iPhone case 'not for Verizon'?

June 12, 2011 3:52 PM

What does 'not for Verizon' mean in reference to an iPhone 4 case?

I live in Chile and have an iPhone 4. I'm thinking of getting a case via Amazon, but it says "(not for Verizon)". What does this mean? Are there different iPhone 4 form factors? There's no Verizon in Chile, so I have no context for this.

posted by signal to technology (9 answers total)

iPhones in the United States were exclusively carried by AT&T up until this year. I believe the iPhone model for Verizon (another cellular carrier in the US) are slightly different models, so the cases wouldn't match up correctly.
posted by xingcat at 3:57 PM on June 12, 2011

The volume buttons are in slightly different places on the Verizon/CDMA version of the iPhone 4. You shouldn't have to worry about this, I assume that Chile's provider has a GSM network like AT&T.
posted by jeffkramer at 3:57 PM on June 12, 2011

The Verizon and ATT iphones have slightly different locations for the mute ringer switch and volume buttons, which matters if the case is tightly fitted. For your GSM iphone, get the case that fits an "AT&T" iphone.
posted by jamaro at 3:58 PM on June 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Here's an article on some of the differences.
posted by xingcat at 3:58 PM on June 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the answers. The phone's back says:

Model A1332 EMC 380A FCC

So I should get an AT&T-compatible case?
posted by signal at 5:14 PM on June 12, 2011

Yes, model A1332 is the GSM version.
posted by hattifattener at 5:29 PM on June 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

You may also like this comparison which ascribes the slight difference in button placement to the different antennas for GSM vs CDMA.
posted by hattifattener at 5:34 PM on June 12, 2011

Cases that are made for the Verizon iPhone are also shaped to fit the normal GSM iPhone, and any case designed since the Verizon phone came out fits both.
posted by thebestsophist at 11:55 PM on June 12, 2011

I have a Verizon iPhone with an AT&T-style OtterBox. No problem. The little muting switch is slightly obscured by the case but still totally functional.
posted by radioamy at 10:49 AM on June 13, 2011