# iPhone-5



## debbie790 (Dec 28, 2010)

Hello,

I am thinking of purchasing iPhone-5 to use it in Dubai (with Du). Not sure which model to purchase that would support LTE by Du.

Apple - iPhone 5 - View countries with supported LTE networks.

Thanks
Debbie


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Probably the third model but as far as I know they don't have LTE here yet so kind of hard to determine unless they do get it first. Though they do tend to use Euro specs rather than US. Either way don't go for the CDMA version unless you want a paperweight.


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## Confiture (Jan 9, 2011)

Du has LTE on 1800MHZ spectrum in Dubai.


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## is200mine (Jul 23, 2012)

Etisalat also has 4G (LTE), but it is not widespread.


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## raneesh (Dec 4, 2012)

Anyone knows how we can find out 
the iphone 5 pack is a GSM A 1429 capable
Without opening the phone pack? Because most 
Of the people who sell iphone 5 are not aware of
These comparisons of lte band (Dubai) if any contact details pls 
Provide


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

raneesh said:


> Anyone knows how we can find out
> the iphone 5 pack is a GSM A 1429 capable
> Without opening the phone pack? Because most
> Of the people who sell iphone 5 are not aware of
> ...


It says the band on the side of the box and you can work it out!??

Jo xx


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## raneesh (Dec 4, 2012)

Source pls jo


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

raneesh said:


> Source pls jo


 I have the box infront of me!

Jo xxx


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## raneesh (Dec 4, 2012)

Pls upload a photo of the same pack of iphone 5 to make sure the LTE band details are printed on the packing; ( Not inside)


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

raneesh said:


> Pls upload a photo of the same pack of iphone 5 to make sure the LTE band details are printed on the packing; ( Not inside)



No, the writing is too small, but trust me, its on there, not that it makes a jot of difference

Jo xxx


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## raneesh (Dec 4, 2012)

I got it thanks for the info


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

i've just researched this issue extensively since i am currently in canada and set to return to dubai in a few weeks. the north american iPhone 5 model 1428 GSM is only compatible with north american LTE [4G] networks. it's still a world phone so it'll work in dubai, but only on 3G. perhaps not a bad thing considering the network is much more extensive than LTE currently is. i am going to the apple store in the next day or so to confirm but my understanding is that they only sell the north american model here. so if you want the 1429 GSM to use in dubai you either:

-wait until it's official release but who knows when that will be, also, perhaps this fear is unfounded but i wonder if facetime is simply blocked on uae phones while one is in uae but then it works everywhere else? or if apple ships uae special phones with FaceTime wiped off. in which case i don't ever want to buy a uae iphone .
- buy it from an apple store in europe
- buy in dubai on the grey market but i had a shop quote me aed 4600 which is over $1200 CAD, almost twice the price it should be as the apple store here sells it for $699 CAD

since my husband and i need new phones now we've decided to forego the new 5 and get the 4s from the apple store in canada. it's still a great phone and the upgrade from that to the 5 is negligible in many regards. plus it's $100 cheaper and i *think* it still comes loaded with iOS 5 which means we'll have google maps and old youtube back as long as we don't upgrade to iOS 6. score!

i'm currently on a 4 and with 3G it works just fine for me. would faster be better? yeah sure. but it's not really the most important factor. it'll be a significant upgrade from my 4 and his crappy, super old blackberry. we'll save money, and in a year or two we'll upgrade to the 6 and hope that LTE has been more extensively built everywhere and maybe apple can figure out how to make it one model.

that's all i've got. happy to be corrected by more knowledgeable apple nerds if i've gotten something wrong. will also report back on my trip to the apple store.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

oh, and for what it's worth, the iphone 5 only accepts nano sims which are currently not available from du or etisalat. not a huge deal as i hear most electronics stores have sim cutters but a factor. and the 5 comes with the new lightening connector which means you'll need to buy an adapter if you have an old dock for your stereo etc. and you won't be able to use your current charger cables. again, just a factor.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Officially releasing here on December 14th but without FaceTime as the current model of the iPod Touch purchased from the UAE Apple store has it disabled too. From what I have been told FaceTime is disabled by the model number used here (or something similar) so it won't work outside of this region. Might be different on the new iPhone5 but that's what I hear from the 4 and 4S. You get the 16GB for about 2999 now or less if you shop around now that prices have fallen.

