Apple selling full-priced but crippled iPhone 7s

[StarShot]

Plus, I like to travel the world. I don't want my full-priced iPhone 7 crippling me from the get-go.

Very confusing thread. IF I were to wait for one of these so-called "sim free" phones, I'm don't know how it would work outside the US. How would it know how to connect if I signed up for a limited phone/data plan while in New Zealand? I always thought it was a simple matter if I had an unlocked phone to pop out my ATT sim, pop in a local sim and I was good to go.

I don't give a hoot about taking my unlocked ATT phone and cancelling that service to switch to Verizon. Is this what this whole RANT is about?

 

[MrX8503]

Very confusing thread. IF I were to wait for one of these so-called "sim free" phones, I'm don't know how it would work outside the US. How would it know how to connect if I signed up for a limited phone/data plan while in New Zealand? I always thought it was a simple matter if I had an unlocked phone to pop out my ATT sim, pop in a local sim and I was good to go.

I don't give a hoot about taking my unlocked ATT phone and cancelling that service to switch to Verizon. Is this what this whole RANT is about?

From my understanding, you want Model A1778, which is the AT&T model. That model will work in New Zeland and on AT&T.

This thread is talking about a SIM free iPhone, which supposedly can connect to any carrier.

 

[mrjohn]

[doublepost=1473340381][/doublepost]Hello everyone, it looks like iPhone 7 model model A 1779 and A1785 will be a sim free later on this year. Normally apple selects a sim free model that has most LTE bands and if you pay attention Japanese model has additional LTE bands. I will wait until a simfree model gets officially released.

A perfect example was 6s att model and iPhone 6 model was also the same way.
Anyway why add band 30 to Japanese model since they have no use for it. It's only for att, the reason why apple doing it because later on it would be sim free

That looks to be the Japan specific model with FeliCa. I would assume that the only way to get it is to be in Japan. Unless you travel to Japan often, I would think it's not worth the hassle.

 

[Florida Gator]

Is a SIM-free model listed here?
http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/#iphone-7-iphone-7-plus

I'd like to get a phone for travel that also works on Verizon.

Thanks for that informed post

No SIM-free models have been revealed yet. So we don't know if it's going to be the A1660 (most likely) that's on Verizon or the A1779 (very unlikely) that's carried in Japan that has the most robust radio options.

 

[mrjohn]

I think the OP is confused because Apple's "official" specifications and rules are very different than what actually happens.

• Per the specs, all iPhone 7 models have Band 30 (ATT specific band that was not available in all models last year). Unless I miscounted, both USA models have all the same bands this time around.
• You can always buy any of the four carrier models from the Apple Store at full price and use them internationally.
• This year all the models will support all the international bands (except the special Japan stuff).
• The Verizon / SprintPCS model have a Qualcomm modem and the AT&T / TMO models have an Intel modem. It's most likely that the official "SIM-free" model will have a Qualcomm modem regardless of of the model number. It's possible the Japan model has the Qualcomm modem & FeliCa support. We just don't know yet.
• Unless you get the "SIM-free" model or the carrier specific Verizon or SprintPCS model, they won't activate it because it's not on their "white list". This has been reported as a problem in the past so I imagine it's still a problem.
• Previous launches had issues with being able to buy a full price phone from AT&T. Thus, you had to go through TMO. I'm not sure if this is still true (I switched to Verizon).

 

[mmomega]

I'm a confused- they sell unlocked phones at launch. Just take the sim out and put your old one in yah?

I have done this in the past. I am on AT&T but you couldn't buy an unlocked ATT phone at launch. So I would buy the unlocked T-Mobile phone, then get home, remove the stock SIM card. Insert my AT&T SIM then turn on the phone for the first time.
Done this for the past 3 phones. Works like a charm and I never have to visit an ATT store for them to do anything.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

You're are confused, but Apple wants it that way. It's trying to have its cake and eat it, too, at the buyer's expense. I would guess it has some agreements in place with the big 4 carriers in the U.S. that prevent it from actually selling the fully capable sim-free version of the iPhone at launch--the better for the carriers to rake in some money. Unfortunately for the consumer who shells out for a full-priced iPhone at launch, the phone isn't really capable of being used on any network, anywhere. Check it out yourself:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/#iphone-7-iphone-7-plus

If you really want to get the phone you deserve to be getting by shelling out full price for an "unlocked" phone, you must wait for the "sim-free" version to go on sale.

