If you’ve been shopping online for the iPhone 15, then you have probably come across a ton of different models. This may leave you confused and wondering which model is best for you. If that’s your situation, then read on, because in this blog post, I will clear up any confusion or questions you may have about the difference between iPhone 15 versions.
There are four groups of iPhone 15 models that Apple supplies across various countries in the world. For the purpose of making things easier to understand, I have grouped them as follows:
- Group 1: The Global iPhone 15 Model
- Group 2: The Canadian, Japanese and others iPhone 15 Model
- Group 3: The China iPhone 15 Model
- Group 4: The US iPhone 15 model
Group 1: The Global iPhone 15 A3106, A3102, A3094, and A3090
You could be forgiven for referring to this group of iPhone 15 models as “The Global iPhone Version.” That’s because the global iPhone 15 model is the most widely distributed model of the iPhone 15 series. By that, I mean that it is supplied to, sold to, and used in the majority of countries around the world, as shown in the list below.
List of countries that use the Global iPhone Model
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, BES Islands, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo – Kinshasa, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czechia, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia and Tahiti, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Reunion Islands, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Barts, Saint Martin, Samoa, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Türkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Model numbers of the Global iPhone 15 model
- A3106: iPhone 15 Pro Max
- A3102: iPhone 15 Pro
- A3094: iPhone 15 Plus
- A3090: iPhone 15
Supported Cellular Bands of the Global iPhone 15 model
- 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n77, n78, n79)
- FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 66)
- TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, and 53)
- UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz)
The Global iPhone 15 models lack the n14, n29, n71, n258, n260, and n261 5G bands. As for LTE, it lacks bands: 11, 14, 21, 29, and 71.
No mmWave 5G
The 15 Pro Max A3106, 15 Pro A3102, 15 Plus A3094, and 15 A3090 models do not support mmWave 5G. They only support standard 5G and LTE bands.
The 5G mmWave is a feature that is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max A2849, 15 Pro A2848, 15 Plus A2847, and 15 A2846 models for the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Global iPhone SIM configuration
All the Global iPhone 15 models have a dual SIM configuration, with support for eSIM and one nanoSIM slot. You can save up to eight numbers on the eSIM, but only one can be active at a time. The other active number must be in the nanoSIM slot.
No FaceTime on some Global iPhone variants
According to Apple, FaceTime isn’t available or might not appear on iPhones purchased in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. However, they also mention that FaceTime is now available on iPhones in Saudi Arabia as of iOS 11.3. Also, with iOS 12.4 and later, FaceTime is available on iPhones in Pakistan.
So that leaves us only with the UAE, where FaceTime is not yet officially available because network providers block calls made through the app. If you purchase a UAE iPhone 15 model and set it up with the UAE as your region, the FaceTime icon will not be accessible.
But that’s not an issue, because as soon as you change your region in the phone settings to a country where FaceTime is available, the icon reappears. Note that you may also need to change your App Store region before successfully activating FaceTime on a UAE iPhone 15 model when using it in another country. You can use the part numbers provided at this link to identify UAE iPhone 15 variants.
The South Korean iPhone 15 Camera shutter sound lock
South Korea uses a variant of the Global iPhone 15 that can be identified using the part numbers in the blog post at this link. But, unlike iPhones from other countries in this same group, the camera shutter sound of the South Korean iPhone variant can’t be turned off when used within the country.
There is, however, a potential solution to this problem that has also been confirmed to work on the Japanese iPhone version, which has the same camera shutter sound lock. I explained more about how to disable the Korean/Japanese iPhone camera shutter sound in the blog post at this link.
Group 2: The iPhone 15 A3105, A3101, A3093, and A3089
Apple provides the second group of iPhone 15 models to six major nations. These iPhone 15 models use the following model numbers:
Group 2 iPhone 15 model numbers
- A3105: iPhone 15 Pro MAX
- A3101: iPhone 15 Pro
- A3093: iPhone 15 Plus
- A3089 iPhone 15
List of countries that use the A3105, A3101, A3093, and A3089 iPhone 15
Canada, Guam, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the USVI.
A3105, A3101, A3093, and A3089 iPhone 15 cellular bands
As revealed on Apple’s official website for Canada and Mexico, below are the supported cellular bands for the 15 Pro Max A3105, 15 Pro A3101, 15 Plus A3093, and 15 A3089
- 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)
- 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, and 53)
- UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz)
Noticeably absent from this group of iPhone 15 models are the 5G bands n258, n260, and n261. This iPhone model supports all LTE bands that Apple uses on the iPhone 15 series.
