American iPhone in Canada...
October 17, 2023 5:59 AM Subscribe
Is there any downside to using the USA model of iPhone 15 Pro Max (model A2849) in Canada in place of the Canadian model (A3105)? The difference seems to be the 5G support which I've detailed inside.
This website states that it's "the only variant equipped to support the 5G mmWave network, offering users unparalleled capacity, exceptional throughput, and minimal latency to fully harness the capabilities of 5G."
It lists the cellular bands as
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71)
TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 53)
5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n77, n78, n79)
5G NR mmWave (Bands n258, n260, n261)
Whereas the Canadian model has these bands:
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71)
TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 53)
5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79)
***
It looks like the US lacks 5G NR n75, n76 bands and adds the mmWave, which I'm not sure is of use in Canada.
I'm curious if using the American model permanently in Canada (as opposed to just travelling for a short time) has any downside.
(Note that I'm aware the US model lacks a physical sim card slot. This is not an issue for me.)
I use Telus, in case that's relevant.
Thanks!
This website states that it's "the only variant equipped to support the 5G mmWave network, offering users unparalleled capacity, exceptional throughput, and minimal latency to fully harness the capabilities of 5G."
It lists the cellular bands as
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71)
TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 53)
5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n77, n78, n79)
5G NR mmWave (Bands n258, n260, n261)
Whereas the Canadian model has these bands:
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71)
TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 53)
5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79)
***
It looks like the US lacks 5G NR n75, n76 bands and adds the mmWave, which I'm not sure is of use in Canada.
I'm curious if using the American model permanently in Canada (as opposed to just travelling for a short time) has any downside.
(Note that I'm aware the US model lacks a physical sim card slot. This is not an issue for me.)
I use Telus, in case that's relevant.
Thanks!
Best answer: This summary of Telus' RF spectrum licenses indicates that both the US and Canada iPhone 15 Pro Max models support the entirety of the bands they use.
mmWave does not appear to be supported by Telus or other Canadian carriers, and would be unlikely to provide any advantage unless you visited the US.
The four additional LTE and 5G bands that the Canadian iPhone supports appear to be present for Japanese carriers (The A3105 model is also sold in Japan), and don't appear to be used in North America.
It isn't clear to me what the advantage of having a US iPhone 15 Pro Max in Canada would be, but it seems it should operate without issue.
posted by eschatfische at 6:19 AM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
mmWave does not appear to be supported by Telus or other Canadian carriers, and would be unlikely to provide any advantage unless you visited the US.
The four additional LTE and 5G bands that the Canadian iPhone supports appear to be present for Japanese carriers (The A3105 model is also sold in Japan), and don't appear to be used in North America.
It isn't clear to me what the advantage of having a US iPhone 15 Pro Max in Canada would be, but it seems it should operate without issue.
posted by eschatfische at 6:19 AM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks!
It isn't clear to me what the advantage of having a US iPhone 15 Pro Max in Canada would be, but it seems it should operate without issue.
No advantage. Someone is just offering to sell one at a lower price.
posted by dobbs at 8:22 AM on October 17, 2023
It isn't clear to me what the advantage of having a US iPhone 15 Pro Max in Canada would be, but it seems it should operate without issue.
No advantage. Someone is just offering to sell one at a lower price.
posted by dobbs at 8:22 AM on October 17, 2023
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Otherwise, depending where you are it might be a moot point anyway. If you're anywhere outside a major urban centre, then you're likely not going to encounter 5G yet. I'm in a rural area, and some places are still on 3G only. The bulk of your signal is likely to be LTE pretty much anywhere else.
Depending on how long you keep your phone, it may be more relevant by the time replacing it comes around. But right now, and probably for at least the next few years, you'll be good.
posted by eekernohan at 6:09 AM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]