I wouldn't touch these full-priced unlocked phones. This practice should end. Apple needs to stop this crap if it wants good will from its knowledgeable users.

I'm sorry, but did you even read the content of the link you posted?

 

[bufffilm]

You're are confused, but Apple wants it that way. It's trying to have its cake and eat it, too, at the buyer's expense. I would guess it has some agreements in place with the big 4 carriers in the U.S. that prevent it from actually selling the fully capable sim-free version of the iPhone at launch--the better for the carriers to rake in some money. Unfortunately for the consumer who shells out for a full-priced iPhone at launch, the phone isn't really capable of being used on any network, anywhere. Check it out yourself:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/#iphone-7-iphone-7-plus

If you really want to get the phone you deserve to be getting by shelling out full price for an "unlocked" phone, you must wait for the "sim-free" version to go on sale.

I wouldn't touch these full-priced unlocked phones. This practice should end. Apple needs to stop this crap if it wants good will from its knowledgeable users.

Exactly, the carriers have first dibs, but the SiM-free should appear shortly (if the 7 rollout is anything like the 6s/+).

Be grateful that the wait isn't too long. The S7/Edge unlocked debuted months later.

 

[codyfisher]

SIM free means it doesn't include a SIM. It still has a SIM slot. Verizon iPhones are already factory unlocked and have usually been the same model as the "unlocked" one. I stopped reading this thread after page 2 because the misinformation is real.

 

[chrizzz09]

This list provided by Apple with the LTE bands and countries/providers is quite misleading.

As far as I know the only thing that matters are the LTE bands and that your iPhone is unlocked.

Say for example you buy the iPhone 7 A1778 and it's unlocked; you can use this model in Japan and get LTE because the LTE bands match. So you could still buy a Japanese sim card, pop it in your A1778 model and it would work in Japan with LTE.

As I understand it all models should work in the different countries as long as they have the same LTE bands and are unlocked.

This was also discussed two years ago in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/switch-out-iphone-6-model-a1549-to-a1586.1835927/

 

[Florida Gator]

Exactly, the carriers have first dibs, but the SiM-free should appear shortly (if the 7 rollout is anything like the 6s/+).

iPhone 6 released September 19, 2014 and SIM-free released on January 6, 2015.

iPhone 6s released September 25, 2015 and SIM-free released on October 8, 2015.

iPhone SE released March 31, 2016 and SIM-free released the same day.

Currently, when you go through the process on Apple's website of pre-ordering the iPhone 7 (it won't let you check out), it does not display the SIM-free option like it does for the other iPhones or the iPhone SE, which had it at launch.

They could surprise us and release it day one, or it could be 4 months later. I'm guessing somewhere in between.

As I understand it all models should work in the different countries as long as they have the same LTE bands and are unlocked.

That's assuming the country you're visiting and carrier you use have LTE coverage everywhere. Believe it or not, there are still a lot of places that don't have LTE or don't have it everywhere, meaning you have to fall back to legacy 3G/4G networks. I've been to 12 countries in the last year and spent most of my time off an LTE network. So if you're really interested in traveling, you need the one with the most radios because that will guarantee you the most connectivity options.

 

[C DM]

iPhone 6 released September 19, 2014 and SIM-free released on January 6, 2015.

iPhone 6s released September 25, 2015 and SIM-free released on October 8, 2015.

iPhone SE released March 31, 2016 and SIM-free released on October 8, 2015.

Currently, when you go through the process on Apple's website of pre-ordering the iPhone 7 (it won't let you check out), it does not display the SIM-free option like it does for the other iPhones or the iPhone SE, which had it at launch.