No mmWave 5G
The 15 Pro Max 15 Pro Max A3105, 15 Pro A3101, 15 Plus A3093, and 15 A3089 models do not support mmWave 5G. They only support standard 5G and LTE bands.
The Japan iPhone Camera shutter sound lock
Similarly to the South Korean iPhone variant that I discussed in the previous group, you cannot disable the camera shutter sound on a Japanese iPhone while using it in the country. However, some people have confirmed to have been able to mute the camera shutter sound on this model while using it outside of Japan with a SIM card from another country.
SIM configuration
This group of iPhone 15 models supports one active eSIM and one active nanoSIM simultaneously. It can also take up to eight eSIM numbers or more, but only one of them can be active at a time because the second active number must be in the nanoSIM card slot. Yet, the next group of iPhone 15 models doesn’t support eSIM at all.
Group 3: The China iPhone 15 A3108, A3104, A3096, and A3092
These iPhone 15 models are exclusive to China. More precisely, the China Mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Model numbers of the China iPhone 15 series
They use the following model numbers:
- A3108: iPhone 15 Pro Max
- A3104: iPhone 15 Pro
- A3096: iPhone 15 Plus
- A3092: iPhone 15.
The Chinese iPhone models supported 5G Cellular Bands
Below are the 5G and LTE cellular bands that these models support:
- 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n26, n28, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n77, n78, n79)
- FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 66)
- TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, and 48)
- UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz)
Notice that the Chinese iPhone 15 models support the same cellular bands as the global iPhone models, which I discussed above. The Chinese iPhone 15s lack the following 5G bands: n14, n29, n71, n258, n260, and n261. As for LTE, it lacks bands: 11, 14, 21, 29, and 71.
Two different models for the same region
Even though they all use the same model number, there are actually two different iPhone 15 versions for China. The first one is the China Mainland version, which is distinguishable by the following part numbers that end in CH/A. For example, the China Mainland iPhone Pro Max 256GB Blue Titanium has the model number MU2R3CH/A.
The second is meant for Hong Kong and Macau. They are identified by part numbers ending in ZA/A. For example, the Hong Kong and Macau iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB Blue Titanium uses the part number: MU2R3ZA/A. You can visit this blog post to check out all the part numbers for the China, Hong Kong, and Macau iPhone 15 series.
No group FaceTime or FaceTime audio calls
According to Apple, group FaceTime and FaceTime audio calls are not available on China Mainland iPhones. Note that this issue doesn’t impact the Hong Kong and Macau versions. As of now, I am unable to verify if the features will be available if you use a China Mainland iPhone outside of the region.
Dual nanoSIM Card Support
Many people believe that Chinese iPhone models are counterfeit because they can take two physical SIM cards at once. The truth is, Apple has been producing dual-nanoSIM phones for this region since the iPhone XR. These are the only iPhone 15 models that have two nano-SIM card slots, and they are authentic. However, they do not support eSIM at all.
Group 4: The US iPhone 15 A2849, A2848, A2847 and A2846
Even though I call it the U.S.A. iPhone 15 model, it is not exclusive to the United States. Puerto Rico also uses this same iPhone model.
Model numbers of the US iPhone 15 series
- A2849: iPhone 15 Pro Max
- A2848: iPhone 15 Pro
- A2847: iPhone 15 Plus
- A2846: iPhone 15
The US iPhone 15 Supported 5G Cellular Bands
Here is a list of the 5G and LTE cellular bands it has:
- 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)
- 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)
- UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
When compared to iPhones from the other three groups, you will notice that the US and Puerto Rican iPhone 15 models are the only ones that have all the 5G bands that Apple currently uses on the iPhone 15 series. As for LTE, it only lacks band n21.
mmWave 5G support
The US and Puerto Rican iPhone 15 models are also the only ones that support mmWave 5G as illustrated by the pill shaped mmWave antenna on the right side of the phone. You can read more about it by visiting the blog post at this link.
So it’s safe to say that the U.S. and Puerto Rico iPhone 15 models should have the best network connectivity everywhere in the world. As long as the network providers in that region offer eSIM.
Dual eSIM support
As of last year, Apple eliminated the nanoSIM card slot from the U.S. iPhone 14 series. They have now extended this behavior to the U.S. and Puerto Rico iPhone 15 series.
Due to the absence of the nanoSIM card slot, this group of iPhone 15 models supports two active eSIM numbers simultaneously. It can take eight or more eSIM numbers, but only two of them can be active at once.
