GSM or Global iPhone? Here’s How To Check Your iPhone Model
In this how-to tutorial you will find out whether your Apple iPhone supports GSM or Global network. We have written this guide because it was requested by one of our readers who was trying to download IPSW files of iOS 8, but couldn’t do so for many reasons.
He was confused about his Apple iPhone model.
Explanation: If you are planning to install iOS 8 by using IPSW files, then you have to download the correct firmware file on your computer. If you don’t, Apple iTunes throws an error message and you have to start the whole process all over again.
Anyone can easily grab the correct IPSW files, right? Not always. The real problem here is that Apple has released a couple of IPSW files for every iPhone model.
Apple iPhone 5s, 5c, 5 has two IPSW files available for download. One file has a GSM tag on it, while the other file has a Global tag. So which IPSW file should you download for your Apple device? How can you easily find out the correct IPSW file that works with your iPhone? The answer is right here.
How to Check Whether You have a GSM iPhone or a Global iPhone Model
Step 1 of 2: Go Through The List
Here are the model numbers along with the network (GSM and Global) list for the latest iPhones. Just go through the list for now, as step two will clear your doubts.
iPhone GSM Model Numbers:
- iPhone 5s — A1533 model
- iPhone 5c — A1532 model
- iPhone 5 — A1428 model
iPhone Global (CDMA) Model Numbers:
- iPhone 5s — A1453 model
- iPhone 5c — A1456 model
- iPhone 5 — A1429 model
Note: It doesn’t matter if you are using an AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or Sprint iPhone. Or your iPhone is locked (contract) or unlocked.
Step 2 of 2: Identify Model Number of Your iPhone
Now that you have “glanced” through the list of model numbers, it is time to match your Apple iPhone number with the above list. So how do you do that? Simply look at the back of your iPhone and you will find the model number below the “iPhone” word.

Say, for example, if your Apple iPhone has “A1453” written at the back side, we can deduce that you have an iPhone 5s, Global model.
That’s it! You only need to know these two steps for checking the iPhone network. Let us know if you found this guide useful. For more, read this: How to find out model numbers of every iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
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