possible that you "fat fingered" the screen. The bottom right has an (i) that, if tapped, shows information including IMEI...

 

[macthekatt]

I too suspect it was refurbished, very profesionally done, but still refurbished.
I did not "fatfinger" the screen, I just turned the phone on with the home button and it showed those strings of numbers. Never saw that before, in any iPhone I owned.
It was probably repaired and given a new/fake serial number so that it "seems" to be an SE3, but when you search carefully inconsistencies appear.
Dissapointed in A_m_azon UK.
Did not expect this nasty trick from them.

 

[Andeddu]

I too suspect it was refurbished, very profesionally done, but still refurbished.
I did not "fatfinger" the screen, I just turned the phone on with the home button and it showed those strings of numbers. Never saw that before, in any iPhone I owned.
It was probably repaired and given a new/fake serial number so that it "seems" to be an SE3, but when you search carefully inconsistencies appear.
Dissapointed in A_m_azon UK.
Did not expect this nasty trick from them.

Evidence please, other than the IMEI number glitch or “fat finger”. The serial number checks out and it runs iOS. It’s not a fake.

If you have a full warranty available, it’s a new phone.

General -> About -> Coverage.

 

[clueless88]

I too suspect it was refurbished, very profesionally done, but still refurbished.
I did not "fatfinger" the screen, I just turned the phone on with the home button and it showed those strings of numbers. Never saw that before, in any iPhone I owned.
It was probably repaired and given a new/fake serial number so that it "seems" to be an SE3, but when you search carefully inconsistencies appear.
Dissapointed in A_m_azon UK.
Did not expect this nasty trick from them.

Did you purchase from Amazon UK or was the order fulfilled by an affiliate through Amazon? If you purchased this phone on Amazon for less than the retail price chances are extremely high that the order was NOT fulfilled by Amazon but rather a 3rd party seller.

From the settings>general>about page between the serial number and songs there should be a section that notes warranty coverage--like coverage expired, limited warranty. What does yours say?

You could also hook up the phone to itunes on a pc or mac and see what it says about your phone.

Are you close to an Apple store? If so, you can take the phone in and have them take a look at it--they should be able to run some diagnostics and let you know its authenticity. It very well could be a new phone, but the battery drain and weird lines of code could point to a problem. If it is covered under the warranty, the Apple store folks should be able to address that.

If it turns out that this is a refurb unit and the Amazon listing does not mention that it is "renewed", "refreshed", "refurbished" in any part of the listing (have to go through the entire listing with a fine tooth comb) then you have grounds to return the item to Amazon for a full refund. They will deduct funds from the 3rd party vendor. After your refund is processed and money is back in your account I would reach out and file a complaint with Amazon.

Let us know how things turn out.

 

[macthekatt]

It was purchased through A_mazo_n UK, directly from them, as new, not through any reseller etc. The box seemed sealed, but those paper bands are easy to fake as I understand.
In the Settings it says "limited warranty until October 2023, Apple care and coverage available".
It all "seems" ok at first glance, but then when you try and dig deeper there are all these inconsistencies.
I will try to return it to A_maz_on and see if they offer me a full refund, as the purchase was made less than 30 days ago.

 

[macthekatt]

Thanks again to everyone who answered me!
All the best for you all!

 

[JPack]

I ran it through the serial number decoder, here is what it says:

Results for Apple serial number JM4P7XXXVJ

This device was made in week 4 of 2014.

So ... it IS a fake iPhone it seems?!

No publicly available decoder works anymore because Apple changed to random serial numbers starting in Spring 2021.

 

[JPack]

It was purchased through A_mazo_n UK, directly from them, as new, not through any reseller etc. The box seemed sealed, but those paper bands are easy to fake as I understand.
In the Settings it says "limited warranty until October 2023, Apple care and coverage available".
It all "seems" ok at first glance, but then when you try and dig deeper there are all these inconsistencies.
I will try to return it to A_maz_on and see if they offer me a full refund, as the purchase was made less than 30 days ago.

What inconsistencies? This is sounding more and more like a conspiracy theory.

Apple calls iPhone SE the iPhone SE, not SE3 or 2022 as those are names given by the public.

You can’t fake the warranty expiration date in settings as that is always activation date plus one year. A third party refurbisher would not be able to modify those dates.

 

[Andeddu]

It was purchased through A_mazo_n UK, directly from them, as new, not through any reseller etc. The box seemed sealed, but those paper bands are easy to fake as I understand.
In the Settings it says "limited warranty until October 2023, Apple care and coverage available".
It all "seems" ok at first glance, but then when you try and dig deeper there are all these inconsistencies.
I will try to return it to A_maz_on and see if they offer me a full refund, as the purchase was made less than 30 days ago.

You have a full one year warranty so it is new and you are the first owner.

