[INFO] LG Nexus 4 Production Date and Place Identification

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draugaz

Senior Member
May 13, 2009
520
141
Last 6 numbers of the serial number match the last 6 numbers of the IMEI. It is incremented by 1 with each newly produced unit.

Luhn check number included?

One would also need to know the meaning of the remaining letters and whether the serial numbers are prefixed in any way and whether they are interleaving with other phone models.
 

skizzoid

New member
May 17, 2010
3
0
211K, ordered on Nov 27th (in the 2-3 week shipping window).

I'm also curious what the other three letters mean.
 

draugaz

Senior Member
May 13, 2009
520
141
No idea, but most probably they identify the exact factory, otherwise, it is just an internal code.

They need to encode the the exact model number anyway.

Pity I currently have no access to the box of my Nexus4, but this got me interested so I dug out some unboxing videos on youtube with some serial #s and IMEIs.
As we know, first 8 IMEI digits are so called TAC (Type Approval Code) describing the exact phone model and issued by external regulating body, so manufacturer can't change it at random. It can of course request as many codes as it wish.

Video #1:
210KPKN044861
35391805-044861-n

Video #2 published Nov 29:
211KPGS094999 (16GB USA model)
35391805-094999-n

Nov 16, 16GB USA:
210KPJP020796
35391805-020796-n

And another one on Dec10 16GB USA:
211KPLC....
35391805-151...

My own Nexus ordered Dec4, sent out Dec5 (16Gb German model)
also has IMEI 35391805-109....

And another one with 212K.....165....

Which would mean:

Phone produced in Oct had serial#
20000 USA
45000

Nov
95000 - USA
110000 - GER
150000 - USA

DEC
165000
Still the same TAC.

Would be interesting if people could check their IMEIs, if they begin with 35391805 (for 16Gb) and then post the hunderds and tenths thousands of the serial number (ninth and tenth digits following after "05") together with date of shipment and country modification.

This could help to estimate, how many TACs google have "used" until now and how many devices have they produced in total.

Currently it looks like LG managed to produce something between 50 and 100k units in November. Ok, this probably was a "ramp up" month busy with other devices they were preparing for christmas. Would be interesting to see the other TACs (if any) and sequence numbers.
If this is the only TAC, it would mean they have produced only about ~200k devices to date.
 
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jundii

Member
Apr 13, 2011
45
7
211K here. Only small issue I have is the IPS screen has some light yellow bleeding at the top. I can only see it on a black screen in low light.
 

draugaz

Senior Member
May 13, 2009
520
141
Sine noone is posting excerpts of their serial numbers, back to the stupid youtube unboxing videos:

212KPGS180447 16GB canadian, matching IMEI TAC.

212KPBF26399.... 16Gb german model.
353918, rest is covered by finger, but I suppose this is still the same TAC.

So we get December and device #264000. Which means - at least 100000 devices in the first 2 weeks of December.
 
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catlog

Senior Member
Dec 5, 2012
407
36
212K over here. Thank you for this useful thread! :D

Sent from my Nexus 4, powered by CyanogenMod via XDA Developers app.
 

xdatastic

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2012
1,194
749
Sydney
210K
353918-05-06xxxx-x

16gb bought on australian play store on 13 nov delivered 19th nov.
 
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derPianist

Senior Member
May 14, 2012
1,205
615
Cologne
www.android-port.de
OK. So here's the Deal.
My girlfriend got hers today and it is a 212C Device.

I think the first one in this thread here with a China device?

I directly noticed that the back pattern which is a standout design feature is missing. It is plain black.

I can confirm this because I got mine 211K device earlier this month from GPlay.

via Google Nexus 4
 

xdatastic

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2012
1,194
749
Sydney
OK. So here's the Deal.
My girlfriend got hers today and it is a 212C Device.

I think the first one in this thread here with a China device?

I directly noticed that the back pattern which is a standout design feature is missing. It is plain black.

I can confirm this because I got mine 211K device earlier this month from GPlay.

via Google Nexus 4

what hardware version does it say in the bootloader for both?
 

draugaz

Senior Member
May 13, 2009
520
141
210K
353918-05-06xxxx-x

16gb bought on australian play store on 13 nov delivered 19th nov.

Ok, which brings us to following:

Phone produced in Oct had serial#
20000 USA
45000
60000 AUS

Nov
92000 - USA
95000 - USA
109000 - GER
110000 - UK
132000 - USA
138000 - USA
150000 - USA

DEC
165000
264000


So, they did produce at least 60-90K devices in October, 60-100K in November and 100K+ in December, still counting (just 16G devices).

I am mainly doing all those calculations to understand what is really happening, i.e. how big was an initial stock and is the google doing something to ramp up the production (there was an conspiracy theory, that google is deliberatly throttling the availability to produce hype).

So, given the mid November launch, we would get something like 100K 16G devices prepared for launch (for all markets).

Then I suppose it took at least a week after launch to source all the components and resume production which could add 1-2Weeks of idle time in Nov and correspondingly less units produced.

What would be insteresting, if someone has a 16G 210K device with
353918-05-xxxxxx-x with xxxxxx greater than 06xxxx
or 211K with lower than 09xxxx

This would help to better estimate the october production counts (and initial launch stock).
Nov-Dec cut off is reasonably well known somewhere withing 15k devices.

It would be also interesting to know if someone has a 212K device with 353918-05-xxxxxx-x where xxxxx is greater than 26xxxx, so we know production counts for Dec.
 
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draugaz

Senior Member
May 13, 2009
520
141
OK. So here's the Deal.
My girlfriend got hers today and it is a 212C Device.

