Unlike the iPhone XS and XS Max, Apple isn’t selling the iPhone XR SIM-free in the USA. You must choose a carrier for buying an iPhone XR in the US, but if you’re paying in full with a one-time payment option, your iPhone XR will come as unlocked and with a SIM card of the chosen carrier.
Read: How to buy unlocked iPhone XR in USA
An unlocked iPhone has always meant one thing only — no carrier ties. So if even if the iPhone XR ships with a SIM card when paid in full, you’re still getting an unlocked iPhone XR which is free to activate with any carrier’s SIM card.
Now the question comes, will an unlocked iPhone XR work in other countries OR it’ll only work on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon? Thanks to one user over at Apple Community forums who ordered an iPhone XR with Verizon SIM and paid in full without choosing carrier financing. The user put his Straight Talk SIM inside the iPhone XR before turning it on right out-of-the-box. It worked like any other unlocked iPhone.
I think it’s safe to say that the unlocked policy remains the same for iPhone XR as for other unlocked iPhones as long as you’re paying the full amount and choosing carrier financing.
If a Straight Talk SIM can be used to activate an unlocked iPhone XR purchased with Verizon SIM, we believe the device can be activated in other countries too. But you need to make sure that the LTE bands supported by the US variant of iPhone XR are supported in your country too.
LTE Bands supported by iPhone XR
| United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico | UK, India, Germany, Russia, and more | China, Hong Kong, and Macau | Japan |
| 1 (2100 MHz) | 1 (2100 MHz) | 1 (2100 MHz) | 1 (2100 MHz) |
| 2 (1900 MHz) | 2 (1900 MHz) | 2 (1900 MHz) | 2 (1900 MHz) |
| 3 (1800 MHz) | 3 (1800 MHz) | 3 (1800 MHz) | 3 (1800 MHz) |
| 4 (AWS) | 4 (AWS) | 4 (AWS) | 4 (AWS) |
| 5 (850 MHz) | 5 (850 MHz) | 5 (850 MHz) | 5 (850 MHz) |
| 7 (2600 MHz) | 7 (2600 MHz) | 7 (2600 MHz) | 7 (2600 MHz) |
| 8 (900 MHz) | 8 (900 MHz) | 8 (900 MHz) | 8 (900 MHz) |
| 12 (700 MHz) | 12 (700 MHz) | 12 (700 MHz) | 11 (1500 MHz) |
| 13 (700c MHz) | 13 (700c MHz) | 13 (700c MHz) | 12 (700 MHz) |
| 14 (700 PS) | 14 (700 PS) | 14 (700 PS) | 13 (700c MHz) |
| 17 (700b MHz) | 17 (700b MHz) | 17 (700b MHz) | 14 (700 PS) |
| 18 (800 MHz) | 18 (800 MHz) | 18 (800 MHz) | 17 (700b MHz) |
| 19 (800 MHz) | 19 (800 MHz) | 19 (800 MHz) | 18 (800 MHz) |
| 20 (800 DD) | 20 (800 DD) | 20 (800 DD) | 19 (800 MHz) |
| 25 (1900 MHz) | 25 (1900 MHz) | 25 (1900 MHz) | 20 (800 DD) |
| 26 (800 MHz) | 26 (800 MHz) | 26 (800 MHz) | 21 (1500 MHz) |
| 29 (700 de MHz) | 28 (700 APT MHz) | 29 (700 de MHz) | 25 (1900 MHz) |
| 30 (2300 MHz) | 29 (700 de MHz) | 30 (2300 MHz) | 26 (800 MHz) |
| 32 (1500 L-band) | 30 (2300 MHz) | 32 (1500 L-band) | 28 (700 APT MHz) |
| 34 (TD 2000) | 32 (1500 L-band) | 34 (TD 2000) | 29 (700 de MHz) |
| 38 (TD 2600) | 34 (TD 2000) | 38 (TD 2600) | 30 (2300 MHz) |
| 39 (TD 1900) | 38 (TD 2600) | 39 (TD 1900) | 34 (TD 2000) |
| 40 (TD 2300) | 39 (TD 1900) | 40 (TD 2300) | 38 (TD 2600) |
| 41 (TD 2500) | 40 (TD 2300) | 41 (TD 2500) | 39 (TD 1900) |
| 46 (TD Unlicensed) | 41 (TD 2500) | 46 (TD Unlicensed) | 40 (TD 2300) |
| 66 (AWS-3) | 46 (TD Unlicensed) | 66 (AWS-3) | 41 (TD 2500) |
| 71 (600 MHz) | 66 (AWS-3) | 71 (600 MHz) | 42 (TD 3500) |
| 46 (TD Unlicensed) | |||
| 66 (AWS-3) |
If the LTE bands supported by the US variant of iPhone XR are supported in your country too, you should be able to activate and use an unlocked iPhone XR purchased from the USA in your country without any issues.
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