Disadvantage of not upgrading a 4 or 4S to iOS6 maybe the inability to use certain apps or you may have to use an older version of iTunes or have some features not work for you if they were introduced with iOS6


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## Guest (Dec 5, 2012)

Wow that article on Emirats247 says it will be only 2200 AED. That is like cheaper than Iphone4S 

Oh btw there are micro sims in UAE. When I bought my prepaid sim card last mont, they asked me if I want normal SIM or micro SIM.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

iPhone5 uses NANO Sim. That is even smaller than the MICRO Sim and Mini Sim (which is what most phones still use)


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## Guest (Dec 5, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> iPhone5 uses NANO Sim. That is even smaller than the MICRO Sim and Mini Sim (which is what most phones still use)


Ah good to know. I thought they are same. Thanks for the information.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

You have to wonder what they'll use next!


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

so i just read that article on Emirates 247 and that's definitely a good price for the new 5. but since i have never bought an iPhone from apple uae online i still have to wonder - will those phones still have FaceTime installed and despite being blocked will the face time work when i travel to other countries where it isn't blocked. and will it also be unlocked? for me facetime is important and i will pay extra to have it as well.

would love if someone who has bought an "official" iPhone from the uae apple store, whether it be a 4 or 4s and what they got. is it unlocked? does it have FaceTime? does the face time work when you are travelling?


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

As I mentioned above, no. They will NOT have Facetime if purchased from Apple's online store or from Etisalat/Du. Any handset sold officially in the region will not have Facetime. You will find some big stores like SharafDG will sell overseas phones with Facetime enabled and provide their own warranty but usually it's a bit higher than retail. As for the phone, it is unlocked especially if you buy from their own online store.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> As I mentioned above, no. They will NOT have Facetime if purchased from Apple's online store or from Etisalat/Du. Any handset sold officially in the region will not have Facetime. You will find some big stores like SharafDG will sell overseas phones with Facetime enabled and provide their own warranty but usually it's a bit higher than retail. As for the phone, it is unlocked especially if you buy from their own online store.


thanks again Moe, i appreciate you confirming for me and after digging through some archives i found a couple people mentioning that their uae iphones didn't have facetime even when they left the country.

thanks for everyone's input. great post! :clap2:


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

My wife has an "official" UAE phone as well. No facetime or ability to install.
Its another thing that my ipad has facetime but i haven't used it even once.


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## Jayrue (Nov 28, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> Probably the third model but as far as I know they don't have LTE here yet so kind of hard to determine unless they do get it first. Though they do tend to use Euro specs rather than US. Either way don't go for the CDMA version unless you want a paperweight.


Do you suggest just buying in the UAE then?


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

Jayrue said:


> Do you suggest just buying in the UAE then?


Depends on what you mean. And what you want. If you buy it "officially" from the uae apple store you won't get face time. Period. If you don't care about that then yes, by all means, go ahead and buy in the UAE. You will get the model that will provide you with access to the UAE's LTE network [provided we are talking about the newest iphone 5]. [and yes, despite above posting, there is LTE currently available in UAE. they run off band 3 at 1800 mhz] that should also give you LTE throughout Europe. It will not give you LTE in North America. But at the end of the day remember, LTE is still young, and sporadically installed not just in UAE but North America etc. Whatever iPhone you have will still work globally on 3G which in MHO is pretty good as it has not failed me the past couple years. just because the new thing is faster doesn't mean the old thing is no longer good and serving your purposes.

if, like me, you have many friends and family with face time and want to take advantage of it then you either buy in UAE off the grey market or buy it next time you're in the US.

