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Everyone owns a tablet nowadays. They were a huge success when launched and I have to admit I understand why. Bigger screens than mobile phones but more compact than laptops, best of both worlds.
If you got a tablet as a gift or are planning to sell the one you own, it would be a good idea to know what its manufacturing date is. It’s important to know because it affects its selling price or software update possibilities. So, how can you find out how old your tablet is?
You can find out how old your tablet is using the IMEI, serial number, dialer code, or through various apps. Although different brands use their unique ways to display the device’s manufacturing date, there are a few shared steps to take.
There are a lot of different brands and manufacturers on the market. Some are more expensive and some are lower quality than others. In this article, I will provide you with detailed instructions on how to find out how old your tablet is and I will explain each manufacturer.
There are actually two dates associated with your tablet – the manufacturing date and the activation date. The only tablet manufacturer which provides the exact manufacturing date is Samsung, so I will explain how to check it.
Other tablet manufacturers don’t provide such detailed information but the activation date is crucial. People usually activate their devices on the same day they buy them so it’s an accurate age estimate.
We will discover which ways they have in common and which are unique, so stay tuned!
Table of Contents
Samsung Tablets
Samsung tablets are one of the most popular ones after iPads. There are four ways you can find out how old your Samsung tablet is.
Serial Number
Every Samsung Galaxy device comes with a unique eleven-character serial number. It consists of letters and numbers. Each character of the serial number represents information about your tablet and one of the information that the serial number includes is the manufacturing date.
The serial number on Samsung devices can be discovered in the settings. First, navigate through the menu and click on Settings. Then search for the About tablet section and when you click on it the serial number information should be shown.
Also, the serial number is placed on the back of your tablet. The letters are very small so make sure to check your device thoroughly.
And lastly, the serial number is also printed on the box of your tablet. It’s usually located on the bottom of the box next to the IMEI.
Now that we have found the serial number, we will try to decode it. As I have already said, each character in the serial number provides some type of information. We can find out where it was assembled and the exact month and year when it was assembled. I will put a small table with a correlation of each character within a year.
The first character in the serial number represents the product type. So, if you own a Samsung tablet, its serial number will start with “R” because that character represents the smartphone-tablet family.
The second and third characters reveal the factory and country where the tablet was assembled.
The most important ones are the fourth and fifth characters because they tell us which year and month the tablet was manufactured.
It is like a personal signature unique for every device.
| YEAR | JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY |
| 2021 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 |
| 2020 | N1 | N2 | N3 | N4 | N5 |
| 2019 | M1 | M2 | M3 | M4 | M5 |
| 2018 | K1 | K2 | K3 | K4 | K5 |
This table shows how to decode your device information from the serial number in order to find out the month and year of assembly.
IMEI
The IMEI method is a little less complicated than the serial number. First, you will have to find out your IMEI. It is located on the box of your tablet next to the serial number or you can check it in the device’s settings. Just follow the steps stated in the Serial number instructions.
Once you’ve found out the IMEI, go to a website such as IMEI check and type in IMEI. The website will provide the manufacturing date and much other information about your tablet.
Device Info Apps
You can find many apps in the Google Play Store that can provide your device information when installed. You will have to give permission when the app is installed and when you open the app you will find a section called Manufactured date.
Activation Date
This is one of the easiest ways to find out how old your tablet is. Go to Google Play Store and open the Google Play Store settings page. Scroll down to the My Devices section. All of your devices associated with your Google account and their details will appear. One of the information provided is the Registration date and that is the day your device was unboxed.
Apple
Apple provides manufacturing information with the serial number. The serial number is placed on the back of your iPad, on the bottom of the packaging, and in the section About in Settings. Very similar to Android.
Through the serial number, you can find out the model of your iPad and check when that exact model is released but that doesn’t provide specific information. For example, the model iPad Mini was launched in late 2012 but that last model was released in 2019.
It’s the exact same model but different generations so it’s important to know the difference in order to get accurate information.
