BEWARE ALL EUROPEANS & US SPRINT/ T MOBILE USERS!

[JLB90]

Hi All,


I am writing here as I believe I am out of options with the totally unhelpful apple support I have received so far.


So I purchased an iPhone 7 Sim free (unlocked) from an Apple UK store in December so I can use it anywhere I go as i travel to different countries, often the USA. Before purchasing the iPhone 7 I twice asked staff whether i am able to use the phone on any network in the USA, and was told that this is why you buy an unlocked iPhone....


However to my dismay, I have since discovered that Apple in fact sneakily sells two versions of the iPhone, one which works with every network (qualcomm), and another (intel) which to put it simply is unable to do so. At no point does apple state is has two tiers of Iphone 7 on its website or in stores.

After discovering more information about this extremely unfair issue, I have discovered that the superior Qualcomm based iPhone is in fact also faster and has better signal in general, and is a much more reliable and faster product, creating a two tier based production of which the consumer has no idea when purchasing.

Read more here:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcom....google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/

http://fortune.com/2016/10/20/apple-iphone-7-qualcomm-intel/

____________

Since arriving in the USA, I now have a nearly $800 dollar paper weight for a phone as I have a contract on a Verizon network which CDMA based and cannot work on the inferior iPhone. This issue will affect many carriers in other countries too from which have read and the Apple staff have offered me no solution other than buy the other better iPhone again.

So as a warning to any potential Iphone buyers out there who whish to have a phone which able to work as advertised, please make sure you only buy in select places in the USA or you will be left out of pocket and out of help!

Does any one out there has any advice on what to do next? Apple are uninterested in resolving the issue..

 

[Septembersrain]

Sprint and Verizon versions are the Qualcomm. T-Mobile and AT&T versions are the Intel.

I'm not sure why they sold you the Intel. At the Apple store here in the US, the SIM unlocked version is the Qualcomm I believe.

I'd recommend trying to sell yours. You might be out a little bit unfortunately.

Sorry for your bad luck.

 

[jbachandouris]

They did nothing sneakily. This information was ALL over these forums when the phone first came out. Sorry the store you bought it from didn't do their job, but Apple didn't deceive anyone.

Your only option is to sell it and buy the right phone. Sorry.

 

[8692574]

They did nothing sneakily. This information was ALL over these forums when the phone first came out. Sorry the store you bought it from didn't do their job, but Apple didn't deceive anyone.

Your only option is to sell it and buy the right phone. Sorry.

"These forums" are not official Apple....I think they should be more clear.
It is not my job to lurk around forum to gain information they should be given by the company.

I would make them write on the box which version you are buying and what it supports!

 

[jbachandouris]

"These forums" are not official Apple....I think they should be more clear.
It is not my job to lurk around forum to gain information the should be given by the company.

I would make them write on the box which version you are buying and what it supports!

Can't say I disagree with you there. Good luck.

 

[bcave098]

Actually, Apple itself does make this very clear on their website:

 

[JLB90]

I didnt expect to have to hunt internet forums to check whether apple is selling a more or less able product, which is why it is sneaky. It is unacceptable as it was an 'unlocked sim-free' iphone purchased directly from an apple store. If it was a phone from a carrier it would be annoying but more understandable. If the staff in the apple stores and on the apple care phone line dont even know about this, how would i know what iphone model code it is without actually having bought the phone first... Thanks for the responses any way !

 

[Septembersrain]

"These forums" are not official Apple....I think they should be more clear.
It is not my job to lurk around forum to gain information the should be given by the company.

I would make them write on the box which version you are buying and what it supports!

Still. If you buy a car but didn't research the model, do you think the car dealership will take pity? No. You bought what they sold you. You didn't take a quick second to Google it, you didn't second guess them, etc. With the widely available access to the internet these days, I don't know why more people don't take a second to check.

 

[JLB90]

but with cars you know there are different models with iphone 7 the models are 'iphone 7 and iphone 7 plus'..

you dont buy a ferrari and run the risk of having a ford focus engine inside it...

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

I'm surprised. Would have figured the sim free, unlocked version would have been the Qualcomm model for the very reason the OP stated they bought one for.

Though the Qualcomm chip may be capable of being faster, I'm pretty sure it's been discovered that Apple throttles it so the Intel doesn't look "different" to consumers. So no real benefit other than the number of carriers it works on.

 

[Septembersrain]

but with cars you know there are different models with iphone 7 the models are 'iphone 7 and iphone 7 plus'..

you dont buy a ferrari and run the risk of having a ford focus engine inside it... i

Yet you know there are different trim levels in a car right? Same as there are different frequencies required for each carrier.

The point is simply that research should be done on all purchases if you want to be sure you're getting what you need.

 

[bcave098]

I'm surprised. Would have figured the sim free, unlocked version would have been the Qualcomm model for the very reason the OP stated they bought one for.

