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Carrier Which iPad Air Cellular Version?

C

captjoe06

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 4, 2010
34
7
I'm very confused by the whole T-Mobile thing.

Is one version between the Sprint, T Mobile, At&T or Verizon iPad Air more desirable for resale down the road or give you more options to pick and choose between carriers?

I plan to only use the cellular for the 5 winter months when I go away on vacation and plan to use it in the event of spotty wifi access on the road.

The T Mobile deal sounds appealing but someone mentioned buying the Tmobile version but putting in a verizon simcard. I didn't think there was a slot on an iPad to insert a sim card.

Ugh. Totally confused. Please help.
 
Best option, buy the Verizon iPad. That will give you guaranteed access to Verizon (widest LTE coverage), and support for both AT&T and T-Mobile network via a nano SIM card swap.
 
Does the Verizon version of the iPad Air support T-Mobile LTE and AT&T LTE speeds, not just HSPA+ (Faux 4G) speeds?
 
Yes it does. I just got a Verizon model and it works flawlessly with AT&T and T-Mobile on LTE here in Phoenix, so that's the model to get.

You can get a free T-Mobile SIM card and get the free 200mb per month and when you sell it, you can mention that it works for Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T, increasing it's value.
 
Thanks, Picho! Do you know if AT&T provides free SIM cards as well? What about Sprint?
 
I'll never understand the people who walked away saying damn no Atnt model only verizon ? WTf they are all the same lol it was stupid for then to differentiate carriers it should just ask u what sim do you want when leaving the store. Maybe for sales tracking purposes on which. Carrier sold the most but when Verizon iPad air works on all the other networks it makes no difference
 
I totally agree. To make matters worse, Apple's webpage clearly states "Your iPad will work only with the carrier you choose."
 
estouest said:
I totally agree. To make matters worse, Apple's webpage clearly states "Your iPad will work only with the carrier you choose."
Click to expand...

Wish it would be more clear and say "Your iPad only works with the carrier SIM that you have installed." That way people can't complain about it not being able to buy a Sprint plan when the have a T-mobile SIM installed.
 
estouest said:
I totally agree. To make matters worse, Apple's webpage clearly states "Your iPad will work only with the carrier you choose."
Click to expand...

I even chatted with someone on Apple's website this morning and they told me I had to choose one for which carrier I want to use and that I couldn't use it on another carrier.

Now I plan to get a Verizon one, instead of AT&T.
 
isephmusic said:
WTf they are all the same lol it was stupid for then to differentiate carriers it should just ask u what sim do you want when leaving the store.
Click to expand...
A lot of folks wouldn't know what to do with a SIM card. Part of the iPad's appeal is "It just works." Having the SIM card pre-installed helps with that.

Anyone here have either AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint iPad Air and tried to install a Verizon SIM? Did it work?
 
isephmusic said:
I'll never understand the people who walked away saying damn no Atnt model only verizon ? WTf they are all the same lol
Click to expand...

Picho said:
Yes it does. I just got a Verizon model and it works flawlessly with AT&T and T-Mobile on LTE here in Phoenix, so that's the model to get.
Click to expand...

Any idea if the versus is true. Does a T-mobile iPad work on Verizon? I know this is not the case with the iPhone 5S since the CDMA LTE is turned off in all the iPhones except the VZ one.
 
sim card in verizon?

Does the verizon one even have a sim card IN IT? It's be nice if one could have the verizon model and then when one is in a AT&T better location use an AT&T card with it?
 
All iPads starting with the iPad 3 come with SIM card slots. Alas, until the iPad Air, the supported LTE bands have been different for the AT&T and Verizon versions so they weren't exactly interchangeable.

With the iPad 3/4, you can use an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card on a Verizon iPad but you will be limited to HSPA. However, you couldn't use an AT&T iPad 3/4 with Verizon SIM card.
 
air LTE on all carriers

but, with the Air now can one put an AT&T or Tmo sim into a verizon ipad and get LTE speeds on those carriers?

Can anyone confirm that the AT&T and Tmo carriers (and verizon for that matter too) still allow mobile hotpspot with an ipad ad-hoc plan?
 
tivoboy said:
Can anyone confirm that the AT&T and Tmo carriers (and verizon for that matter too) still allow mobile hotpspot with an ipad ad-hoc plan?
Click to expand...
AT&T doesn't allow Personal Hotspot on prepaid iPad (at least that was their policy when the iPad 3 was released). Verizon does. No idea about T-Mobile.
 
Last edited:
iPads aren't carrier-locked, and Apple has a single iPad model that supports all 14 of the current LTE bands their other devices support.

The only cellular iPad Air model is A1475.
 
Off topic

Does anyone know what kind of SIM card is used on the iPad Air? Nano or Micro?
 
sprint: if i understand the offer correctly (might not, honestly), its $100 off for a 2 year contract and $15/2 gigs a month data. cant beat that imo.

i should also note im a current sprint phone customer
 
rui no onna said:
AT&T doesn't allow Personal Hotspot on prepaid iPad (at least that was their policy when the iPad 3 was released). Verizon does. No idea about T-Mobile.
Click to expand...

T-Mobile 200MB free plan allows me to turn on hot spot. This is a Verizon model with a T-Mobile SIM installed after purchase.

Read in many threads here that Verizon prepaid SIMs are almost impossible to find so figured I'd get that model, since all other companies will sell/give you a SIM.
 
PBG4 Dude said:
Read in many threads here that Verizon prepaid SIMs are almost impossible to find so figured I'd get that model, since all other companies will sell/give you a SIM.
Click to expand...
Yup, it's true. You won't be able to get Verizon SIM card from corporate. Thankfully, there's ebay to the rescue. For widest compatibility, it's probably the Sprint iPad that would be most compatible.

I'm a bit concerned about CDMA fallback on Verizon though so I'd much rather get a Verizon iPad than a Sprint iPad.
 
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