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Mr. Zarniwoop

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 9, 2005
751
139
Do you have any other friends with the same device on TMO to try it out on? It could just be a network issue at that time...
Might be, but it's happened both in New York and Chicago. Just wondered if anyone else had this happen.
 

Black Magic

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2012
2,811
1,504
So if folks want to get the phone that can be unlocked for any carrier, it sounds like the Verizon phone is the way to go.
 
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cc999

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2008
478
191
This is from my post on another thread:

Here is another way to look at it. If I said I have 2 iphone 7's to sell you at the SAME price. One
can be used on GSM only and the other can be used on GSM and CDMA worldwide. What would
you rather buy?

Also throw in Qualcomm has been making modem chips for years, Intel no.
And also by the way the GSM/CDMA version will get you 50-100 more when you are
ready to sell.

CC
 

normanfox

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2014
782
331
Verizon phone has to deal with legacy CDMA when it does switching between 3G and LTE on top of GSM.
This switching logic is more complicated and less efficient than AT&T phone? some people complain about their Verizon phones losing LTE signal.
 

eclipxe

macrumors regular
Jun 28, 2007
148
61
This is from my post on another thread:

Here is another way to look at it. If I said I have 2 iphone 7's to sell you at the SAME price. One
can be used on GSM only and the other can be used on GSM and CDMA worldwide. What would
you rather buy?

Also throw in Qualcomm has been making modem chips for years, Intel no.
And also by the way the GSM/CDMA version will get you 50-100 more when you are
ready to sell.

CC

Sure but if the Intel version is performing better on your network then it's a harder option. Are you buying the phone just to resale or are you buying to use it day to day?
 

SPoon222222

macrumors newbie
Oct 9, 2013
16
1
Verizon phone has to deal with legacy CDMA when it does switching between 3G and LTE on top of GSM.
This switching logic is more complicated and less efficient than AT&T phone? some people complain about their Verizon phones losing LTE signal.

CDMA on the Verizon device is mostly tied to voice as a fallback if VoLTE calling is not available. However, as you mentioned there have been numerous cases of people reporting LTE connectivity issues with the Verizon devices. AT&T devices had a similar problem with airplane mode, but a fix from Apple has since been issued. Hopefully, there will be a fix for the Verizon phone users soon.
 

normanfox

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2014
782
331
CDMA on the Verizon device is mostly tied to voice as a fallback if VoLTE calling is not available. However, as you mentioned there have been numerous cases of people reporting LTE connectivity issues with the Verizon devices. AT&T devices had a similar problem with airplane mode, but a fix from Apple has since been issued. Hopefully, there will be a fix for the Verizon phone users soon.

CDMA is not just fallback for voice, it is used for 2G and 3G when LTE is not available.
 

SPoon222222

macrumors newbie
Oct 9, 2013
16
1
CDMA is not just fallback for voice, it is used for 2G and 3G when LTE is not available.

I understand that, but it is mostly utilized for voice in a LTE world. How often are you on 1X or 3G data unless you are out in the boonies. CDMA will eventually be phased out.

FYI, I never said CDMA was "just" a fallback for voice. I said it was mainly used for that reason. Even parts of 3G, specifically eHRPD, relies on a LTE core.
 
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normanfox

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2014
782
331
I understand that, but it is mostly utilized for voice in a LTE world. I am currently in the industry. I know how it works. How often are you on 1X or 3G data unless you are out in the boonies. CDMA will eventually be phased out.

you will be surprised that AT&T just begins to phase out 2G. not everyone has the latest phones.
 

SPoon222222

macrumors newbie
Oct 9, 2013
16
1
you will be surprised that AT&T just begins to phase out 2G. not everyone has the latest phones.

I understand that 2G will not be gone for a good while hence I said eventually. Understand that we are discussing the iPhone here which supports LTE so for you to point out that not everyone has a smartphone is pointless to me. As I have said before, how often are you falling back on 1X and 3G for data as opposed to using CDMA for voice?

I also have a Verizon supported work phone and I have seen it fall back on CDMA for voice more often than data.

AT&T should be similar as it supports VoLTE as well. How often do you see the AT&T device fall back to GPRS, Edge, or UMTS?

Anyways, I agree in a sense that the Verizon device is more complicated since it has more RAN technology to handle when compared to the AT&T device. However, it should be able to switch seamlessly within one network between 2G, 3G, and 4G.
 
