The iphone 5s unlock A1533

KiltedTim wrote:

Apparently you've been living in a box for a while.

There are 28 distinct supported carriers in the US.

I'm arguing with you because you are wrong.

And by far, the vast majority are sold on AT&T (unlockable), Verizon (unlocked), Sprint (partially but not fully unlockable), and T-Mobile (unlockable). The C-Spires and GCIs of the world don't account for significant volumes.

You said that "most" iPhones sold in the US are neither unlocked nor unlockable. You are correct that most are not sold unlocked. However, you are wrong in that most are unlockable at some point.

I've acknowledged that not all device-only iPhone sold by the Apple Store are unlocked (I didn't realize about the Sprint version since I wasn't interested in it). However, my original post was directed to someone looking for an unlocked iPhone A1533. That person obviously doesn't care about the supported CDMA carriers (or even the minor supported GSM carriers). I pointed out, quite correctly, that the poster doesn't need to try to find a T-Mobile model in store. If a Verizon or AT&T model is available and the associate will sell it "device only," the original poster will have a phone with all the functionality of the "official" unlocked iPhone when it is released.

People in the US largely don't care. There are a grand total of 2 supported GSM carriers in the US. AT&T and T-Mobile. All of the other supported carriers are CDMA carriers. All of the other GSM carriers are MVNOs and there will be problems using an unlocked iPhone on them because it will detect the AT&T or T-Mobile network underlying the MVNO network.

KiltedTim wrote:

People in the US largely don't care. There are a grand total of 2 supported GSM carriers in the US. AT&T and T-Mobile. All of the other supported carriers are CDMA carriers. All of the other GSM carriers are MVNOs and there will be problems using an unlocked iPhone on them because it will detect the AT&T or T-Mobile network underlying the MVNO network.

That's not really the point, though. Anyway, MVNOs can usually be made to work by modifying some settings. And both T-Mo and AT&T users might like the ability to switch to the other, or use the phone overseas on a loal SIM card rather than pay outrageous roaming fees.

Has anyone done what akuska is talking about? I want to buy iPhone 5S and use it on Straight Talk because of the awesome price point. So can I get the T-mobile full-price or AT&T device-only model and use a Straight Talk sim? What settings must I change?

Just wait until StraightTalk gets the 5S. It won't be that long. StraightTalk is a supported CDMA carrier. They will not support iPhones on their GSM service, only their own CDMA iPhone.

that's not correct.

I finally got the answer.... the new iPhone 5s A1533 can support both Verizon and AT&T. Apple was able to pack both CDMA, GSM and all the LTE bands Verizon and AT&T support. If you buy your iPhone from Verizon or AT&T you will be getting the same exact phone (model A1533).

Here's the difference..

If you buy your phone from Verizon and decide to put in a AT&T SIM card it'll work no problem. But if you have an iPhone you bought from AT&T and try to activate it on the Verizon network, Verizon will check the phone and if it's not registard with them as Verizon phone (they have a list) they will refuse to activate it on their network even though it work just fine.

If your buying off contract at full retial and want the option to use either the Verizon or AT&T network buy the Verizon branded iPhone. This will give you flixability to use mutipale carries in the future.

So couple of clarifying questions here if I may:

1) If I buy Verizon 5S on contract it will still be unlocked ?

2) If I place working AT&T sim in Verizon 5S above (question 1) it will allow me full use of AT&T network (voice and LTE data) ?

3) If using a working AT&T SIM in the Verizon 5S will I also still benefit from voice & data simultaneously as I know Verizon doesn't support this but believe its network related therefore AT&T should support in Verizon phone ?

4) Anyone tried the scenarios I list ? 🙂

Thanks all

simlid wrote:

So couple of clarifying questions here if I may:

1) If I buy Verizon 5S on contract it will still be unlocked ?

2) If I place working AT&T sim in Verizon 5S above (question 1) it will allow me full use of AT&T network (voice and LTE data) ?

3) If using a working AT&T SIM in the Verizon 5S will I also still benefit from voice & data simultaneously as I know Verizon doesn't support this but believe its network related therefore AT&T should support in Verizon phone ?

4) Anyone tried the scenarios I list ? 🙂

Thanks all

1) Yes, all Verizon LTE phones are unlocked.

2) Yes (I've got LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile on my "Verizon" iPhone 5s - the 5 supports only 3G on AT&T but the 5s supports LTE

3) Yes - it's a function of the network, not the phone. AT&T drops down into HSPA ("4G"), but that supports voice and data.

4) I've tried 2 and 3.

Hello everyone,

I want to buy an iPhone 5S to be used overseas. I will be buying this phone off-market, on eBay or Craigslist and wanted to ask for advice.

