Will an iPhone X purchased in Thailand work in the US?

[beansbaxter]

I am currently traveling in Thailand, and I finally saw an iPhone X at the local mobile carrier.

If I buy an iPhone X in Thailand, will this phone work when I come back to the US?

I would use the phone while traveling in Asia, but I'm somewhat hesitant to purchase if I cannot use the phone once I'm back in America.

If it matters, I have Verizon in the US.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jtwlbz]

I think only verizon and sprint uses cdma everywhere else is gsm. If i am true the phone will not work.

 

[dave006]

It depends on the model you purchase in Thailand. First it needs to be one capable of GSM and CDMA in order to support Verizon when you get back to the states.

This narrow it down to Model A1865 which would work in Asia and on Verizon here in the states. You will also want to make sure that it is "Unlocked" so that you can use different nano-SIM as you travel and allow you to put a Verizon nano-SIM in when you get back to the states.

Dave

 

[lordhamster]

Any iPhone you buy in Thailand will work perfectly on AT&T and T-Mobile and any MVNO that operates on their networks. However, you may have trouble with Sprint or Verizon if they are selling the A1901 model in Thailand. Only the A1865 has the requisite band coverage to support Sprint and Verizon’s primitive legacy networks.

 

[old-wiz]

And make sure you have a real iPhone, not a knockoff.

 

[beansbaxter]

Thank you for the model number clarification. That helps me out so now I know what to look for before I purchase.

 

[Vermifuge]

Thank you for the model number clarification. That helps me out so now I know what to look for before I purchase.

Thailand hasn't had a CDMA network in 5 years so that model probably isnt even available there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CDMA2000_networks

 

[beansbaxter]

I checked and the phone is model A1901

The iPhone X 256GB Unlocked is 47,000 Baht ($1440 USD)

 

[Vermifuge]

I checked and the phone is model A1901

The iPhone X 256GB Unlocked is 47,000 Baht ($1440 USD)

That's what i suspected. Thailand doesn't have CDMA2000 so there's no reason for them to sell the A1865. The A1901 won't work on CDMA networks. At least it wont work in non 4g areas... if you are in an area that falls back onto CDMA you won't be able to use your phone. Some people have reported being able to use this model in major cities ETC... personally I wouldn't risk it.

The A1865 can be bought in the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, Hong Kong and China. maybe make a stop in Hong Kong or China?

 

[barkomatic]

Don’t do it. The supply situation in the U.S. vastly improved this week.

 

[beansbaxter]

The A1865 can be bought in the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, Hong Kong and China.

Good to know, as I will be traveling to these countries. Thanks!

 

[Nermal]

It's also available in India, Macau and NZ. I have no idea which is the cheapest.