Though the Qualcomm chip may be capable of being faster, I'm pretty sure it's been discovered that Apple throttles it so the Intel doesn't look "different" to consumers. So no real benefit other than the number of carriers it works on.

Most likely not the case since in the UK they have no CDMA carriers. I doubt they even sell the CDMA model at all.

 

[JLB90]

Yet you know there are different trim levels in a car right? Same as there are different frequencies required for each carrier.

The point is simply that research should be done on all purchases if you want to be sure you're getting what you need.

Hence why I went and bought the premium model (sim-free carrier unlocked) direct from Apple...That is the only option I can take if i want the 'best' product.. It should have stated 'sim free partially carrier unlocked' for example. FYI this is the first time apple has had this issue, because it has tried to drive down costs on chips and break away from Qualcomm. Intel chips are simply not as good due to their relative experience in the mobile market. It is not something a consumer would usually have had to have been aware of!

 

[bcave098]

Hence why I went and bought the premium model (sim-free carrier unlocked) direct from Apple...That is the only option I can take if i want the 'best' product.. It should have stated 'sim free partially carrier unlocked' for example

No, it is fully carrier unlocked. It works with any GSM carrier in the world. Since the iPhone 4, Apple has made a different model for the CDMA carriers, IIRC.

 

[JLB90]

No, it is fully carrier unlocked. It works with any GSM carrier in the world. Since the iPhone 4, Apple has made a different model for the CDMA carriers, IIRC.

From what i understand, this is the first time apple has sold as a sim-free model that is not both gsm and cdma enabled. If you buy one from or for a select network then that will vary, understandably so. By definition it is not fully carrier unlocked as it doesn't work with all carriers

 

[Applejuiced]

From what i understand, this is the first time apple has sold as a sim-free model that is not both gsm and cdma enabled. If you buy one from or for a select network then that will vary, understandably so.

Your understanding is wrong.
Only the iPhone 6 and 6S had an unlocked model that worked on both gsm and cdma networks.

 

[JLB90]

Your understanding is wrong.
Only the iPhone 6 and 6S had an unlocked model that worked on both gsm and cdma networks.

Ok i understand, but considering even the apple staff i have spoken too aren't even aware of different internal parts, it is an issue that is not widely communicated to the consumer. If, like most people, you dont search the internet forums for such data, you would not know about such issues other than by asking the staff in the store (which i did specifically do)

Thanks anyways for your replies!

 

[bcave098]

You can also find even more detail on which model you need for a specific carrier at apple.com/iphone/LTE/. They've made it pretty clear but I wouldn't expect an employee who works in a country without CDMA to know exactly which model you need for any one CDMA carrier without visiting the website I just linked.

 

[Applejuiced]

Ok i understand, but considering even the apple staff i have spoken too aren't even aware of different internal parts, it is an issue that is not widely communicated to the consumer. If, like most people, you dont search the internet forums for such data, you would not know about such issues other than by asking the staff in the store (which i did specifically do)

Thanks anyways for your replies!

The Apple staff in the U.K. Obviously didn't know you would take the phone in the US and use it on one of the very few cdma network still available worldwide.
In Europe there is no cdma carriers so it's not an issue they come across much. 99% of the wireless carrier networks out there are GSM.

 

[seadragon]

I agree. It's deceiving. I'm in Canada and the only model they sell unlocked here is the one with the Intel modem which doesn't work on CDMA. I bought one and returned it as soon as I discovered this. Plus the Intel version is inferior to the Qualcomm one apparently.

 

[Applejuiced]

I agree. It's deceiving. I'm in Canada and the only model they sell unlocked here is the one with the Intel modem which doesn't work on CDMA. I bought one and returned it as soon as I discovered this. Plus the Intel version is inferior to the Qualcomm one apparently.

Does Canada even use cdma tech still?
And you know those slightly better test results are not real life but only on closed lab conditions.
In other words all this talk about "inferior" model is all about ocd folks that look for tiny imperfections to return their iPhone a dozen times and look for the perfect iPhone.

 

[JLB90]

I specifically stated I need it for use on Verizon in the USA. Hence my frustration ...

 

[seadragon]

Does Canada even use cdma tech still?
And you know those slightly better test results are not real life but only on closed lab conditions.
In other words all this talk about "inferior" model is all about ocd folks that look for tiny imperfections to return their iPhone a dozen times and look for the perfect iPhone.

Canada doesn't but other countries do. The whole point of an unlocked phone is being able to slap any SIM card in it and go. For my money, I want the better model.

 

[JLB90]

Exactly the

Canada doesn't but other countries do. The whole point of an unlocked phone is being able to slap any SIM card in it and go. For my money, I want the better model.

Exactly my point, if you request and for pay premium, you should get premium.

 

[bufffilm]

OP: if you were told wrong from the Apple Store where you bought the phone, it wouldn't be the first time that happened nor the last.

Know your product...and if you can't, then find a source (like this one), where you can (get answers).

But this topic is pretty common here. And your survey question is lacking in choices. There should be a third answer: Apple does tell you.