It’s not a refurbished phone as you cannot purchase a refurbished SE3 as it is still a current phone and the 1 year warranty cannot be faked.

Where are the inconsistencies and do you wear your tinfoil hat at all times?

 

[clueless88]

It was purchased through A_mazo_n UK, directly from them, as new, not through any reseller etc. The box seemed sealed, but those paper bands are easy to fake as I understand.
In the Settings it says "limited warranty until October 2023, Apple care and coverage available".
It all "seems" ok at first glance, but then when you try and dig deeper there are all these inconsistencies.
I will try to return it to A_maz_on and see if they offer me a full refund, as the purchase was made less than 30 days ago.

It looks like the phone is legit--apparently there are some aspects that you think are not right. I would NOT worry about the inconsistencies that show up when you use a 3rd party phone checker. If you are concerned with the rapid battery drain and if the battery health reads less than 100% I would strongly suggest that you make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store. The can run diagnostics to ensure things are normal. If there are any problems they will most likely replace the phone on the spot. Hopefully you're not just chasing your tail.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Ok, I get it, maybe the new iPhones are facing down in the box, and maybe that site offers incorrect information about the date of manufacture.
But what about the fact that the first time it was opened it was showing 3 or 4 rows of numbers on a blu-ish background - IMEI and presumably others, I did not have time to read them as they vanished fast - instead of opening with the familiar "hello" animation? Is that normal?
And no, it was not bought from a third-party vendor; it was - sold by Am_az_on UK.

The IMEI appearing on the screen is intentional. It happens when you hit the “i” button in the corner of the “Hello” screen. Somehow you must have accidentally hit it or something similar.

The phone should have been facing that way in the box, yes.

The phone model name should just say SE, yes.

I think you’re probably just a bit paranoid, it seems genuine to me.

 

[winxmac]

Use iTunes on Windows and connect your iPhone via cable or use Finder on macOS...

I am not aware if anyone has managed to fool iTunes and Finder to make a fake iPhone look legit but this should be the 2nd way after checking your serial using Apple website's check coverage...

 

[MazingerZND]

What makes you say that? It was sold a new and was sealed on receipt.

The OP has been running the code through decoders that do not support phones manufactured in 2021/22 so has been returned false information.

I have never purchased a refurb from anywhere so I would like to know why you believe this unit is refurbished.

Because warranty seemed to be only valid till January and IMEI was displayed before the usual intro animation, but new posts seem to indicate otherwise

 

[Mikeske]

To the OP what is the issue if you do not believe it is a correct iPhone SE just return the darn thing. As far as all the information provided it is legit. If you do not believe that go to an Apple Store or an Apple authorized dealer and have the darn thing checked out.

As for the abnormal battery usage iOS 16 is a known battery drainer and also you just got the phone and it is indexing in the background. My iPhone 14 Pro was really burning through the battery the first three days I had my phone and then stabilized. When I updated to iOS 16.1 it was the same thing for the first four or so hours.

 

[Odessa]

can't you check battery health in the settings?

 

[Andeddu]

can't you check battery health in the settings?

The battery health will be 100%. As the above poster said, because the phone has been turned on for the first time it would have been carrying out indexing in the background causing the battery to drain faster than usual.

The OP has simply put 2+2 together and come up with 22.

 

[IphoneX9753]

It was purchased through A_mazo_n UK, directly from them, as new, not through any reseller etc. The box seemed sealed, but those paper bands are easy to fake as I understand.
In the Settings it says "limited warranty until October 2023, Apple care and coverage available".
It all "seems" ok at first glance, but then when you try and dig deeper there are all these inconsistencies.
I will try to return it to A_maz_on and see if they offer me a full refund, as the purchase was made less than 30 days ago.

You have a real iPhone SE3. If Apple is offering to let you add AppleCare+ it’s a new Phone. You only get one year of free support so the October 2023 is legit. Maybe you have buyers remorse and want a different phone but the one you got is genuine.

 

[macthekatt]

Battery health is 100% but it drains a lot even 2 weeks after being activated, so it had time to do all the indexing.
Anyway...
I will use it for a few more days and see how it functions
Then I will decide if I return it
Thanks for all the replies
A wonderful Halloween to you all!

 

[Fred Zed]

Thanks a lot to everyone who answered!
Ok, I get it, maybe the new iPhones are facing down in the box, and maybe that site offers incorrect information about the date of manufacture.
But what about the fact that the first time it was opened it was showing 3 or 4 rows of numbers on a blu-ish background - IMEI and presumably others, I did not have time to read them as they vanished fast - instead of opening with the familiar "hello" animation? Is that normal?
And no, it was not bought from a third-party vendor; it was - sold by Am_az_on UK.

Download 3utools on a pc and check the device out.