Differences between iPhone 6 Models (A1549, A1586, A1589, A1522, A1524 and A1593)

Comments

1. Mike says

   Jul 1, 2015 at 4:38 pm

   1524 (cdma) vs 1524 ( GSM ) what’s the difference in these? And which would work better on straighttalk under verizon.

2. azlam says

   Jul 9, 2015 at 3:09 pm

   Sir . I have few doubts about iphone 6 t mobile models and sim free models…and i also need a clear information regarding whether buying an iphone6 in zain or Batelco (bahrain) could be used in india? Whether it is compatible with indian sim cards ?

3. azlam says

   Jul 9, 2015 at 3:11 pm

   Buying an simfree iphone6 in bahrain can be used in india?

4. Brian says

   Jul 11, 2015 at 9:26 am

   Hello Tuan
   I am in the US, and I bought an A1524 iphone 6plus from the Apple Store, Unlocked. They gave me a Sim Card. They told me to go to AT&T Store to get it activated. The guy at AT&T told me that I need a Sim Card. He gave me one free. Told me that the one that the Apple Store is useless. Am I being taken for a ride here? Who is BS-ing me here?

5. Jexsquad says

   Jul 12, 2015 at 6:10 am

   I’m presently in China and i wanted to buy the iPhone 6 plus and i realized that the iPhone 6 Plus made in Hong Kong is more expensive than the iPhone 6 Plus made in the US, i don’t really know why.

6. Anne says

   Jul 13, 2015 at 4:14 pm

   Hi Tuan, thanks for the informative article. I would like to by the A1524 (Unlocked, SIM-Free) which I know is available on Apple.com. Where I see the model sold on Ebay as ‘fully unlocked’ and ‘will work on any network’, I do not see CDMA listed as a frequency– only GSM/EDGE. Is it a bad idea to by the model from Ebay? If so, perhaps because they pre-date the ones sold currently on Apple.com? Thank you.

7. Ashish says

   Jul 14, 2015 at 6:21 am

   I am in india bombay want to use iphone 6 plus cdma model no. A-1549 CDMA on reliance network. I will be importing it from us will it work in india. At What price i can get it.

8. Rukhs says

   Jul 19, 2015 at 2:04 am

   Hey tuan,
   need your help desperately.I purchased iPhone 6+ A1524 from Saudi Arabia ,now I wil be traveling to India as I have shifted there forever. So wil I be suffering any network problem there.please reply asap.its really urgent

9. Antonio says

   Jul 19, 2015 at 5:05 pm

   Hi. If I buy an Iphone 6 “SIM free” from de Apple Store in the U.S.A. it will work on any carrier worldwide? (I use Claro from Argentina). Thank you!

10. amir says

    Jul 19, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    my iphone 6 part naumber is AA/A.do you know this part naumber for which country? pls hlp

11. Oli says

    Aug 1, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    FYI – I bought a A1586 model iPhone 6 in Saudi Arabia and it does not seem to work in China (No bars, then when it briefly gets one it goes to “No Service”. Chiefly been testing with China Unicom. As far as I can establish, the phone was nominally sold in the US to Apple International Distribution (Ireland) who modified it for sale in the Middle East (Hence Arabic on sticker on box, “AE” in Part Number designation). I understand it is unlocked. That the problem is that the carriers here likely choose not to support it.
    [It does not have Facetime… which is I believe a requirement in Saudi Arabia, and also something you cannot use in China]
    (I’ll try and remember to post back here if I solve the issue)

12. Oli says

    Aug 6, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    I learned some more:
    Firstly, it is not China Unicom that we cannot get the phone to work with but China Telecom.
    (I am not yet convinced that it does not work with China Mobile or China Unicom).
    Secondly, it does look like an incompatibility – and the key learning is that you cannot rely on the model number “A1586” alone to identify a phone that will work on all Chinese networks.
    I suspect the Part Number would be more useful but this doesn’t seem documented on the web. There also appear to be GSM and CDMA variants of the A1586 where the difference is that the CDMA version includes all the GSM frequencies but also contains CDMA support. I don’t know how to differentiate whether a phone is GSM or CDMA other than that supplied by a operator who have a CDMA network.
    The Part Number does include the two letter region designation “AE” which I believe pertains to Middle East versions of the iPhone 6.
    The difference in spec of the Chinese A1586 and the AE A1586 can be seen by comparing these two pages:
    http://www.apple.com/cn/iphone-6/specs/
    http://www.apple.com/ae/iphone-6/specs/
    This comparison shows:
    (a) AE market has both GSM and CDMA versions while China has only the CDMA variant
    (b) All three variants of A1586 support the same bands for TD-SCDMA, GSM/EDGE, FDD-LTE, TD-LTE
    (c) The China A1586 supports UMTS(WCDMA) while the AE versions support just UMTS.
    (d) The China A1586 supports CDMA-EV-DO Rev.A only, while the AE CDMA A1586 also supports CDMA-EV-DO Rev.B
    (e) I don’t know why Facetime is listed in these specs when I believe it is not available in Saudi Arabia and China… perhaps that is a further level of model variation.

