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A "Chinese", "American" or "European" iPhone may be a regional hardware variant with different SIM and band support. Before buying one for Chile, check its A#### model number, carrier compatibility and whether its IMEI needs registration. A phone bought abroad for use with a Chilean SIM must be registered; without registration it is blocked 30 days after first use. iPhone 14, 15 and 16 models sold in the United States have no SIM tray and accept only eSIM. Some Android phones intended for China ship without Google services.

How to tell which region an iPhone is from

Go to Settings > General > About > Model Number. The screen first shows the part number; tap it to see the A#### model number Apple uses to identify a hardware variant. The part number may end in a region code before "/A". According to The Apple Wiki, a community site and not Apple's, LL is the United States, CH is China, ZD is Germany, the Benelux countries, Austria, France, Switzerland, Monaco and the United Kingdom, LZ is Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and CL is Canada and Chile. Apple does not publish that sales-code list, so use it as a hint rather than proof. Compare the part number with the box label. Apple explains where to find the A#### model number on some iPhones; that number is not the sales-region code.

Knowing the region does not tell you the device is genuine. That is in how to tell if it is genuine or a clone.

American iPhone, eSIM only

According to Apple's page on SIM types, these models are eSIM only, with no physical tray.

  • iPhone 14, 15 and 16 (including Plus, Pro, Pro Max and 16e) bought in the United States.
  • iPhone 17, 17e, Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max bought in the United States, Canada, Japan and several other markets on Apple's eSIM-only list.

Chile is not on that Apple list. For models bought outside those countries, Apple says eSIM and nano-SIM. A refurbished American iPhone with no tray is not defective or a clone, but it needs a carrier to activate an eSIM for you. We did not check which Chilean carriers activate eSIM, on what terms or at what price, so ask yours before buying an eSIM-only iPhone.

Locked to a carrier

A listing that says "locked" describes a device that accepts the SIM of only one carrier. Chilean homologation points the other way. According to Multibanda, a homologated phone is unlocked for use on any mobile company in the country. A phone bought abroad did not go through that process, and Multibanda warns that it cannot be assured to be compatible with the advertised technologies (2G, 3G, 4G) or to support the Emergency Alert System. We did not find a page explaining how to ask a Chilean carrier for an unlock, or what happens with an American phone that still owes a balance to its original carrier. To test it, put in an active SIM from another carrier and confirm it registers on the network and can call.

A phone bought abroad: registration

Any phone bought abroad for personal use must be registered to work with a Chilean SIM. If you do not register it, it is blocked 30 days after first use, and you can still register it afterwards. You do not need to register it if you only use it on roaming or WiFi. It is done at a carrier's commercial office or online through a certifying company, and one device per person per year is free, with a cap that applies to each certifier. Multibanda's site gives registration filing windows that do not agree with each other (60, 90 and 120 days depending on the page), so confirm yours with a certifier. The detail is in how to check an IMEI.

Chinese-ROM Android

Some phones intended for the Chinese market are sold with a ROM that lacks Google Mobile Services and does not ship with the Play Store, Gmail or Maps. Google Play can be enabled on some devices, but Google Pay may not work if the device is not certified, and some banking apps may fail integrity checks. Check the exact software before buying; installing APKs from unknown sources adds risk. Alibaba notes that some devices may also have cellular bands selected for mainland China. We did not find a SERNAC or SUBTEL guide on these devices.

Samsung, Snapdragon or Exynos

Samsung splits the processor of its Galaxy S phones by region. According to SamMobile, the S26 and S26+ use Exynos 2600 in most markets and Snapdragon in the United States, China and Japan, while the S26 Ultra uses Snapdragon everywhere. Android Authority reported that the S24 Ultra has Snapdragon in every country and that the S24 and S24+ have Snapdragon in the United States and Canada. We did not confirm with Samsung which chip is sold in Chile for each model. Ask for the exact model number in the listing before buying.

The bands that matter in Chile

SUBTEL's rule (Res. Ex. 1.463) requires a device sold in Chile to support all the bands in use for at least one of the deployed technologies. There is no public list of homologated models, and each carrier's IMEI lookup cannot be used to build a table by model. This is what we confirmed about the carriers.

  • Entel. 4G on bands 7 (2,600 MHz) and 28 (700 MHz), according to its 2017 release, and 5G on 3.5 GHz (n78), in service according to SUBTEL in October 2023.
  • Movistar. 5G on 3.5 GHz (n78), with the network being deployed according to SUBTEL in October 2023. We did not find a primary source for its 4G bands.
  • Claro. It won 3.5 GHz for 5G in June 2024. We did not confirm that its 5G service is live or its 4G bands.
  • WOM. 5G on 700 MHz, AWS and 3.5 GHz according to its own page. We did not find a primary source for its 4G bands.

SUBTEL describes 3G as "en retirada" (being withdrawn) with no shutdown date, and we did not confirm a plan for 2G. 5G devices carry the line "INFÓRMESE SOBRE COMPATIBILIDAD CON CADA COMPAÑÍA" (find out about compatibility with each company) on the homologation seal, and carriers must report the 5G bands in the IMEI lookup. Because we could not confirm the 4G bands of three of the four carriers, the safe test is to check the IMEI on your carrier's site and try your SIM before the withdrawal period ends.

Homologation and seal

Every phone sold in Chile must go through a homologation process (Multibanda/SAE) at one of the certifying companies that SUBTEL validates, and it carries a seal. An imported model that was never sold in Chile may not have it. Whether a used phone can be sold inside the country without homologation, we did not confirm. The IMEI lookup result on a carrier's site shows whether the device is homologated and which type of seal it has.

Before you pay

  • Ask for the full model number and compare it with the box and with Settings.
  • If it is an American iPhone 14 or later, confirm with your carrier that it will activate an eSIM.
  • If it says "locked" or "one carrier only", ask whether it is paid off and which carrier locks it, and do not expect an unlock without proof.
  • If the device comes from abroad, ask whether it is already registered. If not, you will have 30 days to do it.
  • If it is a China Android, assume it has no Google.
  • Check the IMEI on your carrier's site.

With the device in your hand, follow what to check when it arrives. If you bought online, a 10-day withdrawal period from receipt may apply, subject to exceptions (article 3 bis b of Ley 19.496); the detail and the warranty terms are in your rights when buying refurbished.

Sources

The 4G bands of Movistar, Claro and WOM, Claro's live 5G service, the registration filing windows and the Samsung chip that reaches Chile are not confirmed with primary sources. Entel's bands come from its own release and from SUBTEL.