I think the first one in this thread here with a China device?

Wow, this is very interesting. Does the IMEI begin with 353918-05-xxxxxx-x and what the first 2 xx are?

I directly noticed that the back pattern which is a standout design feature is missing. It is plain black.

I can confirm this because I got mine 211K device earlier this month from GPlay.

Very strange. This would indicate, that LG is unable to produce enough sparking backs and google is desperate enough to cut corners.

But I don't know how they are planning to get away with this. I mean, your girlfrend is certainly less than amused and they will probably get a lot of returns.
 

draugaz

Senior Member
May 13, 2009
520
141
It begins with 353918-05
And then continues with 109

Weird. My own (german) nexus which I got from second Play store batch (Dec4) also has an 353918-05-109xxx, but it is a Korean rev10 device.

Almost sounds like LG started the second production line in their China factory, but IMEIs are assigned by some central server, so they can interleave.

Otherwise it would mean, that IMEI assignment is not strictly sequential and allows no statement about production counts.
 

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  • 75
    I have figured out how to identify the production date and place based on the serial number, found on the box. The S/N inside the phone doesn't have to do anything with the one, printed on the box! Also, don't mix SN with IMEI.

    Production date is encoded in the first 3 positions (reading from left to right):
    1st position defines YEAR: 0 - 2010, 1 - 2011, 2 - 2012, 3 - 2013 and so on
    2rd and 3rd define MONTH: 01 - January, 02 - February, 03 - March, 04 - April, 05 - May, 06 - June, 07 - July, 08 - August, 09 - September, 10 - October, 11 - November, 12 - December

    4th position defines county:
    K - Korea, C - China, B - Brazil.

    For example:
    211KPBF****** (last 6 digits are hidden for privacy reasons):

    So, 211 - 2012 November (11), K - Korea.

    Hope, this helps!

    P.S. Last 6 numbers of the serial number match the last 6 numbers of the IMEI. It is incremented by 1 with each newly produced unit.
    12
    I did some sampling on the LG database.
    Retrieved some 1% of the data up from the 100000 mark.
    Found some interesting things like holes in the sequence, date order not in line with imei order, list of buyers, etc.
    Check my spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqPPcfoSlaB_dEVFcnJUTnljaC1LcjVWR2RIa2pQT3c
    10
    http://csmg.lgmobile.com:9002/csmg/b2c/client/auth_model_check2.jsp?esn=<your imei without hyphen here>

    Can anyone post and match there details here?

    Very cool!

    It gives us means to find out the production rate.

    ---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------

    Ok, here is the production rate update with fresh data gathered from a LG webservice:

    Phone produced in Oct had serial#
    10000 19th of Oct, AUS8BK
    20000 USA
    45000
    60000 AUS
    70123 ATMOBK (t-mobile)

    Something like 70k devices produced in October

    Nov
    73000 1-th AO2UBK (O2 UK model)
    75000 5-th AO2UBK
    80000 5-th AO2UBK
    85000 21-th (?) AUKGBK - strange,
    90000 9-th AUS8BK
    92000 10-th AUS8BK
    95000 - USA
    109000 - GER
    110000 - UK
    132000 - USA
    138000 - USA
    150000 - USA
    160000 - AUSGBK

    DEC
    165000
    264000
    265133 14-th ADEUBK GERMANY
    266133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    267133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    268133 15-th ADEUBK GERMANY
    269133 15-th ADEUBK GERMANY
    270133 15-th ASWSBK SWS Switzerland (looks like around 500 units)
    271133 16-th AISRBK Israel
    272133 15-th ADEUBK Germany
    273133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    274133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    275133 15-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    277133 17-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    278133 17-th AHKGBK Hong Kong
    279133 16-th AMYSBK
    280123 17-th AMYSBK
    289000 18-th UK
    300123 19-th ADEGBK
    305112 19-th ACA8BK
    306000 28-Oct (?) AUSGBK, 211KPPB306000 "csn" is also very different from the "surroundings"
    306001 8-Oct AUSGBK 211KPHG306001 esnoutgodate=null >>Never shipped?
    306009 4-th Dec AUSGBK 212KPHG306009 esnoutgodate=null
    306010 19-th AUS8BK 212KPYR306010 esnoutgodate=null
    306020 19-th AUS8BK esnoutgodate=null
    314001 19-th AFRGBK
    314002 19-th ADEGBK
    314050 19-th ADEGBK
    314123 19-th ADEGBK
    315112 19-th ADE8BK
    319123 20-th ADEGBK
    320123 20-th ADEGBK
    321123 20-th AAUGBK
    325112 20-th AUSGBK
    330123 20-th AUSGBK
    340123 21-th ACAGBK
    350123 22-th AUS8BK
    360123 26-th AUSGBK
    365123 27-th AUS8BK
    370123 27-th AUSGBK
    374110 28-th AUSGBK

    So, they did produce at least 70K devices in October, 90K in November and 210K in December, still counting (just 16G devices).

    Not bad, now as christmas orders are completed google and LG are really ramping up the production.

    ---------- Post added at 09:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 PM ----------

    A
    HK - Hong Kong -> where it is bought
    GB - Global?
    K - Korea -> where it is made

    GB seems to decode as follows:
    G - 16Gb (8 - 8Gb)
    B- Black.
    8
    Ladies and gentlemen, we have just reached the millionth device!

    (of course just judging by serial number, i.e. minus gaps)

    ATURBK 302KPSL999998 20130205 TURKEY

    Which means, IMEI prefix 35391805* is now officially complete and the next one will be started.
    6
    G2r2QAVl.png