    I am not yet certain which of these differences is causing the problem. It is possible that this particular area is not served by China Telecom with the TD-LTE technology and so the phone needs to be able to fall back to UMTS(WCDMA). If that is the case then the phone might work in other places with TD-LTE coverage.

    Now the Apple page which initially misled me into buying the A1586 for the China Market was:
    http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/
    This page does not make it clear that the A1586 varies between markets. Nor does it make clear how to differentiate CDMA from GSM variants. (If anyone figures the latter out then please post it).

    If you dig deeper at Apple you can find these pages which contain a comment on the usability of phones brought abroad with the Chinese carriers:
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202909 (China Mobile)
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204430 (China Unicom)
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204442 (China Telecom)

    Those three links indicate:
    Any unlocked A1586 is compatible with China Mobile 4G.
    Less strongly worded, but the same seems true for China Unicom so long as the “proper” SIM card is used.
    For China Telecom the rider has been added “Only unlocked models purchased in the United States, China, or Japan will work with China Telecom’s SIM card.”
    That seems to be the critical sentence for me… at least as far as 4G LTE coverage is concerned. I remain a bit surprised that the phone can’t fall back to an older technology to still give some service. Perhaps it is possible to buy a 2G or 3G SIM that might work.

    The huge amount of FUD and confusion involved in determining whether a phone from one market or seller can be used elsewhere is likely something that is in the interests of the carriers who would prefer we buy the phones from them. This increases my negative love for the carriers who do not seem to be customer oriented.

13. Martin Lago says

    Aug 8, 2015 at 2:04 am

    Buenas noches, vivo en Argentina y quisiera comprar un iphone 6 de 64gb. Que modelo es el adecuado para el uso en el país y países limítrofes? Gracias

14. Allen says

    Aug 9, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    Hi . My name is allen and i live in canada. I will be going to Macau (china) this septembre. I wanted to buy an iphone 6plus in canada and to give it to my fiance as a gift but im not sure what model to buy here. Could you recommend me something ? Please and thank you for you help.

15. Larry says

    Aug 10, 2015 at 9:08 am

    I bought an A1586 at the duty free in Australia. I gave it to my daughter and we went to a US AT&T store. They installed a sim and the phone worked fine. However it was not finding the AT&T LTE network in Atlanta. They looked at the model number and told me that the Australian phones won’t work on AT&T. If I am ready this blog correctly it should work fine. Can you confirm this before I head back to the AT&T store.

    Great column. Thank you.

16. Kaiqi says

    Aug 11, 2015 at 12:40 am

    Could anyone help my situation?
    I am currently using an A1589, the China Mobile version. I will go to U.S for college. I want to know that can I use T-Mobile’s network on my phone? Thank you!

17. Oli says

    Aug 21, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Allen.

    I think my problem with China Telecom and the A1586 is that the particular A1586 I got does not support CDMA.

    Looking at the Wikipedia entry for Macao – the info looks like it may be stale but talks about Macao going to all CDMA with China Telecom as a prominent and probably lead CDMA carrier. So I think you should be aiming to get the iPhone 6Plus equivalent A1586 with CDMA support.

    Looking at what must be the Canadian specs: http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone-6/specs/
    The A1524 is the iPhone 6plus equivalent to the A1586 iPhone I have.
    Also, that model only seems to come with CDMA in Canada… so my guess is that if you buy one from an official seller (Apple Store may be safest to make sure it is unlocked and not a grey import) then it will probably work in Macao…. but I can’t promise anything.

18. Jen says

    Sep 6, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    Hi I’m from england currently living in the us I am most often between us and england sometimes france I am looking to buy an iPhone 6 here in the us that will work in england which model will I need?

19. Pam says

    Sep 9, 2015 at 2:57 am

    Hi there, i have an iphone 6 plus model A1524. I am in Botswana and i cannot access internet. i am using a 4G nano sim. what could be the problem?

20. Pam says

    Sep 9, 2015 at 2:59 am

    hi, i have an iphone 6 plus A1524 and i cant access internet. what could be the problem? i am in botswana and i am using the 4G LTE nano sim

21. steve says

    Sep 11, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Hi, I’m on holiday in florida and was going to pick up a new unlocked iphone6s while there as its about $120 cheaper than in the UK. Ive ben told the 4G signal and other parts of the phone will not work in the UK. Is this true? Im currently on Vodafone in the UK.
    thanks in advance

    • Tuan Do says

      Sep 11, 2015 at 8:00 am

      Can you move your comment to iPhone 6S thread? This is for the iPhone 6.
      Thanks

22. steve says

    Sep 11, 2015 at 8:13 am

    sorry, will do

23. Minksy says

    Sep 15, 2015 at 3:22 am

    Hi, I am thinking about buying an iPhone 6 in Trinidad and Tobago in October this year 2015. Could you advise on the unlocked/sim free model I should purchase. I intend to use it in the United Kingdom on the 3network. Please can you advise.

