Difference between Verizon iPhone 5S

You can NOT use a GSM iPhone on Sprint or Verizon AT ALL. THey are CDMA carriers.

As for "I thought that the T-Mobile and AT&T unlocked phones from Apple". There is no such thing. Apple sells Unlocked iPhones (which can be used on any compatible GSM carrier), and they sell phones that are carrier locked. There is no such thing as an AT&T unlocked phone from Apple.

A phone locked to AT&T can be unlocked by AT&T. A phone locked by T-Mobile can be unlocked by T-Mobile.

When you buy a pohne for T-Moblile at an Apple store, you are purchasing an unlocked phone bundled with T-Mobile service. T-Mobile does not subsidise the price of the phone. If you buy a T-Mobile phone from T-Mobile, you are buying a locked phone. T-Mobile offers unlocking after 40 days of service or once you finish paying for it if you selected a payment plan.

KiltedTim wrote:

When you buy a pohne for T-Moblile at an Apple store, you are purchasing an unlocked phone bundled with T-Mobile service.

Actually, you are simply buying an unlocked phone with a T-Mobile SIM and no service.

You can choose to turn on T-Mobile service by signing up at Apple store or going to or calling T-Mobile.

You can skip T-Mobile completely & activate it with a different SIM on another GSM carrier.

You don't have to sign up for T-Mo service.

RichmondDan wrote:

My only point in this discussion is that if you want an unlocked phone in the US, the GSM version is much more flexible than the CDMA version. The only carriers you can't use for LTE with the GSM version are Sprint and Verizon, whereas the CDMA version can only be used for Sprint or Verizon's LTE, and no other.

Is this not true, or am I mistaken again (wouldn't be the first time...)?

A Verizon iPhone 5 or later can be used on U.S. GSM carriers. The iPhone 5 or 5C (they're basically the same phone) will not get LTE on carriers other than Verizon. The iPhone 5S will.

Honestly, if you're buying an unlocked iPhone 5S to use on GSM carriers it doesn't matter. The advantage to buying the device from Apple is that Apple doesn't really care if they sell you a phone without service. The carriers want to sell you service and have zero interest in selling a phone to someone who doesn't want to sign up for service. They won't be terribly interested in helphing you.

Thanks, Meg. What I'm trying to do is identify the most flexible unlocked iPhone 5s available in the US. From what you said, it sounds like the Verizon 5s is the most flexible because:

- I can buy the 5s from Verizon for full price up front;

- If I want to start by checking out GSM carriers, I don't even need to activate the phone on Verizon...I just pop in an AT&T or T-Mobile (or any other US GSM carrier) SIM card and activate it with that carrier. If that carrier provides LTE service, the Verizon phone will work fine with GSM LTE;

- If I don't like the GSM carrier, I can go back to Verizon and get them to activate the CDMA side and use Verizon's CDMA LTE service.

In this way, I have a phone that will work with LTE from any carrier except Sprint* (if they provide LTE service). And because the GSM side of the Verizon 5s is unlocked, I don't even need to set up an account with Verizon if I don't want to (for whatever reason). I just pop in my GSM SIM and go...

Is this correct?

* With the possible exception of KiltedKim's caveat that not every LTE frequency is available on Verizon's chip. I assume AT&T's and T-Mobile's would be, otherwise it would pretty worthless as an unlocked device.

But Meg specifically stated that it will work for LTE service on US carriers (see the last sentence in her first paragraph, above).

Meg and all the others that have posted here regarding this are correct, RajaRani is incorrect. He in also incorrect in stating the introduction of LTE has in any way changed the meaning of unlocked and the "pre-iPhone 5 days" means nothing as other models of phones had LTE prior to the iPhone.

I also don't recall many users here confirming his misinformation at the launch of the iPhone 5. There was no shortage of sources pointing out the FCC agreement Verizon had made that resulted in the GSM side of their iPhone being unlocked.

You must not have read it too well since you just said the Verizon iPhone 5 would not work on domestic GSM carriers. In fact it will just not with LTE speed.

The Verizon iPhone 5C and 5S use a different radio chip than the Verizon iPhone 5 with different LTE bands available resulting in the difference.

Yes, and that could be correct depending on the carrier.

No, you didn't quote me before. You have quoted me in this most recent post.

Meg works for a company that deals with a variety of phones and carriers. She's pretty knowledgable on all this and I generally don't question her posts.

deggie wrote:

Meg works for a company that deals with a variety of phones and carriers. She's pretty knowledgable on all this and I generally don't question her posts.

Well, sort of. 😉

However, as far as the 5S goes, I'm also going on anecdotal reports from people (people I know) who've tried AT&T SIMS in their iPhone 5S. (I also assume that wjosten would correct me if I were wrong.)

Best of luck.

RajaRani wrote:

I would wait for confirmation from wjosten rather than assuming.

Un, the refrerence to wjosten was something of an in joke, not an actual expectation of clarification.