When you type the serial number of your iPad on the official Apple support page it provides you the exact date of activation which is most accurate. You usually activate your tablet the same day you buy it.
Xiaomi Mi Tablet
My friend bought a second-hand Xiaomi tablet for her daughter. The device was advertised as new and barely used but after using it for a while the device seemed a bit slower and we decided to check the exact date of activation.
Like other Android devices, Xiaomi has similar methods to find out the age of the device. It relies on the serial number just like Samsung. Once you acquire the serial number, type it on Xiaomi’s official support page that has a serial number database and provides all the information about your device.
There is one difference in Xiaomi tablets. You can learn your device information through the dial pad. First, you open the dial pad. Then type *#06# and tap dial. A pop-up message will appear on your display and the device information will be visible.
Amazon Fire Tablet
Fire tablets also known as Kindle Fire are Amazon’s tablets that run on an Android-based operating system called Fire OS. It is very similar to regular Android devices but the user interface is customized and differs in design.
Every Amazon tablet has to be connected to an Amazon account. Amazon did not give much attention to online device information by serial number. You can find everything you want to know about your device on your Amazon account.
There is a section called Manage My Device on the Amazon account and you can look up the exact date of your device’s activation.
Why Is It Important to Know How Old Your Tablet Is?
Knowing the exact age of your tablet is crucial information. If you ever decide to sell it you should know the manufacturing date because it impacts the resell price.
After some time the battery of your tablet starts to weaken so you should know your tablet’s age in order to take care of your device accordingly if you won’t replace it with a newer model. An average battery lifespan is about 4 to 6 years, depending on usage of course.
Older devices stop receiving software updates at one point so you should be prepared. If you can’t receive updates then you won’t be able to use any of your apps anymore. The lifespan of the device is a crucial part of deciding whether you should purchase the device.
When you buy a second-hand device, you should receive all the correct information about it but sometimes people refurbish tablets and advertise them as brand new when they are not. Serial numbers don’t lie and it’s important to know how to find out information about the device to prevent scams or money loss.
How to Make Your Tablet Last Longer?
People tend to hang onto their tablets as long as they’re working, unlike mobile phones. So, here are some tips on how to make your tablet last as long as possible.
You should always protect your tablet. Hard cases are particularly important for tablets because they’re prone to bending because they are bigger than mobile phones. A tempered glass cover for the screen is a great option to prevent scratching and cracking the glass.
Keep your tablet fully charged, don’t let the battery die often. The ideal battery percentage for Android tablets is between 20% and 80%. You should try to charge before it gets below 20%.
Make a habit of closing apps that you’re not using. Every app works in the background unless you close it. It makes the processor work extra hard in order to keep every app running smoothly.
Always install the latest software and app updates. It makes the device run smoothly without crashes and freezes. With regular updates, the devices don’t have to download a lot of data all at once.
Everything depends on the amount of usage. A tablet used regularly every day and a tablet that is turned off 90% percent of the time will definitely age differently. But applying these tips will prolong the lifespan of your tablet.
I have analyzed the most popular tablet brands with different operating systems to compare similarities and differences. I have concluded that Android tablets are pretty much the same. There might be some difference in the user interface design but they work the same way.
I was mainly discussing the activation dates of the tablets because it is very difficult to find out the exact manufacturing dates. Samsung is one of the few brands that embed the date and place where the device was assembled.
The age of Android tablets can be determined in the same way and the most accurate way is through the Google account. Samsung devices are a little bit special and the manufacturer embeds the assembly date in the serial number. That is the most accurate information about a device.
Apple and Amazon tablets have different operating systems but the interesting thing is that even though they are completely different regarding the software, they have a similar way of finding out precious device information.
With Amazon tablets, you get the Amazon account, where you can find all important device information, and with Apple, you have the Apple Care system. Both are very easy and require a few simple steps.
I highly recommend you try one of these methods on your tablet in order to acquire valuable information that can be useful in the future.