What’s the difference between the AT&T iPhone and the Verizon iPhone?
Thursday, January 27th, 2011A lot of people were excited when Verizon announced two weeks ago that it would be getting the iPhone. With AT&T’s less than stellar service (dropped calls, spotty 3G connectivity), we can completely understand why people would want to switch to Verizon.
Before anyone rushes to change their plan to Verizon OR wants to get their first iPhone with Verizon, here are a few things you should all be aware of…
The AT&T iPhone is a UMTS/GSM device, whereas the Verizon iPhone is a CDMA device.
One of the best features of the iPhone is that you can browse the web, send email, etc. while you’re on a phone call — only if you are on the AT&T UMTS/GSM version of the iPhone. Verizon’s CDMA iPhone is unable to carry voice and data simultaneously.
Although GSM and UMTS is used worldwide and make them ideal for international use, UMTS devices are more susceptible to dropped calls. CDMA devices, like Verizon’s, will in general drop less calls but it can’t use a SIM card which makes it difficult to switch devices.
It seems that most people agree that AT&T has the faster 3G network, so this is a big advantage when you’re trying to upload / download data.
