Verizon iPhone teardown reveals chipset for use on AT&T

February 7, 2011 2:14 PM
Devindra Hardawar
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MobileBeat 2013
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Verizon’s iPhone 4 contains a chipset that could have enabled it to work on AT&T’s network as well, a teardown by the repair site iFixit revealed.

The finding means that Apple could have created a true world phone by supporting both Verizon and AT&T’s networks in a single device.

IFixit found that the Verizon iPhone 4 uses a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip that supports the carrier’s  CDMA and EVDO network standards, but it also includes support for GSM and HSPA+ networks which AT&T and T-Mobile use. The latter two standards are more widely supported internationally than CDMA, which is used by Verizon and Sprint in the US. The same Qualcomm chipset is currently used in Motorola’s Droid Pro world phone.

Difficulties developing an antenna that would work across the various standards and frequency bands likely led Apple to limit the phone to CDMA only, according to iFixit.

The finding tells us that Apple is at least one step closer to offering an iPhone that can work across all US cellular networks, as well as pretty much anywhere internationally. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple ended up offering that with the iPhone 5, as it would be much easier for it to produce a single device that can run anywhere, rather than multiple iPhones with minimal network differences.

Via Electronista

  • PeterA650

    I agree, that's why I chose to ignore iPhone 4. The question is, if 5 is a “world phone”, then what is 6 going to be?

  • http://www.cygnismedia.com/mobile-phone-application/iphone-app-developer.html iPhone Application Developer

    yeah because of fame after few days it seems will expensive

  • http://www.buckleyins.com Rao Yuan

    Anyone knows the difference between Bell and Rogers in Canada? I remember that Bell is CDMA though…

  • http://venturebeat.com/2011/06/13/unlocked-iphone-us/ Is the US finally getting an unlocked iPhone this week? | VentureBeat

    [...] iPhone 4 models use different wireless chipsets to support their competing network standards. But a teardown of the Verizon iPhone also revealed that it’s running a Qualcomm chipset that could potentially work on AT&T [...]

  • http://jailbake.com/blog/8463 Is the US finally getting an unlocked iPhone this week? – JailBake

    [...] iPhone 4 models use different wireless chipsets to support their competing network standards. But a teardown of the Verizon iPhone also revealed that it’s running a Qualcomm chipset that could potentially work on ATT and [...]

  • http://www.e-learningfree.com/is-the-us-finally-getting-an-unlocked-iphone-4-this-week-2 Is the US finally getting an unlocked iPhone 4 this week? « E-learning, E-book, Tutorial Online

    [...] iPhone 4 models use different wireless chipsets to support their competing network standards. But a teardown of the Verizon iPhone also revealed that it’s running a Qualcomm chipset that could potentially work on AT&T [...]

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    [...] iPhone 4 models use different wireless chipsets to support their competing network standards. But a teardown of the Verizon iPhone also revealed that it’s running a Qualcomm chipset that could potentially work on AT&T [...]

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    [...] tell the WSJ. Apple will likely also rely on a Qualcomm wireless baseband chipset on the phone, just like it did with the Verizon iPhone. There’s no word yet if the wireless chipset will function on both GSM and CDMA networks [...]

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    [...] tell the WSJ. Apple will likely also rely on a Qualcomm wireless baseband chipset on the phone, just like it did with the Verizon iPhone. There’s no word yet if the wireless chipset will function on both GSM and CDMA networks [...]

  • http://androidrockstar.com/?p=15382 WSJ: Apple aims to build 25M “thinner and lighter” iPhone 5s in 2011

    [...] will likely also rely on a Qualcomm wireless baseband chipset on the phone, just like it did with the Verizon iPhone. There’s no word yet if the wireless chipset will function on both GSM and CDMA networks [...]

  • http://modern-techie.com/wsj-apple-aims-to-construct-25m-%e2%80%9cthinner-and-lighter%e2%80%9d-iphone-5s-in-2011/ WSJ: Apple aims to construct 25M “thinner and lighter” iPhone 5s in 2011 | Modern Techie

    [...] will likely also depend upon a Qualcomm wireless baseband chipset at the phone, kind of like it did with the Verizon iPhone . There is no word yet if the wireless chipset will function on both GSM and CDMA networks [...]

  • http://venturebeat.com/2011/08/03/pegatron-10m-iphone-5/ Pegatron now aims to ship 10M iPhone 5s in September | VentureBeat

    [...] Pegatron previously has been the manufacturer tasked with building the CDMA (Verizon-capable) iPhone. The iPhone 5 is expected to be both GSM and CDMA compatible, so it could work across all major US cellular networks and be ready for international usage as well. We already know that the current Verizon iPhone has hardware that would allow it to work on other networks. [...]

  • http://modern-techie.com/pegatron-now-aims-to-ship-10m-iphone-5s-in-september/ Pegatron now aims to ship 10M iPhone 5s in September | Modern Techie

    [...] major US cellular networks and be ready for international usage in addition. We already know that the present Verizon iPhone has hardware that might allow it to work on other networks [...]

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    [...] all major US cellular networks and be ready for international usage as well. We already know that the current Verizon iPhone has hardware that would allow it to work on other networks. Pegatron last year upgraded its equipment, factories and worker numbers to handle iPhone 4 [...]

  • http://venturebeat.com/2011/08/22/iphone-5-world-phone/ Here’s further evidence for a GSM/CDMA iPhone 5 (ruling out LTE) | VentureBeat

    [...] much a given that the iPhone 5 would be a world phone when it was discovered earlier this year that the Verizon iPhone featured a Qualcomm chipset that could technically work on AT&T as well. At one point, Verizon’s CFO basically confirmed that the iPhone 5 would be a worldphone, [...]

  • http://www.socialnetworkbackgroundcheck.com/here%e2%80%99s-further-evidence-for-a-gsmcdma-iphone-5-ruling-out-lte/ Here’s further evidence for a GSM/CDMA iPhone 5 (ruling out LTE) | Social Network Background Check

    [...] much a given that the iPhone 5 would be a world phone when it was discovered earlier this year that the Verizon iPhone featured a Qualcomm chipset that could technically work on AT&T as well. At one point, Verizon’s CFO basically confirmed that the iPhone 5 would be a worldphone, [...]

  • http://modern-techie.com/heres-further-evidence-for-a-gsmcdma-iphone-5-ruling-out-lte/ Here’s further evidence for a GSM/CDMA iPhone 5 (ruling out LTE) | Modern Techie

    [...] the fact that the iPhone 5 will be a worldwide phone when it was discovered earlier this year that the Verizon iPhone featured a Qualcomm chipset that may technically work on AT&T besides . At one point, Verizon’s CFO basically confirmed that the iPhone 5 will be a worldphone , [...]

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