I think you are over-reacting. Apple did not trick you and did not release a better model a month later. From a hardware standpoint, the sim-free model is the same as the Verizon/Sprint model that was released on day one. Since you stood in line and paid full price you could have gotten the unlocked Verizon model which is basically what you are calling the “better” variant.
Honestly both phones are gonna perform about the same, with the A1865 possibly holding onto reception on the fringes. I’ve had both models and the worst experience with either was actually with the Qualcomm modem, as it held onto the antenna signal with EDGE on T-Mobile while I was walking out of a parking structure. I haven’t seen EDGE on any phone for a few years now. It took a bit before it switched back to LTE even after manually switching airplane mode on and off. When I had the A1901 model in the same location never experienced that ever.
