iPhone XR An American iPhone XR in Europe

[Ketsjap]

iPhones are expensive things. However, in Europe, they are even more expensive than in the USA. Is buying an iPhone in the US, to use it in Europe, a good idea?

The US iPhone XR (model A1984) has one LTE-band missing (number 28), that the European model (A2105) has. All other bands, about twenty in total, are present in both devices.

Does this really matter, I'm asking myself. Anyone who knows?

 

[KrisLord]

iPhones are expensive things. However, in Europe, they are even more expensive than in the USA. Is buying an iPhone in the US, to use it in Europe, a good idea?

The US iPhone XR (model A1984) has one LTE-band missing (number 28), that the European model (A2105) has. All other bands, about twenty in total, are present in both devices.

Does this really matter, I'm asking myself. Anyone who knows?

Where in Europe?

This suggests 28 is used in France.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_frequency_bands

 

[Ketsjap]

Belgium.

Would this render the phone completely useless in France?

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Not entirely useless, but the adoption of Band 28 worldwide (in the countries that use it, of course) is still small but gradually increasing.

This means you won't get LTE in some areas (only 3G) where it is the only band. I have no info on this (and didn't do any research) but I'd imagine that this should absolutely not be an issue in the largest metro areas. There is a wide spectrum of LTE bands under use, and Band 28 is far from being the main one.

It'll be an issue in a few years (by which time your iPhone XR will be obsolete) but right now it absolutely isn't.

 

[Ketsjap]

Thanks for the input!

Some Googling tells me the same story. B28 is used in France, like KrisLord says, but mainly by one telco (Free) and even then only 1.700 of its 27.000 antennas use that band.

In Belgium none does.

So I don't really think it'll be a problem. I hope

 

[Alaska99801]

It wont be a problem.

 

[westislander]

I've connected to LTE while in France (sorry I don't remember which carrier) with my iPhone 8 Plus that I purchased in Canada. It's the same model sold in the US for use on AT&T and T-Mobile networks (Non CDMA - Non Verizon version). You should be fine.