The Android model number is usually available in the phone’s Settings app and often on the original box or regulatory label. It is the best value to start with when you are trying to identify an unfamiliar Android device.
On many devices, open Settings and scroll to About phone, About device or a similarly named section. Look for Model, Model number or hardware information.
Menu names vary between Android versions and manufacturers, so use Settings search for the word “model” if you cannot find the section manually.
The retail box often prints a model code near the serial number, IMEI or regulatory information. Be careful not to confuse those values: an IMEI identifies cellular equipment, while the model code identifies the device variant.
If the phone has a removable rear cover or battery, older devices may also print model information underneath it.
A build number identifies software and can change after updates. A serial number identifies an individual unit. An IMEI identifies cellular equipment. A model number is the value most likely to map to a product family in a public device catalog.
Read Android model number vs build number for the differences.
Once you have the code, use the Android Model Number Lookup. Exact codes are checked against LocationOf’s generated phone catalog and results link to the associated phone/GPS compatibility page.
Manufacturers sell regional and carrier variants. The same marketed phone can have different radios, storage configurations or software packages and therefore different model identifiers. Grouping those variants under one product page is more useful than pretending each code represents a completely different consumer product.
Some Android builds expose internal device names or codenames. Custom ROMs, development devices, televisions, tablets and uncertified hardware can also report unusual values. Try the exact model field first and then search a shorter distinctive fragment.
The project has accumulated device mappings over many years and now merges those with an Android supported-device catalog during its generation process. Updating that source list can add newly known model identifiers without changing the way the Android app submits its identity.
If Settings is unavailable, check the original packaging, purchase invoice, carrier account, repair paperwork or manufacturer support record. Retailers often record a product model separately from the IMEI or serial number.
For a lost phone, your account’s device list may also show a recognizable marketing name even when you cannot read the handset itself.
Dual-SIM capability, radio bands and carrier variants can cause closely related phones to use different identifiers. Do not “correct” the code to the one you found on another country’s review page; use the model actually reported by your device.
Open the corresponding LocationOf phone page to see all model identifiers currently grouped under the marketing name, then follow the Android background-location, GPS-accuracy and battery guides that are relevant to that device family.