GSM and CDMA and iPhone 5 Model

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Level 3

838 points

GSM and CDMA and iPhone 5 Model

I am planning on switching from Verizon to T-Mobile. Verizon is getting way to expensive for me. I have an iPhone 5. The sales person was saying that I should switch to them because they are on GSM. He was saying that all the carriers are switching over to GSM. I am not sure if this is true or another sales pitch. I understand GSM has a great range and is more widely used in the rest of the world, is it catching on significantly in the U.S.?

Also, he was trying to get me to switch/buy the iPhone 5s saying that my phone is CDMA based. I got my phone from BestBuy.

I was reading somewhere that the model number on the back on the iPhone would indicate which technology was being used. I have the A1429. According to the Apple spec page (third slide), this model is both GSM and CDMA. So does it mean I can use my iPhone 5 with T-Mobile without switching to the iPhone 5s?

I don't need to buy a new phone. It's only been a year and my phone still works great. I wanted to make sure I have my facts straight without the sales person pressing me into features and hardware I don't really need.

Posted on Jan 19, 2014 10:18 PM

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Answer 1

sberman

Level 10

264,561 points

Jan 19, 2014 10:20 PM in response to Carlton Chin

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=gsm+vs.+cdma

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Answer 2

Ethmoid

Level 6

11,482 points

Jan 20, 2014 12:35 AM in response to Carlton Chin

Yes, GSM is used more widely throughout the world so yes, the sales guy was correct there. GSM has been available in the US for a long time and has been available since the launch of the very first iPhone - AT&T is a GSM carrier, but it is correct that the market is opening and more GSM carriers are coming along, such as T-Mobile, that is an iPhone carrier.

It is correct that the Verizon iPhone 5 is both a CDMA and a GSM phone, but you can only use the GSM portion of the phone when you are travelling, so international use with foreign sim cards so that you can use the phone and it will pick up a local GSM signal. Once you return to the US, then you can only use it on Verizon again and no other network in the US.

The guy was also right that if you want to switch to T-Mobile, then you will have to buy a new phone, so either an iPhone 5s or 5c, in a GSM model that will work with T-Mobile. Unfortunately, the Verizon iPhone 5 will only work with Verizon in the US on their CDMA network, so you are looking at buying a new phone.

If you want to switch, perhaps you could try and do a trade in against a new iPhone 5s or 5c on T-Mobile, or sell your current iPhone 5 privately to fund your purchase of a new 5s or 5c.

In this instance, the sales guy was correct though.

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Answer 3

Jan 20, 2014 5:59 AM in response to Carlton Chin

Carlton Chin wrote:

I was reading somewhere that the model number on the back on the iPhone would indicate which technology was being used. I have the A1429. According to the Apple spec page (third slide), this model is both GSM and CDMA. So does it mean I can use my iPhone 5 with T-Mobile without switching to the iPhone 5s?

Yes, you CAN use your Verizon iPhone 5 on TMobile. All Verizon iPhone 5 phones were sold completely unlocked. Unlike the iPhone 4, they can be used on ANY GSM carrier, not just outside of the U.S. That being said, you may not get 4G LTE service. Not sure that TMobile really has much of that anyway, though.

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Answer 4

Carlton Chin Author

Level 3

838 points

Jan 20, 2014 8:15 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

If you are saying I can use my iPhone 5 on the T-Mobile network why did the sales person say I had to upgrade to the "s" version. Also, the Apple Website says my model is both GSM and CDMA. I got my iPhone from BestBuy and not Verizon. I am assuming they only carry the A1429 so that they can activate it for any carrier on the spot. Compare to Verizon, the sales person says there should be no difference in performance with their LTE network. I'm not sure if there is a way to verify this and if they made significant upgrades to their network.

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Answer 5

KiltedTim

Level 10

196,588 points

Jan 20, 2014 8:29 AM in response to Carlton Chin

Carlton Chin wrote:

If you are saying I can use my iPhone 5 on the T-Mobile network why did the sales person say I had to upgrade to the "s" version.

Because the sales person wants to earn a commission.

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Answer 6

Jan 20, 2014 8:48 AM in response to Carlton Chin

Carlton Chin wrote:

If you are saying I can use my iPhone 5 on the T-Mobile network why did the sales person say I had to upgrade to the "s" version.

Sales people at stores owned by carriers don't earn commissions on phone sales but they do at places like Best Buy. You can get a badly informed sales person wherever you are. The sales person you spoke to was also wrong about GSM: all carriers are NOT switching to GSM. Carriers are switch to 4G LTE which is not quite the same thing.

TMobile competes on price because it can't compete on coverage with AT&T and Verizon. They've certainly gotten better. However, given how wrong the information the sales rep gave you on everything else, how much can you trust their information on coverage and performance? Check around with your friends, neighbors and coworkers who have TMobile and find out what the coverate is like for them where you are. That's going to give you a much better idea about whether the switch will work out for you.

Best of luck.

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Answer 7

Carlton Chin Author

Level 3

838 points

Jan 20, 2014 8:28 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Thanks for the advice. I have not come across someone who has T-Mobile yet. I read another article about how T-Mobile built their LTE network on high-band spectrum frequency and recently purchased low-band spectrum frequency. Even though they claim that they have the fastest LTE network, but what about coverage? I will probably drop by a different retail store to dig for more information, and perhaps experience a little less sales pressure (I hope).

It seems like most the carriers have some kind of web page that allows you to check the coverage. I was comparing Verizon and T-Mobile I'm not sure how accurate they are and whether they tweak the program that analyze the data to provide the best data in their favor. Can't seem to find a general page that will test the coverage without being attached to any of the carriers. An un-bias analysis. Perhaps there isn't one...

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Answer 8

Jan 21, 2014 5:03 AM in response to Carlton Chin

See if CNET has any recent comparisons. Consumer reports often does, though you have to pay (or go to the library). Unfortunately, there are lots of factors involved. And which carrier is best in your area may not be the one that's best in mine. I would hazard that, if you haven't run into anyone in your area with TMobile, that may tell you something. Or, it could be random. 😉

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