What does serial number starting with F represents on new iPhone 12

Apple discontinued the iPhone 12 in September 2023, so your phone was not "new". Even if it had never been used, it must have been sitting on a shelf in a warehouse for over a year, which would not have been good for the battery at all.

You bought a "refurbished" phone, meaning that someone returned the phone for a reason and it was reworked to be resold. Apple did not refurbish your phone. Either a carrier or a third party vendor refurbished the phone, so it may or may not contain genuine Apple parts.

An important question here might be whether the phone has a warranty or not. A new phone will of course, but a refurbished phone may not. To find out......

Tap Settings > General > AppleCare & Warranty to see the warranty status of the phone.

If the store really told you that you were buying a "new" phone, you may want to have a conversation with them, especially if the phone is not covered by an Apple warranty.

The starting letter F in the serial number is in no way related to the New/Refurbished status. Check the model number instead. If it starts with F, it is refurbished.

I have checked it has active warranty for 1 year..

That is good news.

You might want to ask the store why they presented the phone as "new", when it was not.

If you decide to keep the phone, you are entitled to a 20-25% credit because you paid for a "new" phone, but received a "used" phone. You should not have to ask for this, an honorable store will suggest this.

If you do not want to keep the phone, return it for a full refund.

wajahat80 Said:

"I was not expecting refurbished, what should I do now?"

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A Refurbished iPhone:

Return it, and get one that is "new". Who is the seller? If not Apple, I would return it, and then get it directly from Apple.

wajahat80 Said:

"F model phone, Hello everyone, I have just purchased new iphone 12 which was box packed and its serial model Number starts with F, what should I do now??"

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F – Represents a Refurbished device. So, you have purchased a refurbished phone. So, is not what you were expecting?