They could surprise us and release it day one, or it could be 4 months later. I'm guessing somewhere in between.



That's assuming the country you're visiting and carrier you use have LTE coverage everywhere. Believe it or not, there are still a lot of places that don't have LTE or don't have it everywhere, meaning you have to fall back to legacy 3G/4G networks. I've been to 12 countries in the last year and spent most of my time off an LTE network. So if you're really interested in traveling, you need the one with the most radios because that will guarantee you the most connectivity options.

The SIM-free version of the SE was released about half a year before the phone itself was released? Apple is working some magic there.

 

[Y2JDMBFAN]

The SIM-free version of the SE was released about half a year before the phone itself was released? Apple is working some magic there.

I'm confused as to why people are confused. Buy the Verizon model, it is the one that will be the SIM unlocked variant due to it supporting all the bands. The Verizon models ship SIM unlocked. Same as AT&T was last year.

 

[C DM]

I'm confused as to why people are confused. Buy the Verizon model, it is the one that will be the SIM unlocked variant due to it supporting all the bands. The Verizon models ship SIM unlocked. Same as AT&T was last year.

People just like to be outraged (either on purpose for some reason or just because or because they are actually confused but aren't really taking the time to look into it all).

 

[bigbrown]

From the horses mouth:

http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

Are there differences between an iPhone for AT&T or T-Mobile and an iPhone for Sprint or Verizon Wireless?

iPhone offers the same innovative features regardless of the wireless carrier you choose. If you choose AT&T or T-Mobile as your wireless carrier, your iPhone will use 3G cellular technology for voice services and either 3G or 4G LTE cellular technology for data services. iPhone can roam internationally on many GSM carriers around the world. If you buy iPhone with AT&T or T-Mobile, it will not work on Sprint or Verizon Wireless.

If you choose Sprint or Verizon Wireless as your wireless carrier, your iPhone will use CDMA cellular technology for voice and data services. If you buy an unlocked iPhone with Verizon or Sprint, it will work on AT&T or T-Mobile. An iPhone activated on Sprint or Verizon Wireless also has the ability to roam internationally on GSM networks. For details on LTE network support, please see www.apple.com/iphone/LTE.

 

[CAWjr]

The only reason I would see an ATT or T-Mobile user wanting one of the GSM/CDMA phones is for resale or if you ever think you may possibly jump to Verizon or Sprint. If you never intend to go to Verizon or Sprint, or you never intend to sell your phone (or if you trade it in), then just buy the GSM only model. Even if you travel overseas, that phone will work as CDMA is only still used in the US by those two major carriers & other smaller local & affiliate carriers.

Really, it all comes down to this. If you are on ATT/T-Mobile, do you want to jump through the hoops & hurdles to get a CDMA phone that you may never even need to use the CDMA radio in?

 

[HarryWild]

Why does Apple do this? If you shell out full-price for a supposedly unlocked phone, you should get a phone that works with any carrier in the U.S. and any network worldwide. It's not until the "sim-free" phone becomes available that you get this.

So in effect those shelling out full price for the iPhone 7 at launch are getting LESS of a phone than those who wait for the sim-free version a month or so down the road.

It's only the sim-free phone that will work with AT&T, Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, and other networks in the U.S.; networks in China; networks elsewhere in the world.

It's these sim-free, work-everywhere phones that will have the highest resale value, and with good reason: More people will be interested in them. Bigger audience.

Plus, I like to travel the world. I don't want my full-priced iPhone 7 crippling me from the get-go.

Booo, Apple. Dumb!

People buy it because they don't the difference or they don't care. Apple usually offers the sim free models in the second week of December but usually hard to get until after the holidays are over around January 7-8th.

 

[bradl]

I'm confused as to why people are confused. Buy the Verizon model, it is the one that will be the SIM unlocked variant due to it supporting all the bands. The Verizon models ship SIM unlocked. Same as AT&T was last year.

This makes me wonder..

Could I go into the Apple store, Order on ATT Next, but specifically request the VZW phone? Or would Apple be obligated to give me the ATT model?