24. Tamara says

    Sep 18, 2015 at 1:45 am

    Hello tuan!

    Would much appreciate your help on this since apple and every sund carrier in the U.S didn’t know how to help me. I got an iPhone 6 A1586 as a gift purchased from Jordan ( mide east) it rejects every SIM card from every carrier and no one is able to unlock it for me, from your article it seems like the best and most valuable iPhone model, but I don’t know what to do with it ! I’m hoping you might know what to recommend in my situation.

    Thank you so much!!

    Tamara

25. Shaun fernandes says

    Sep 18, 2015 at 10:04 am

    Hi tuan,
    I’m planning to buy the 6s and the 6s+ from America.
    And I’m planning to buy the verizon version off contract.
    Will it work in india? Or does it have to be jailbreaked?

26. Adrian says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 12:06 am

    Hi Tuan,

    Silly question here and probably discussed already: Would an unlocked Verizon iPhone 6/6 Plus work in Japan?

    Thanks,

    Adrian

27. SANDEEP PAUL says

    Sep 28, 2015 at 6:42 am

    Hello..I am a cdma-gsm user…i wanna know wether iphone 6 plus A1524 is a single sim based phone aur dual sim based…coz i am in a need of cdma-gsm dual smartphone… and unlocked iphone 6 plus A1524 cdma will work in India or not ?

28. Neisha says

    Sep 28, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    Hi Tuan,

    I live in Trinidad and Tobago. Which of the iPhone 6 models should I get?

    Thank you.

29. albert says

    Sep 29, 2015 at 9:06 am

    High Tuan,

    My name i albert
    I Just some some questions for you
    1.Im here in japan, cellphones in japan dpn’t use zim card.If i by iphone in japan and request for enabling of zim card, Can i use the iphone when I return to philippines using globe or smart sim cards.
    thank you

30. albert says

    Sep 29, 2015 at 9:09 am

    Hiigh Tuan Do,

    I’m Albert.
    If I by iphone6 here and japan and enable the its sim card. Can I use it when i return to philippines using smart or globe zim cards.

    thanks

31. Amaan says

    Oct 9, 2015 at 11:21 am

    Hi I am in china an iam going to buy a new 6s but I have questions will it work on Indian sim

32. Sammy says

    Oct 21, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Is the Verizon unlock iPhone 6s Plus the best iPhone. For any country to use. ?

33. Sammy says

    Oct 21, 2015 at 11:12 am

    Please help me. Wish is better the Verizon unlock or the AT&T unlock I need to know which one to buy that wen I travel can be able to use it with any carrier . Please thank you tuan.

34. chris says

    Oct 23, 2015 at 9:36 am

    Hi. Can you advise me if an unlocked iphone6 model a1549 will work on the 3 network in Ireland

35. Chetan says

    Oct 26, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    I ordered a factory unlocked A1586 in the USA. The phone I have received contains model number NG492LL/A which is different from what it is described to be usually i.e. MG492LL/A. What is the difference between M and N. So far I have asked Sprint to unlock the phone but I am curious to find what does N stand for since that model number is something unusual, it seems. Any help would be appreciated. I want to use this phone in US as well as India.

36. Mauricio says

    Oct 29, 2015 at 10:00 am

    i would like to know if A1524 works in Colombia with a Movistar Operator

37. Eric says

    Nov 8, 2015 at 1:54 am

    Hi, I live in New York and have a locked Verizon iPhone 6+ ( MGCM2LL/A). I plan to travel in Hong Kong in a week . Can I use this iPhone in Hong Kong by simply switching the sim card after the iPhone were got to unlock. I am worry about this because my previous unlocked AT&T iPhone 4S bought in States could not be used in Hong Kong. Thanks in advance.

38. Erica says

    Nov 14, 2015 at 1:19 am

    I live in the US and I’m buying an iphone 6+ and bringing it to China. My concern is that if I buy the wrong model, it will not be compatible with China’s phone services. Which model should I buy that would let me use 3G, 4G or LTE with China Mobile?

39. Lyndon says

    Nov 16, 2015 at 8:46 am

    Hello.
    I bought an Iphone 6S model number A1688, MPN:MKQJ2ZP/A off a seller on Amazon UK.
    Seems this is a Hong Kong version, i didn’t know this at the time.
    Will it work in the UK?my carrier is o2.
    Will i have any problems with Apple warranty?
    Thanks in advance.

40. Sany says

    Nov 24, 2015 at 7:31 am

    Hello,i liv in Germany , have Smartphone A1586 MG492CH/A.My PC (win7) don’t recognize my phone(no access with pc) and it won’t work with any software (iTunes,Phone explorer,Pc Suite etc…).With my phone I can’t make photo or download something because ”The phone storage does not have enough space”…However there is 63 Gb a free space…Any suggestion for fixing problem?Thank you

    • Sany says

      Dec 23, 2015 at 5:41 am

      I tried to reset phone but nothing…Maybe this phone have not enough storage space to do anything except a phone call??