Technically true. But it depends on Where it was purchased. All iPhone purchased on Apple Store or apple.com full price are unlocked. If I remember correctly buying the att model directly at the att store outright is still locked to the carrier and you have to request to unlock it. Not sure if that is the case these days.
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iPhone 8 sim-free - is it A1863 or A1905?
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I purchased an unlocked iPhone 7 from Best Buy last year. I was on AT&T but wanted the ability to switch to Verizon later if I desired thus I wanted a phone with the QUALCOMM modem . Unfortunately AT&T locks all phones, even fully paid for ones, immediately (didn't know). After porting the number and no longer an AT&T customer I found out that I had a locked phone .
Probably next year the Intel modem will do CDMA I have used a sim free iPhone with Qualcomm in past.
The Qualcomm modem was exclusively used for all iPhones until last year. It works with all carriers. Intel has CDMA modem now and will probably be in iPhones next year. Especially since Apple fight with Qualcomm and probably get better pricing with Intel.
Some people say Qualcomm works better than Intel on GSM
The Qualcomm modem out-performs intels modem in several objective measures. I wouldn’t be surprised if the SIM free and Verizon iPhone gives you better performance on GSM networks than the AT&T and TMo phones do.
EDIT: Looks like a couple people already beat me to it.
If they are locked then how is if "fake." It is the case if you pay full price for a phone from TMob it remains locked for 40 days after which you can request an unlock.
Correct
Bestbuy unlocked phones were locked when an Att&T SIM added. Best Buy knew this but didn't say
[doublepost=1505500827][/doublepost]Correct
Bestbuy unlocked phones were locked when an Att&T SIM added. Best Buy knew this but didn't say
You posted that all iPhones other than Verizon and Sim-free are locked. This is simply false. Do research or find the correct answer from someone else before posting.
As many have said, if you purchased an iPhone 7/7+ from Apple for either AT&T or T-Mobile and paid full price, your iPhone was GSM unlocked. I'm speaking from personal experience. I don't believe this was the case for the 6s/6s+ with AT&T. I pre-ordered the T-Mobile 6s version from Apple to be sure I got a GSM unlocked iPhone...and it was unlocked.
If you buy directly from AT&T or T-Mobile and pay full price, they will likely still screw you and lock the device to their carrier.
If you buy directly from AT&T or T-Mobile and pay full price, they will likely still screw you and lock the device to their carrier.
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Wags: Thanks for the help!!
[doublepost=1505506112][/doublepost]
BeeGood: Thank you for the response, very helpful!!
I think you should follow your own advice
I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that maybe Apple changed its unlock policy. So I went over to the online Apple Store and posed the question in chat. Sorry, guy, but official Apple policy still mirrors that of the cellco the phone is for. If you pay full boat for an ATT or TMob phone it's going to come locked. If it doesn't you got lucky. Both ATT and TMob requires you to request an unlock no matter how you paid for it.So stop spreading misinformation yourself maybe?
Link to Screenshot of my chat
If you think I faked that then go have a chat at Apple yourself.
They can't deny the unlock request though. correct ?I think you should follow your own advice
So stop spreading misinformation yourself maybe?
Link to Screenshot of my chat
If you think I faked that then go have a chat at Apple yourself.
OP, the SIM-free version is A1863 / A1864. I was pleasantly surprised to see the SIM-free version available for pre-order and I bought one. The Qualcomm part is far-and-away better than the Intel part, in reception, signal quality and power consumption. That's the part in A1863 / A1864, and the A1863 / A1864 is the phone to own. A1905 / A1897 are inferior in every way, just like the Intel iPhone 7 / 7+ parts.
Here is the test data for Intel vs Qualcomm that was done on iPhone 7, basically the Intel part is iPhone 7 MINUS. And the Intel iPhone 8 is iPhone 8 MINUS. Don't get one of those.
http://cellularinsights.com/iphone7/
Here is the test data for Intel vs Qualcomm that was done on iPhone 7, basically the Intel part is iPhone 7 MINUS. And the Intel iPhone 8 is iPhone 8 MINUS. Don't get one of those.
http://cellularinsights.com/iphone7/
I think you should follow your own advice
So stop spreading misinformation yourself maybe?
Link to Screenshot of my chat
If you think I faked that then go have a chat at Apple yourself.
Checkmate. Game over man, game over. LULZ
Nope. And I said as much in my original post on this subject. ATT will unlock immediately on request, TMob after 40 days. Don't know Sprint's policy but sure it's similar to the others. Only VZW comes factory unlocked as a result of an agreement between VZW and the FCC to get beneficial frequencies.
[doublepost=1505569751][/doublepost]
Thanks for that. So there is it is. VZW and Sprint come unlocked. ATT on request, TMob after 40 days.
[doublepost=1505569898][/doublepost]
Well then Apple needs to get its story straight. Go harass them. I'm just repeating what Apple's policy has been in the past and was verified by them via chat. LULZ.