IMHO if you are going to spend all your time in UAE and/or don't give a $h*t about FaceTime then it's easy [and apparently will be really economical on dec. 14th] to just buy your iPhone in UAE. 

personally i don't care much for LTE yet, and since currently i'm in canada and will be passing an apple store in a couple days, and since face time is a deal breaker, i'm just going to pick one up from the apple store. 

hope that helps!


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## Jayrue (Nov 28, 2012)

sammylou said:


> Depends on what you mean. And what you want. If you buy it "officially" from the uae apple store you won't get face time. Period. If you don't care about that then yes, by all means, go ahead and buy in the UAE. You will get the model that will provide you with access to the UAE's LTE network [provided we are talking about the newest iphone 5]. [and yes, despite above posting, there is LTE currently available in UAE. they run off band 3 at 1800 mhz] that should also give you LTE throughout Europe. It will not give you LTE in North America. But at the end of the day remember, LTE is still young, and sporadically installed not just in UAE but North America etc. Whatever iPhone you have will still work globally on 3G which in MHO is pretty good as it has not failed me the past couple years. just because the new thing is faster doesn't mean the old thing is no longer good and serving your purposes.
> 
> if, like me, you have many friends and family with face time and want to take advantage of it then you either buy in UAE off the grey market or buy it next time you're in the US.
> 
> ...


I am the only Apple person in my family really, so I could care less about facetime, So I assume Dec 14 the 5 will be arriving in the UAE? I start my new gig in Dubai late January, so I will just wait until I arrive to get it then. Thanks!


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

one final note as i did visit the apple store in toronto today and said i would follow up. they confirmed that they only have the north american model 1428 so it's not possible to get the european 1429 unless you find something on craigslist or kijiji.


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## Strong_Island (Dec 13, 2012)

I was going to post a similar question...looks like i got my reply


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Apparently the Verizon iPhone5 is 1429 as a friend of mine here has it and is able to use LTE but claims he won't since it's too expensive!


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> Apparently the Verizon iPhone5 is 1429 as a friend of mine here has it and is able to use LTE but claims he won't since it's too expensive!


That would usable only for data right? But how would that work without a sim card? confused


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Why wouldn't it have a sim card?


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> Why wouldn't it have a sim card?


Unless they changed something recently, Verizon works off CDMA technology which does not use SIM cards (GSM technology). Basically their phones work off of their cell towers and don't have the need for SIM cards nor do they have a place to put one in... 

more info here:

CDMA vs. GSM: What's the Difference? | News & Opinion | PCMag.com


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yeah I know CDMA we had them in NZ. Dont know about other Verizon phones but they use sim cards on their iphones so they could be the exception


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## DebbieT11 (Jul 26, 2012)

I brought a Verizon Iphone 4S with me from the states last month. I did have to call Verizon and ask that they "unlock" it as I would be traveling to the Middle East - I used it on Verizon until I boarded the plane to come here, then called and suspended service. When I arrived here, my husband (hereinafter referred to as TheBigGuy, or TBG) had a local prepaid microsim card all ready for me.... poked a paperclip into the tiny hole on the side of the phone, made the change, and I had an Iphone 4S with all my contacts, photos, apps, and other fun stuff (including FaceTime) up and running.

TBG is amazing, have I mentioned that???


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

actually iphone 4S supports both GSM+CDMA but iphone 5 does not
Apple iPhone 5 to be available in separate GSM and CDMA versions | The Verge


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

I may be able to pick up an iPhone 5 in Japan. Does anyone know if it is the same version as the UAE version [will be]?


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> Yeah I know CDMA we had them in NZ. Dont know about other Verizon phones but they use sim cards on their iphones so they could be the exception


So as rsinner mentioned earlier, I was under the same impression that the iphone5 is not a world phone... below is a piece stating as much:

The iPhone 5 Has Separate GSM and CDMA Versions, So Prepare To Stay Loyal To Your Carrier | Cult of Mac

But then when i did some more research, I found this from the very same site:

Verizon iPhone 5 Comes Unlocked Out Of The Box, Works On GSM Carriers Like AT&T | Cult of Mac

And now I am as confused as the next person as to whether the damn thing works on all networks or not!!! lol...