[doublepost=1473365338][/doublepost]

The only reason I would see an ATT or T-Mobile user wanting one of the GSM/CDMA phones is for resale or if you ever think you may possibly jump to Verizon or Sprint. If you never intend to go to Verizon or Sprint, or you never intend to sell your phone (or if you trade it in), then just buy the GSM only model. Even if you travel overseas, that phone will work as CDMA is only still used in the US by those two major carriers & other smaller local & affiliate carriers.

Really, it all comes down to this. If you are on ATT/T-Mobile, do you want to jump through the hoops & hurdles to get a CDMA phone that you may never even need to use the CDMA radio in?

I have to agree with this. Since most international places (read: outside the US) use GSM, the GSM model would be the best to go for; for transferring between networks in the US, the VZW model what you'd need. It's too bad that some networks (yes, I'm looking at you, VZW, Sprint) tried to build their own network using that technology and pass that along as the worldwide standard, when everyone else was using something different than them..

BL.

 

[adepew]

From the horses mouth:

http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

Are there differences between an iPhone for AT&T or T-Mobile and an iPhone for Sprint or Verizon Wireless?

iPhone offers the same innovative features regardless of the wireless carrier you choose. If you choose AT&T or T-Mobile as your wireless carrier, your iPhone will use 3G cellular technology for voice services and either 3G or 4G LTE cellular technology for data services. iPhone can roam internationally on many GSM carriers around the world. If you buy iPhone with AT&T or T-Mobile, it will not work on Sprint or Verizon Wireless.

If you choose Sprint or Verizon Wireless as your wireless carrier, your iPhone will use CDMA cellular technology for voice and data services. If you buy an unlocked iPhone with Verizon or Sprint, it will work on AT&T or T-Mobile. An iPhone activated on Sprint or Verizon Wireless also has the ability to roam internationally on GSM networks. For details on LTE network support, please see www.apple.com/iphone/LTE.

Was the horse pun intended or no? It was funny as heck to me.

 

[C DM]

This makes me wonder..

Could I go into the Apple store, Order on ATT Next, but specifically request the VZW phone? Or would Apple be obligated to give me the ATT model?

[doublepost=1473365338][/doublepost]

I have to agree with this. Since most international places (read: outside the US) use GSM, the GSM model would be the best to go for; for transferring between networks in the US, the VZW model what you'd need. It's too bad that some networks (yes, I'm looking at you, VZW, Sprint) tried to build their own network using that technology and pass that along as the worldwide standard, when everyone else was using something different than them..

BL.

Well, CDMA worked out better in various respects and one of the main reasons that most of the world wasn't really going for it was that the cost of going with it at the time was higher than going with GSM. It wasn't Verizon/Sprint necessarily being arrogant but trying to do what they thought would actually be better even at a somewhat higher price in a sense.

That aside, seems like going for the Verizon/Sprint model is really the best thing, assuming one can get it fairly easily.

 

[Gary500]

Can you buy an unlocked Verizon iPhone without an account if you pay for it fully upfront?

 

[se1000]

I'm confused as to why people are confused. Buy the Verizon model, it is the one that will be the SIM unlocked variant due to it supporting all the bands. The Verizon models ship SIM unlocked. Same as AT&T was last year.

Can't buy the Verizon model without having a Verizon account

 

[Florida Gator]

The SIM-free version of the SE was released about half a year before the phone itself was released? Apple is working some magic there.

Sorry, I meant it was released on the same day.

 

[Y2JDMBFAN]

Can you buy an unlocked Verizon iPhone without an account if you pay for it fully upfront?

Can't buy the Verizon model without having a Verizon account

You sure can, as long as your are paying for the device in full. I've done it the last few launches.

 

[se1000]

You sure can, as long as your are paying for the device in full. I've done it the last few launches.

It asks for a Verizon wireless phone number, billing zip code and the last 4 digits of the account holder's SSN. If you find a way around that, please let me know I'd LOVE to be proven wrong