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tekjunkie

macrumors 6502
Oct 25, 2013
406
227
I had the ATT iPhone 7 plus with the Intel chip for a week before returning it
for the Verizon Qualcomm version. This is on the ATT network.Both full price unlocked.
My observations:

Verizon (Qualcomm) version definitely has better battery life (consistently 5-10%)

Verizon (Qualcomm) version has better reception without a doubt, where I was dropping calls with the Intel the Qualcomm never disconnected. At home in my office I get 3 bars on the Qualcomm vs 2 on the Intel

The above is from 1 week use with each phone. Let's also remember the resale value and overseas travel options
are much better with the Verizon model.

CC

Do you realize that the GSM or AT&T model IS the world phone, right? A weeks isn't enough to tell battery life between the 2.
 
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Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
Do you realize that the GSM or AT&T model IS the world phone, right? A weeks isn't enough to tell battery life between the 2.
I would think a true "World Phone" would be the Verizon/Sprint this year as it has both GSM and CDMA. Sure the AT&T/T-mobile will work around the world but only on GSM Network carriers.
 

tekjunkie

macrumors 6502
Oct 25, 2013
406
227
This is from my post on another thread:

Here is another way to look at it. If I said I have 2 iphone 7's to sell you at the SAME price. One
can be used on GSM only and the other can be used on GSM and CDMA worldwide. What would
you rather buy?

Also throw in Qualcomm has been making modem chips for years, Intel no.
And also by the way the GSM/CDMA version will get you 50-100 more when you are
ready to sell.

CC

That makes no since. CDMA is used on so few carriers world wide.

For every 7 GSM subscribers there is 1 CDMA subscriber.

I think you should do some research.
 

cc999

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2008
478
191
Do you realize that the GSM or AT&T model IS the world phone, right? A weeks isn't enough to tell battery life between the 2.

This explains the different models. The Verizon Version is indeed the world phone:

https://www.techwalls.com/iphone-7-plus-model-differences/

From the article:

iPhone 7 Plus
The 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus has 3 model numbers, A1661, A1784 and A1785.

1. A1661: The iPhone 7 Plus A1661 is the most comprehensive model as it works on almost all GSM and CDMA carriers. The world phone is available at Sprint and Verizon in the US, as well as some other countries like Puerto Rico, Hong Kong and China. This is also the model you will receive when you buy the SIM-free unlocked version or when you buy the locked AT&T phone at BestBuy.

Cellular bands of this model:

  • FDD-LTE bands 1 (2100 MHz), 2 (1900 MHz), 3 (1800 MHz), 4 (AWS), 5 (850 MHz), 7 (2600 MHz), 8 (900 MHz), 12 (700 a MHz), 13 (700c MHz), 17 (700b MHz), 18 (800 MHz), 19 (800 MHz), 20 (800 DD), 25 (1900 MHz), 26 (800 MHz), 27 (800 SMR), 28 (700 APT MHz), 29 (700 de MHz), 30 (2300 WCS)
  • TD-LTE bands 38 (TD 2600 MHz), 39 (TD 1900 MHz), 40 (TD 2300 MHz), 41 (TD 2500 MHz)
  • TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
  • CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  • UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)

CC
 

tekjunkie

macrumors 6502
Oct 25, 2013
406
227
Even though it has CDMA I wouldn't consider it a world phone as CDMA isn't used by many countries as GSM. GSM stands for Global system for mobile communication. But I can see the benefit of having CDMA.
I personally do not like Qualcomm and thing most of their stuff is trash. It maybe fast but they still haven't fixed their signal reception problem. This is why I only bought Motorola phones back in the day. I think a lot of people don't remember or weren't around back then when there was a definite difference in signal strength.
 

airjay75

macrumors regular
Oct 1, 2014
207
168
It's just silly to call one or the other models the "world" phone. In reality, both versions will be able to access cellular networks in just about every country. I'm not even sure there is a country that only has CDMA networks. I certainly can't name one. If you want the flexibility of having Sprint or Verizon as your carrier in the U.S., get the Qualcomm version. If you don't care, it probably doesn't matter which version you get. It's amazing how much some people are convinced with absolutely zero concrete evidence that one of these models must be superior to the other.
 

FoxD

macrumors 6502a
Apr 28, 2010
504
247
My 7 Plus is Qualcomm and I'm not seeing better battery life than my 6 Plus. Going to return it and buy the Intel version. Mine also has a yellow/warm screen and not that bright....
 

Jetro

macrumors regular
Jan 12, 2016
133
59
Ok, what about Carrier Settings updates... Will the Qualcomm phone still get updates for AT&T while being used on AT&T ?

It will. That's given from at&t and apple I think. they know what needs updated for it to work right.
 
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