How to find unreleased products in FCC filings

Every wireless device sold in the US needs FCC equipment authorization before it can be marketed. The filings are public records, and they routinely surface hardware weeks or months before launch. Here is how to read them like a hardware reporter.

Decode the FCC ID

An FCC ID has two parts: a grantee code of 3 or 5 characters assigned by the FCC, and a product code chosen by the manufacturer. Take SXO-7600603: the grantee code SXO belongs to Sphero HK Limited, and 7600603 is their product code for this device.

You can find the FCC ID on the device label, in the user manual, or in the battery compartment. Search it in the FCC's OET Equipment Authorization database or the friendlier mirror fccid.io. Searching by grantee code alone shows everything that company has ever filed, which is how you spot a brand new product code appearing.

Which exhibits actually matter

Every filing includes exhibits. Ranked by how much they reveal:

1. External photos. What the device looks like. Often withheld until launch (see confidentiality below).
2. Internal photos. A teardown before the teardown sites get one: board layout, battery size, shielding.
3. Test reports. The closest thing to a spec sheet. The frequency bands tested tell you which radios are inside; conducted output power and antenna details tell you the range class.
4. User manual. Features, model variants, sometimes the marketing name. Almost always confidential until launch.
5. Label. Model numbers and the FCC ID itself, useful for cross-referencing retailer listings later.

Also filed: RF exposure reports, operational descriptions, block diagrams, schematics, tune-up procedures, and parts lists. The last group is usually permanently confidential.

Why the photos are missing: confidentiality

There are two kinds of confidentiality request, filed under 47 CFR 0.457 and 0.459:

• Short-term confidentiality. The applicant asks the FCC to withhold exhibits, typically the external photos, internal photos, test setup photos, and the user manual, for 180 days from the grant date so nothing leaks before launch.
• Long-term confidentiality. Schematics, block diagrams, and operational descriptions are withheld indefinitely as trade secrets.

The practical effect: on launch day the company notifies its test lab and the photos go public. If you open a filing and the photos are missing, note the grant date and check back, or watch for the launch announcement.

How to read a test report for specs

• Frequency range table. Each band maps to a radio. 2402 to 2480 MHz is Bluetooth, 2412 to 2462 MHz is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, the 5 GHz bands are Wi-Fi 5 or 6, and on phones the listed LTE and 5G NR bands reveal the cellular radios. The band list is the radio list.
• Conducted output power, measured in dBm, tells you the transmit power class.
• Antenna gain and type appear in the antenna specification or the test report.
• The tune-up procedure sometimes lists target power per band.

One caveat: test reports confirm the radios, not the marketing specs. They will not tell you the price or the launch date.

Timing: when filings appear

A device needs its grant before it can be marketed in the US, so filings typically surface weeks to months before launch. Short-term confidentiality sets the outer bound: the withheld exhibits become public no later than 180 days after the grant, and usually at launch, whichever comes first.

Worked example: a real filing

Take SXO-7600603, filed 2026-09-17. The grantee code SXO resolves to Sphero HK Limited, and the product is listed as "Blueprint Robotics Controller". Open the fccid.io page for SXO-7600603 and check the exhibit list: the test reports tell you the radios, and if the photos are under short-term confidentiality, the grant date tells you the latest they can stay hidden.

That is the whole technique. ID, grantee, exhibits, confidentiality clock.

Stop checking manually

Doing this by hand for every company you track is a part-time job. The FCC Wire does it every morning:

• Free daily brief: every new filing, the company behind it, and a plain-English product description.
• Pro: watchlist alerts that email you the morning a company you track files, plus a Friday exhibit deep-dive on the filing that matters most.