I have three options and I want to make sure that all of these options are unlocked right out of the box without any added procedures:

1) Buy a T-Mobile phone

2) Buy a device-only AT&T phone

3) Buy a device-only Verizon phone

Is there any way to see whether a phone is device-only (hence, unlocked) without opening the box? I am buying it as a present so I don't want to have to open the box and go through unlocking procedures.

Or is my best bet to find a T-Mobile device? Any advice is much appreciated.

There are no Apple Authorized resellers on eBay or Craig's List. Anything you buy there is effectively a private sale, and you do so entirely at your own risk. Many such sales turn out to be used or even stolen phones. Some recently have been sold with the previous owners iCloud account still enabled on the device with iOS 7's activation lock in effect and no way for the buyer to disable that and use the iPhone. They have effectively just purchased a brick.

Buying online like that really is a pure crap shoot as to what you will actually get. These forums are full of posts of people who went that route only to be the poorer for it and completely disappointed.

If you want a new iPhone that you know is a truly new iPhone, then buy from an Apple Authorized reseller or Apple itself and spare yourself and the person you are giving it to a nightmare when they try to use it.

sinanmisirli wrote:

Hello everyone,

I want to buy an iPhone 5S to be used overseas. I will be buying this phone off-market, on eBay or Craigslist and wanted to ask for advice.

This is a bad, bad, BAD, TERRIBLE, idea.

don't do it

Thanks everyone for quick caution regarding eBay or Craigslist purchases.

Let me reword the question:

Basically I would like to purchase the phone and have to go through any domestic activation/unlocking procedures.

I want to take it overseas, open the box and insert a SIM card and be able to use it.

Are my only options a T-Mobile version or device-only AT&T and Verizon?

Does any one of those require a US activation prior to use overseas?

Many thanks,

Sinan

The only truly "unlocked" iPhone sold in the U.S. is the one being sold for T-Mobile. The SIM slot on the Verizon phone is unlocked, but the Verizon phone is not advertised or sold as an unlocked device.

The T-Mobile/Unlocked phone will NOT work on LTE networks outside of the US. You will NOT get warranty coverage outside of the US. You will NOT be able to get the phone serviced by any official service provider outside of the US, even if you're willing to pay for it.

If you get an AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon phone "Device Only" from an Apple Store it should work overseas without any issue. The Verizon and AT&T "device-only" phones are not advertised as "unlocked" but they are in fact not SIM locked when you buy them from an Apple retail store at full price. The Verizon iPhone is not SIM locked in any circumstance (part of a deal they reached with the FCC for all their LTE phones). However, it is not possible to reserve a "device only" purchase using the in-store pickup option, so it might be difficult to find in a retail store right now. If you can get your hands on one, though, activating it should be as simple as putting in any valid SIM card and turning it on.

A Verizon store may or may not sell you a full-price device. Some people have reported being able to do so by signing up for a pre-paid plan that they can cancel at any time. Be advised that the T-Mobile phones sold at a T-Mobile store are locked to T-Mobile and can be unlocked only if you have service with them for 40 days. AT&T models bought at AT&T stores are locked, but you can submit a form right away to have them unlocked if you have paid full price. It requires connecting it to iTunes and restoring the phone, though.

There's no easy way to tell if a phone is "device only." I'd suggest asking for a receipt (which is a general eBay precaution, anyway). Also, it isn't obvious from the box whether it's a Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile model. If you get the IMEI you may be able to look it up on some websites. The Verizon box will display an ESN as well as the IMEI (but so will a Sprint phone, and those are locked).

Contrary to what others have reported, you may be able to get LTE outside of North America. The US model lacks Band 7 (2600MHz), which is what a lot of European carriers are using, but other European carriers (e.g. EE in the UK) use some of the bands that the US model supports. It's a vastly different situation with the 5s and 5c as it was last year with the 5. The phones support a lot more bands than they used to. The Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile phones are virtually identical, except that the CDMA radio is disabled in the AT&T and T-Mobile versions. Look up the A1533 model's LTE bands here: http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/. This site is pretty good for looking up which bands are supported by each carrier in countries where LTE has been deployed. http://ltemaps.org/home/

Apple is rumored to be considering expanding warranty coverage to be global, or at least available in more countries, but for now warranty support would be available only in the US.

Thank you for your messages.

So I got a AT&T device-only phone from Apple Store this morning.

Apparently, there might be an Apple iTunes unlocking procedure associated with the device.

Does AT&T have to get involved at all or is it strictly an iTunes procedure? Any details on that procedure?

I have tried to find information online, but everything seems to be about older iPhone models.

akuska, did you have to go through something like that or did you simply plug the new sim card in?

Any information is appreciated as if I have to get involved with AT&T, I 'd rather do it when I am in the States before I leave for abroad.

Thanks everyone.