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Which phone (Verizon iPhone 5, AT&T iPhone 4) for US T-Mobile SIM?

Posted by (Birmingham, AL, USA) on

I bought T-Mobile SIMs today using the Simple Choice plan in the States for my phone and iPad.

We're going to Italy, Austria, and Germany.

Question: which phone do you think would work better with their SIM?

I put it in my Dad's old Verizon iPhone 5 hoping for LTE but now see the bands might be different as far as LTE in US and Europe. But it also has some GSM frequencies.

I also have an old iPhone 4 GSM from AT&T I have used on previous European travel. Both are unlocked.

Right now I'm getting lots of EDGE and occasional 4G in the States with the Verizon iPhone 5, which makes me wonder what I'm going to get over there.

I might take both and just see which works better.

Posted by
2679 posts

Have you tried both of them with the TMobile SIM? I use TMobile and love it but I've been given a couple of iPhones over the years that were never able to work with TMobile's network. One of them was an AT&T iPhone 4 that I unlocked to no avail.

Posted by
10600 posts

I have T-Mobile and an iPhone 6s. T-Mobile worked great on the trip I recently returned from. Unlimited texts and data. Calls are .20 per minute, but I didn't need to make any calls. As far as what phone to use I would think the AT&T phone would work better as the frequency (or whatever it's called...I'm not a tech person) is compatible to what is used in Europe.

Posted by
16277 posts

Technically, the Verizon Iphone 5 should work as it is quad band.

Overseas, T-mobile only guarantees 2g data speed for the free data. My phone went back and forth between 2g and faster speeds.

Although, over the summer they had a special guaranteeing faster speeds.

Posted by
271 posts

I have successfully, and happily, used and iPhone 5 is Switzerland, France, Geramny, and Austria. It was a verizon phone, FYI, but that doesn't matter.

The 5 should do you but I ALWAYS take a backup...

Posted by
4 posts

The 5 will be fine, especially as it is SIM unlocked from the start.

Data speed will be dismal, but that's a function of Tmobile's 'free' data overseas, not of the phone. If necessary, you can always pop in a local SIM. The Verizon 5 will work fine at good speed in that scenario in all of the countries you mention.

If you're getting slow service at home, you may want to consider a TM phone instead.

Posted by
4 posts

The 5 will be fine, especially as it is SIM unlocked from the start.

Data speed will be dismal, but that's a function of Tmobile's 'free' data overseas, not of the phone. If necessary, you can always pop in a local SIM. The Verizon 5 will work fine at good speed in that scenario in all of the countries you mention.

If you're getting slow service at home, you may want to consider a TM phone instead.

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