Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

tl01

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jun 20, 2010
2,350
649
So if I get my kid an Xr...is there a model this year that can go from Verizon to ATT?
 
All of them you buy from Apple are unlocked and can work on any carrier if you pay for the full price version. It tells you that when you try to buy one now.
 
All of them you buy from Apple are unlocked and can work on any carrier if you pay for the full price version. It tells you that when you try to buy one now.


I think you are right. Here is the last page, and a pop-up after picking out my XR.

Weird, though because I first had to pick a carrier. XS and XS Max phones, I could select 'Buy without a carrier'.
Capture.PNG
Capture2.PNG
 
I think you are right. Here is the last page, and a pop-up after picking out my XR.

Weird, though because I first had to pick a carrier. XS and XS Max phones, I could select 'Buy without a carrier'.
View attachment 795481 View attachment 795482
Sim-Free model of the XR is not yet available yet in the U.S. Likely will be available after 1 month of it's initial launch. So I'd take it somewhere around or after thanksgiving holiday we'll expect to see the sim-free model (it would be nice to have it before though).
 
Sim-Free model of the XR is not yet available yet in the U.S. Likely will be available after 1 month of it's initial launch. So I'd take it somewhere around or after thanksgiving holiday we'll expect to see the sim-free model (it would be nice to have it before though).

What is the difference between a SIM-Free phone and a phone unlocked directly from Apple with a carrier's SIM inside?

Isn't the only difference the physical presence of a SIM, which you could easily eject? As you can see above, all XR's (and XS phones for that matter) are compatible with all major US carriers...
 
What is the difference between a SIM-Free phone and a phone unlocked directly from Apple with a carrier's SIM inside?

Isn't the only difference the physical presence of a SIM, which you could easily eject? As you can see above, all XR's (and XS phones for that matter) are compatible with all major US carriers...
Yes they are all the same. The only difference with the Sim-Free Model and the carrier model is that Sim-Free does not include the sim card when you purchase the sim-free model and they are unlocked out of the box. With the carrier models they have the sim-card in them.

Now of course if you purchase the carrier model full price directly from Apple store, and it is unlocked, and you can simply remove the sim card and insert your own.

I just prefer to buy sim-free models over carrier models.
 
I think you are right. Here is the last page, and a pop-up after picking out my XR.

Weird, though because I first had to pick a carrier. XS and XS Max phones, I could select 'Buy without a carrier'.
View attachment 795481 View attachment 795482
Yeah the only difference is when you buy it this way, you get a free sim card for the carrier you chose. Other than that, it's just an unlocked phone that will work with pretty much any sim card you already posses. There's no reason to wait for an unlocked version of the phone to go on sale.
 
Yeah the only difference is when you buy it this way, you get a free sim card for the carrier you chose. Other than that, it's just an unlocked phone that will work with pretty much any sim card you already posses. There's no reason to wait for an unlocked version of the phone to go on sale.

Nice. Thought so. Just strange that Apple is inconsistent with the way they sell the XS and XR. At least with what we can see now...
 
Nice. Thought so. Just strange that Apple is inconsistent with the way they sell the XS and XR. At least with what we can see now...
The weird thing is that they sell an unlocked version of the XS and XS Max, but if you choose the ATT version and then choose to pay for it outright, at checkout it tells you you're getting an unlocked phone with an ATT sim card. And then qualifies it further with the following message:

Compatible with AT&T, Sprint, T‑Mobile, and Verizon
Regardless of the carrier you choose, iPhone is designed to support AT&T, Sprint, T‑Mobile, and Verizon. If you choose carrier financing from AT&T or Verizon, your iPhone will be tied to your carrier.
 
In the past the sim free model had the most bands/radios/whatever, and was the only model you could buy without entering your carrier account info during checkout (besides T-Mobile).

Now all the models are the same and anyone can purchase them by selecting “activate later”.

So there is now even less of a reason to wait for the sim free model. Of course, your money, your choice.

Do the carrier models come with a sim eject tool now?
 
In the past the sim free model had the most bands/radios/whatever, and was the only model you could buy without entering your carrier account info during checkout (besides T-Mobile).

Now all the models are the same and anyone can purchase them by selecting “activate later”.

So there is now even less of a reason to wait for the sim free model. Of course, your money, your choice.

Do the carrier models come with a sim eject tool now?
I believe so. My Verizon model on iUP came with the sim eject tool.

Agreed, this years model the sim-free model is the same as carrier model so really no reason to wait, just buy now and insert your own sim card. However this was not the case for last year (8/8 Plus, X) and previous (7/7 Plus) when they did away with intel and qualcomm. Sim-Free model (at least in U.S) of the iPhone 7/7+, 8/8 Plus and X came equipped with Qualcomm chip.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gurase
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.