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

saraswat said:


> And now I am as confused as the next person as to whether the damn thing works on all networks or not!!! lol...


the iphone 5 is still a world phone in that if you purchase an unlocked version you can travel around putting local sim cards in and you will get local 3G coverage. where the confusion starts is in regards to LTE [also known as 4G]. this is newer technology and not globally seamless. many countries are using LTE on different bands. so if you buy a North American iphone 5 it will only give you LTE in north america but even there you will have sporadic coverage and as soon as you are out of an LTE area it will drop to 3G. you can then take that unlocked phone anywhere and it will work on 3G, if 3G is not available it will drop to 2G. just like any current iphone 4 or 4s.

apple had to make different models of the 5 in order to access the various bands of LTE in different countries/regions. if you buy your iPhone 5 in europe or UAE you will get LTE there but if you go to north america with it, it will only work on 3G.

i'm sorry to the other poster asking about Japan as i cannot confirm. i suggest when they are there to ask in the apple store exactly which model is being sold. if it is the 1429 GSM then they are good to go with that in UAE for LTE.

does that help to clarify?


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

If you check the link posted earlier about LTE and models available you will find the Verizon phone's model is the same as the one used in Europe and supposedly here so that's why the Verizon iPhone5 will/should be able to use LTE here


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

Moe78 said:


> If you check the link posted earlier about LTE and models available you will find the Verizon phone's model is the same as the one used in Europe and supposedly here so that's why the Verizon iPhone5 will/should be able to use LTE here


it is still a CDMA phone and as such will only use 4G LTE on CDMA networks which exist but are far fewer than GSM. both DU and Etisalat run LTE on GSM band 3 so no, i don't believe the Verizon phone will work for LTE here in UAE. only 3G.

notice in the video that although the at&t sim works, he still only gets their 4G network, not LTE. all 4G networks are not equal and while LTE is 4G, 4G does not necessarily mean LTE.

this link explains further: Verizon iPhone 5 Confirmed to Be Unlocked on GSM 3G Networks - Mac Rumors


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Nothing in that article says the verizon phone won't work on LTE here. It says it is a GSM and CDMA phone but nothing about international LTE

Meanwhile http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ says that LTE Band 3 running at 1800MHz is supported by Verizon so I don't yet see a reason why it wouldn't work


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

ahhh. i get it now. thanks Moe!


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Mind you it's still quite confusing but considering LTE is GSM based the Verizon version should work here but not sure if anyone has tried it yet!


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## norampin (Dec 8, 2012)

Hi All,

from reading it appears that the IP5 doesnt have FACETIME installed.

However, if I am using a UK phone that has FACETIME will is work in the UAE?

thanks!


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## ynatt869 (Jan 23, 2012)

norampin said:


> Hi All,
> 
> from reading it appears that the IP5 doesnt have FACETIME installed.
> 
> ...


Yeah the official IP5 doesnt have FT but many online stores & few physical stores do sell IP5 [with warranty] with FT.

FT used to work here with some glitches but now a days NO. Last time i tried was about 3 weeks ago; call went thru but no voice/video.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

norampin said:


> Hi All,
> 
> from reading it appears that the IP5 doesnt have FACETIME installed.
> 
> ...


my husband and i have an iPad, macbook and iPhones all from canada so face time is installed. and we have been able to use face time using all the devices pretty successfully between canada - dubai and dubai - saudi arabia. only issue we ever had was the odd freezing up for a few seconds on the dubai end but then conversation would continue. didn't bug us too much considering we were able to talk for free - half a world apart! 

but that being said, both our apple id's are still "canada" so not sure if that makes any difference?? on du internet here [with no workaround].


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## raneesh (Dec 4, 2012)

Good Day to all of you, any iphone 5 users in UAE seen 4G LTE signal on du mobile network? Please specify the areas where the LTE signals are displayed on your phone. Thanks in advance.


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