Global (CDMA) and GSM are two different communication technology. Which Global (CDMA) is mainly used in Russia and USA, and GSM is more common globally. This article is about How to Tell If Your iPhone is Global or GSM.
However, GSM is a technology that is preferred by people, that’s why many devices are GSM.
Here in this article, you will know the difference between Global and GSM, you’ll know how to check whether your iPhone is GSM or Global. At last, you’ll get a table listing your iPhone to tell if your iPhone is Global or GSM.
Let’s begin…
Table of Contents
Global (CDMA) vs GSM: The Key Difference
#1. Global (CDMA)
Firstly, Global or CDMA is mainly used in the United States and Russia. That’s because of World War-2, during that period this technology was developed to communicate without axis force jamming or interfering in connection.
From that time onwards Global (CDMA) devices have evolved a lot, but today they have some major issues.
Like, Global or CDMA devices doesn’t use Sim card, they are tied to a specific network. That’s why it makes switching networks hard.
After the spread of LTE, GSM is accepted and there are chances that your device is of GSM.
#2. GSM
Of course, GSM is a popular network type worldwide, which is commonly used in smartphones. Although there is;t much difference in both the network but with GSM you can switch networks easily.
That’s why comparatively GSM is good than the CDMA network type.
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Want To Know How to Tell if Your iPhone is Global or GSM?
To know if your iPhone is Global or GSM, you need first to find out its model number, which can be found in the phone’s settings. Once you know the model number you can compare it from the below table.
Finding Model Number is easy, just navigate like this –
Open Phone Settings > General > About > Scroll Down to See Model Number.
On the other hand, Another easy method to find a Model Number is to – go to Settings > search About > See the Model Number.
In some iPhones, you also need to tap once on a model number to know it, then compare it with the below ones.
Note down this number and compare the number with the following table to find out your iPhone’s network type.
Table: Gloabal (CDMA) & GSM
Note – After iPhone X Series, iPhones are compatible with all the U.S Carriers.
| iPhone | GSM | CDMA (Global) |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 5s | Model A1533 | Model A1453 |
| iPhone 6 | A1549, A1589 | A1549, A1586 |
| iPhone 6 Plus | A1522, A1593 | A1522, A1524 |
| iPhone 6S Plus | Model A1634, Model A1687, Model A1699, Model A1690 | Model A1687 |
| iPhone 7 | Model A1660, Model A1778, Model A1780 | Model A1660, Model A1779 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | Model A1661, Model A1784, Model A1786 | Model A1661, Model A1785 |
| iPhone 8 | Model A1863, Model A1905, Model A1906, Model A1897 | Model A1863 |
| iPhone 8 Plus | Model A1864, Model A1898 | Model A1864 |
| iPhone X | Model A1865, Model A1901, Model A1902 | Model A1865 |
| iPhone 11 | These Models Support Both GSM & CDMA | – |
| iPhone 12 | These Models Support Both GSM & CDMA | – |
| iPhone 13 | These Models Support Both GSM & CDMA | – |
I hope you find the article helpful, thanks for reading!
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