Which iPhone Should i Buy? - the AT&T iPhone 4, vs the Verizon iPhone 4

Courtesy of Apple

Verizon's iPhone 4, and the AT&T iPhone 4, both may be made by Apple but are quite different in some aspects. When asking “which iPhone should I buy?” potential iPhone user's have a number of things to consider.

Which Standard is Best for you?

Verizon operates on the CDMA ( Code Division Multiple Access ) standard, while AT&T uses GSM ( Global System for Mobile Communications ) In the United States, CDMA ( with Verizon in the lead ) serves the most user's, while GSM dominates in the rest of the world. So which iPhone you should choose may well depend on weather you travel a lot, or remain stateside.


The AT&T iPhone includes a SIM card which stores user data, and contacts, while the Verizon model does not. This is another issue which must be considered if you are the type who likes the convenience of easily swapping your card from phone, to phone.

The AT&T and Verizon iPhone Shuffle

According to Apple, some of the differences in the implementation of the settings, and features are make one really think before taking the plunge, and choosing one iPhone, over another. Consider the following:

• The AT&T iPhone supports up to 5 conference calls simultaneously, while the Verizon model supports only 2.
  
  
  
• To place a call on hold on the GSM model you simply tap, and hold the mute button, while CDMA networks don't offer the ability to place a call on hold.
  
  
  
• Turning on or off Call forwarding, Call waiting, and Caller ID are easy on the AT&T iPhone, just select Settings > Phone. While on Verizon one must dial *72 ( plus the forwarding # ) to turn Call forwarding on ( *73 to turn it off ) For Call waiting Verizon user's must dial *70 ( plus the # you're dialing ) as well as dial *70 each time to disable Call waiting. AND for Caller ID you must dial *67 ( plus the # you are dialing ) as well as dialing *67 each time to disable Caller ID, whew!
  
  
  
• And of course most importantly, the AT&T version of the iPhone allows you to simultaneously make phone calls and transfer data, while the Verizon model does not.
  
  
  

Can You Hear us Now?

Are you guys beginning to get the picture? If you live in one of the data-congested cities like New York, or San Francisco, or are otherwise suffering from dropped calls on the AT&T network, and you can live with the quirks above, you may want to choose the Verizon iPhone. But if not, then selecting The AT&T iPhone may be the clear choice.


Which iPhone should i buy? indeed. The features in the AT&T iPhone, vs the Verizon iPhone are enough to make one think before signing on to that two-year contract. What do you think of the differences between the two carriers and have you suffered from enough dropped calls that you might consider making the switch to Verizon? Let us know in the comments section below.