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Other XS XS MAX (CDMA) VS (GSM) ??

B

BS126600

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 13, 2018
9
1
New Jersey
In reading Apples Website it appears to me that there are two different models for each phone although they use the same model number one labeled (CDMA) and one (GSM). I called apple and the customer service rep was not sure of the difference. This leads me to believe that the phones purchased as unlocked or Verizon / Sprint are CDMA and support GSM as well, meanwhile the phones purchased from Tmobile or ATT are GSM Only. There is also an article attached that supports my theory.


https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

  • Phone XS
  • Model A1920 (GSM)
  • Model A1920 (CDMA)
  • iPhone XS Max
  • Model A1921 (GSM)
  • Model A1921 (CDMA)
https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/13/...-at-apples-september-2018-gather-round-event/

"But even though Apple reportedly shifted this year from a mix of Qualcomm and Intel modems to purely Intel parts, there are still separate GSM and CDMA versions of each of the phones. It’s unclear whether one version (historically, the CDMA model) will be a smarter purchase. (And there are even more international models than before, now compounded by separate eSIM and physical SIM models, but that was underscored during the event.)"
 
penajmz said:
To play it safe, I’ll be buying the unlocked sim free version.
Click to expand...

Agree, but you cant do Apple upgrade program buying unlocked. I am currently on T mobile and want the option to switch to Verizon. I am worried if I select Tmobile and use the Apple upgrade feature I will get a GSM only phone. I cant seem to get a clear answer if this is the case.
 
BS126600 said:
Agree, but you cant do Apple upgrade program buying unlocked. I am currently on T mobile and want the option to switch to Verizon. I am worried if I select Tmobile and use the Apple upgrade feature I will get a GSM only phone. I cant seem to get a clear answer if this is the case.
Click to expand...
The consensus is that there is no difference in the phones this year except one model number is the Xs and the other is for the Max, but I agree with you there’s no clear answer on this.
 
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archer75 said:
All phones on the apple upgrade program are unlocked and always have been.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sure, but in past years they have made phones that were missing the CDMA radio. Some years a phone sold T-Mobile or AT&T phone could not be made to work on Verizon or Sprint. When you buy through the iPhone Upgrade Program you get a phone that ships with a SIM in it, same as anyone else on your carrier. So in those years iUP customers who joined using AT&T, though their phones were unlocked on Day 1, could in practice only use their phone with AT&T or T-Mobile (or overseas). iPhone 7 and 8 units that were sold with SIMs for these 2 carriers were the crappy GSM-only models A1905 and A1778. The SIM-free phones, as well as all the Verizon & Sprint customers' phones, were A1863 and A1660. (different numbers apply for the plus phones but same deal, I'm sourcing all this from the https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ website )

ANYWAY though, an old thread exists that really clears this up: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...iphone-upgrade-program.2024258/#post-24656264

Post #8 on that thread is where the actual information starts (as opposed to supposition and/or people who were misinformed)

Apple's website actually said until recently: "AT&T and T-Mobile customers may need to visit an Apple Store to switch carriers. See a Specialist for details."

And the users on that post who tried it said that Apple basically refunded the payments they had done on their phones, sold them a new* CDMA one, then crediting the payments towards that, leaving them in the same financial boat they were when they walked in but with a compatible phone they needed.

Anyway, that language that used to be in the iPhone Upgrade Program page (preserved in Post #10 on the above thread) has disappeared, so it seems to corroborate that the new phones sold in the US are all the same hardware and if unlocked should also be suitable for Verizon and Sprint. That's great news for everyone. Although it seems to me like if there are people with the 8 and 7, it looks like if you're on iUP they will swap out the phone for you on demand if you need to switch to Verizon or Sprint.

*seems a refurbished one would be fair and reasonable, but no word on what kind of stock they use for this one way or the other.
 
so if we order the tmobile iphone at full price from the apple store, it should be unlocked and compatible still with the other 3 US carriers?
 
If you go through the order process at the end there’s a link that says ‘what carriers does it work on’ and a pop up said all carriers.

Noteworthy, it did not have that link for the xr
 
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Scott6666 said:
If you go through the order process at the end there’s a link that says ‘what carriers does it work on’ and a pop up said all carriers.

Noteworthy, it did not have that link for the xr
Click to expand...
Not available yet, that is why
[doublepost=1537155315][/doublepost]
xp84 said:
Yeah, sure, but in past years they have made phones that were missing the CDMA radio. Some years a phone sold T-Mobile or AT&T phone could not be made to work on Verizon or Sprint. When you buy through the iPhone Upgrade Program you get a phone that ships with a SIM in it, same as anyone else on your carrier. So in those years iUP customers who joined using AT&T, though their phones were unlocked on Day 1, could in practice only use their phone with AT&T or T-Mobile (or overseas). iPhone 7 and 8 units that were sold with SIMs for these 2 carriers were the crappy GSM-only models A1905 and A1778. The SIM-free phones, as well as all the Verizon & Sprint customers' phones, were A1863 and A1660. (different numbers apply for the plus phones but same deal, I'm sourcing all this from the https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ website )
Click to expand...
@xp84 Not just for you but for anyone confused because of previous circumstances. I want to make this as perfectly clear as possible:

ALL 2018 released iPhones (Xs, Xs Max, Xr) will have a single Intel radio chip. No matter if you purchase it on contract or off contract, with a SIM or SIM free, part of your carriers upgrade program, or Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program. They ALL have the exact same chip. You can even purchase on contract with AT&T, pay it off, terminate it (by paying the fee), or have someone else assume the contract. Then go off to Verizon and activate contract free. And the phone will work! :-O
 
Last edited:
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This matters more than people realize in not one, but two scenarios. Switching carriers is the obvious one, emergencies are the critical one.