Then the chat people don't know what they're talking about. iPhones purchased full price or through the Apple iPhone Upgrade Program directly from Apple come unlocked.
I ordered the sim free from the apple site and I believe it should be the A1863 model according to this site...
https://www.techwalls.com/iphone-8-plus-model-number-differences/
You don't want any other model as this is the only one that is CDMA or GSM...
Sim Free, Verizon and Sprint should be the same model...If it's not the A1863 I will return it...
https://www.techwalls.com/iphone-8-plus-model-number-differences/
You don't want any other model as this is the only one that is CDMA or GSM...
Sim Free, Verizon and Sprint should be the same model...If it's not the A1863 I will return it...
Sprint and Verizon model is the one you want. Not only does it likely have the Qualcomm modem but it'll have CDMA bands as well as GSM.
The AT&T and T-Mobile might come unlocked if you buy them out right but they'll still only have GSM and the Intel modem.
Edit: Already recommend the Verizon one as it's unlocked anyways due to the FCC ruling where LTE devices have to be unlocked.
The AT&T and T-Mobile might come unlocked if you buy them out right but they'll still only have GSM and the Intel modem.
Edit: Already recommend the Verizon one as it's unlocked anyways due to the FCC ruling where LTE devices have to be unlocked.
since both models support the same lte bands why do they list different country support?
since both models support the same lte bands why do they list different country support?
Maybe in those countries it's a bit different as to which to buy
There sure is a lot of confusion about all of this, as there usually is every year.
I'm still not entirely clear what the circumstances are for someone buying an iPhone through the iPhone Upgrade Program through Apple.com. The FAQ on their website clearly says that iPhones purchased through the iUP are UNLOCKED. But that doesn't mean you are getting the version with the Qualcomm model. When you order through the iUP, you are still asked for carrier info, so if you are on AT&T, then you are getting the AT&T version with the Intel modem. It's still unlocked, so you can use it on other GSM carriers, which is what I plan to do.
I ordered my iPhone 8 Plus with iUP using my AT&T account info, and then I plan on using it with a local GSM carrier (iWireless, which has it's own regional towers and uses T-Mobile when traveling). I'm entirely clear on whether the phone will lock to AT&T when activated on the carrier (which I assume you have to do when you first get the phone in order for it to work), but AT&T would have to unlock it upon request anyway, so I'm not worried. I'd like to just activate it with my other GSM carrier right away when I get it, but I assume I'll have to activate it on my AT&T line first?
At any rate, iUP customers get an UNLOCKED phone, but not necessary the Qualcomm version, which is solely dependent on your carrier info at the time of purchase. HOWEVER, there is a statement on the iUP website in fine print that says "AT&T and T-Mobile customers may need to visit an Apple Store to switch carriers. See a Specialist for details." I wonder if that means if you switch from a GSM carrier to a CDMA carrier like Verizon that they will swap out your phone with the correct model if you are on the iUP program? Very interesting.
https://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program
I'm still not entirely clear what the circumstances are for someone buying an iPhone through the iPhone Upgrade Program through Apple.com. The FAQ on their website clearly says that iPhones purchased through the iUP are UNLOCKED. But that doesn't mean you are getting the version with the Qualcomm model. When you order through the iUP, you are still asked for carrier info, so if you are on AT&T, then you are getting the AT&T version with the Intel modem. It's still unlocked, so you can use it on other GSM carriers, which is what I plan to do.
I ordered my iPhone 8 Plus with iUP using my AT&T account info, and then I plan on using it with a local GSM carrier (iWireless, which has it's own regional towers and uses T-Mobile when traveling). I'm entirely clear on whether the phone will lock to AT&T when activated on the carrier (which I assume you have to do when you first get the phone in order for it to work), but AT&T would have to unlock it upon request anyway, so I'm not worried. I'd like to just activate it with my other GSM carrier right away when I get it, but I assume I'll have to activate it on my AT&T line first?
At any rate, iUP customers get an UNLOCKED phone, but not necessary the Qualcomm version, which is solely dependent on your carrier info at the time of purchase. HOWEVER, there is a statement on the iUP website in fine print that says "AT&T and T-Mobile customers may need to visit an Apple Store to switch carriers. See a Specialist for details." I wonder if that means if you switch from a GSM carrier to a CDMA carrier like Verizon that they will swap out your phone with the correct model if you are on the iUP program? Very interesting.
https://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program
I wonder if someone could take a second to explain this to me ... just trying to wrap my head around this. Let's say someone is a T-Mobile customer, owns their phone, and is interested in the iPhone 8 -- when shopping on Apple.com, for what reason would they select "T-Mobile" as their carrier, as opposed to simply selecting the SIM-free version, then transplanting their existing SIM upon receipt of the phone? What am I missing?