The two separate versions of the iPhone 7 and 8 pissed me off to no end, especially after I traded my iPhone 6 in for a 6s to start the IUP (with AT&T), and then on the 7 had to argue to get the comparable model. The manager came over and begrudgingly agreed it wasn’t really an “upgrade” if I was losing a feature—CDMA band support—that I had before.

Come the iPhone 8, I came in to do the exact same thing and have the exact same conversation, the store people went to lots of lengths to try and convince me this was the right model for my AT&T network, and their system had no way to offer me the other model. I argued for 5 hours until they eventually just refunded me the difference that I would have saved by having been on IUP and I paid the phone outright.

The BIG issue (likely now corrected in the Xs/Max/Xr) is calling 911. As you know you can call 911 even on a phone right out of the box without any activation, before the phone could even know which network it would be tied to. Emergency calls are programmed to use any available bands the phone has.

So there is a distinct chance that you could find yourself in a place where your phone said “No Service” on AT&T/T-Mobile but there actually were Sprint/Verizon towers in range. This could come up either in rural areas where the coverage map differs slightly, or inside urban buildings perhaps where different bands penetrate construction differently. The point is, while not for a normal call, for a 911 call your phone will also try the CDMA bands IF its antenna and radio is equipped with them. The CDMA phone would do the same search for GSM coverage of course, but they don’t sell CDMA only models since the iPhone 4s days.

It’s the kind of scenario that as a former volunteer EMT makes spending 5hrs arguing with Apple specialists (who agreed, mind you, once I explained it, despite still saying they could not accommodate me) preferable to being SOL in an emergency. Obviously there may be NO SERVICE at all wherever I am, but having the all-band model gives you a distinct fighting chance of getting through you otherwise would have lacked.

So my advice to all, on this one grounds alone, is argue with every Apple tech to make sure you get the broader banded phone (the 7 and 8 are still being sold, even if not the latest models), to make sure this Xs cycle isn’t a fluke.

And yes I know the real reason behind the split had to do with a spat between Apple and Intel vs. Qualcomm, but when it creates a public safety risk (even if only in a specific scenario I’ve explained) that they quietly gloss over, it’s unacceptable. They could dip into their endless billions of war chest and make everyone happier and safer.
 
hsimpson said:
So my advice to all, on this one grounds alone, is argue with every Apple tech to make sure you get the broader banded phone (the 7 and 8 are still being sold, even if not the latest models), to make sure this Xs cycle isn’t a fluke.

And yes I know the real reason behind the split had to do with a spat between Apple and Intel vs. Qualcomm, but when it creates a public safety risk (even if only in a specific scenario I’ve explained) that they quietly gloss over, it’s unacceptable. They could dip into their endless billions of war chest and make everyone happier and safer.
Click to expand...

Ma’am I respect you years as an EMT, thank you for your service. That said:

Please ignore the entire above post. This is NOT a public safety risk. DO NOT ARGUE WITH ANY Apple tech.

ALL Xs and Xs Max iPhones have ALL the bands. If you loose your signal in a rural area change carriers to one with better coverage.
 
xp84 said:
iPhone 7 and 8 units that were sold with SIMs for these 2 carriers were the crappy GSM-only models A1905 and A1778. The SIM-free phones, as well as all the Verizon & Sprint customers' phones, were A1863 and A1660. (different numbers apply for the plus phones but same deal, I'm sourcing all this from the https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ website )
Click to expand...

The Intel ones are crappy because the Intel radios are crappy, but Verizon will activate the Intel 8/8+/X, but will not activate an Intel 7/7+. Go figure. They don't have CDMA 1x coverage, but they gain some AT&T roaming coverage (yup, Verizon uses AT&T for roaming) in West Virginia and Texas that normal Verizon customers don't get. It's really, really weird.

hsimpson said:
This matters more than people realize in not one, but two scenarios. Switching carriers is the obvious one, emergencies are the critical one.
Click to expand...

Do you know if an Intel iPhone 8 on AT&T will go SOS-only on Verizon LTE? Verizon will activate them on VoLTE, but I don't know if they will go SOS-only. My AT&T phone has gone SOS-only on USCC VoLTE, although I don't know for sure that a 911 would actually have gone through. A really weird experience I had a few months ago was in an area with only AT&T LTE and no other service, seeing my friends' Verizon phones on AT&T HSPA+ SOS-only.

I wouldn't view this as a major issue, however, as most Android phones sold on AT&T and T-Mobile have CDMA and B13 disabled in their firmware.
 
FYi I am Verizon and this morning when to Apple Store they were sold out of Verizon and Sim Free So I bought the ATT Iphone XS Max and Paid in Full. stuck my Verizon Sim in it and it works. all the Model are the Same If you pay full price. (Appears when apple sell it to you and you pay full price its Unlocks it ) Thought this might help someone
 
4ktitanx said:
FYi I am Verizon and this morning when to Apple Store they were sold out of Verizon and Sim Free So I bought the ATT Iphone XS Max and Paid in Full. stuck my Verizon Sim in it and it works. all the Model are the Same If you pay full price. (Appears when apple sell it to you and you pay full price its Unlocks it ) Thought this might help someone
Click to expand...

Xs/Xs Max/Xr are the same. 8/8+/X are different.
 
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