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Other Buying from the US for the UK

B

B44dsh4h

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 8, 2017
9
3
Hi,

I live in the UK, and next week I will be going to the US for 1 week.
I want to buy an iPhone, and am still thinking about whether to buy the 8plus or the X.

1 - Can I buy an X sim-free from Apple in the US, or are they only available on contract?
2 - Will the warranty work in the UK for a US iPhone? I asked at an Apple store in the UK, and he said if there is a fault, they will have to order the part from the US and so I might be without a phone for 4-5 days. Has anyone had any experience of this?

Thanks
 
B44dsh4h said:
Hi,

I live in the UK, and next week I will be going to the US for 1 week.
I want to buy an iPhone, and am still thinking about whether to buy the 8plus or the X.

1 - Can I buy an X sim-free from Apple in the US, or are they only available on contract?
2 - Will the warranty work in the UK for a US iPhone? I asked at an Apple store in the UK, and he said if there is a fault, they will have to order the part from the US and so I might be without a phone for 4-5 days. Has anyone had any experience of this?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Currently and someone correct me if I’m wrong, you have to choose a carrier for now.
 
Right but you don't have to have a Carrier contract. So you the OP's case they just need to pick a Verizon iPhone and purchase it as "Device Only". It will be unlocked and ready to be used at here on a pre-paid SIM and when they get home.

Dave
 
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It’s not a sure thing that they will have iPhone X available in stores next week. Initial stock sold out in 2 days and now stores are being restocked haphazardly from a low supply. If you can VPN your way into the US Apple store (from the UK) check for “in store pick up” availability. Otherwise you will take your chances or the 8.
 
Thanks for the replies.
I know I'll be taking a chance if I want the X as stock is intermittent, whereas 8plus should be easier to get.

Anyone from the UK have any experience of getting an iPhone from the US and using it here?

Is buying the X on Verizon the only one which will be unlocked to use in UK, or will that be the same no matter which carrier o choose?
 
B44dsh4h said:
Thanks for the replies.
I know I'll be taking a chance if I want the X as stock is intermittent, whereas 8plus should be easier to get.

Anyone from the UK have any experience of getting an iPhone from the US and using it here?

Is buying the X on Verizon the only one which will be unlocked to use in UK, or will that be the same no matter which carrier o choose?
Click to expand...
My own experience a couple of years again. I live in the UK and I bought the iPhone 6S Plus from the US and brought it back with me. The phone wasn’t available as ‘SIM Free’ but I had to select the T-Mobile version and just discard the SIM card and my own EE SIM as it was unlocked and the identical model as sold in the UK. There are different models of each iPhone for different markets and it took some time to workout which one will work with which UK LTE Band.

Make sure you get the version that will work on the UK LTE / 4G bands it THE most important thing!!!

I think all the US iPhones are unlocked until you activate them with a US SIM and often will pick to that network. If you’re using a UK SIM, they they will remain unlocked.

The great thing was I bought it with US AppleCare and it worked perfectly back at home. Even to the point that I needed a new screen under the policy and I ended up getting it replaced for free as they were unable to bill me the excess of $29 back in £’s. As long as you buy from a US Apple store, the UK Apple stores will honour any warranty issues with zero problems.
 
Ad13 said:
My own experience a couple of years again. I live in the UK and I bought the iPhone 6S Plus from the US and brought it back with me. The phone wasn’t available as ‘SIM Free’ but I had to select the T-Mobile version and just discard the SIM card and my own EE SIM as it was unlocked and the identical model as sold in the UK. There are different models of each iPhone for different markets and it took some time to workout which one will work with which UK LTE Band.

Make sure you get the version that will work on the UK LTE / 4G bands it THE most important thing!!!

I think all the US iPhones are unlocked until you activate them with a US SIM and often will pick to that network. If you’re using a UK SIM, they they will remain unlocked.

The great thing was I bought it with US AppleCare and it worked perfectly back at home. Even to the point that I needed a new screen under the policy and I ended up getting it replaced for free as they were unable to bill me the excess of $29 back in £’s. As long as you buy from a US Apple store, the UK Apple stores will honour any warranty issues with zero problems.
Click to expand...


Thanks.
Will make sure I follow your advice!
Will Apple UK treat any warranty issues as normal?
My only experience is from my current iPhone 5 (i know, it's gonna be a big jump!) and they swapped it a couple of times when I had issues with it.
The Apple person I spoke to a couple of weeks ago said they might have to order parts from the US and that means i would be without the iPhone for a few days.

I'm leaning towards buying the iPhone X from the US (if i can find one).
Do all the 4 carrier iPhone X's have UK LTE/4G bands, or is it only the T-Mobile one?
 
Apple would only have to order the parts if the iPhone purchased is different to the one offered in the UK market. Get the right model and you will have zero problems getting service.

I’ve attached links below that show the model numbers and the LTE bands they support. I would cross reference them to see which model is the same in both countries...

https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone-x/specs/

https://www.apple.com/iphone-x/specs/

This may also help identify the models...

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201296
 
B44dsh4h said:
Thanks @Ad13 :)
I'll go through these when I get home tonight
Click to expand...

Another link that may be of use...

https://www.techwalls.com/iphone-x-models-a1865-a1901-a1902-differences/
[doublepost=1510252610][/doublepost]
Ad13 said:
Another link that may be of use...

https://www.techwalls.com/iphone-x-models-a1865-a1901-a1902-differences/
Click to expand...

From what I can gather from quickly looking at this info, the iPhone X you’d need from the US is model A1901 whichnit the AT&T or T-Mobile version.
 
B44dsh4h said:
Thanks.
The Apple person I spoke to a couple of weeks ago said they might have to order parts from the US and that means i would be without the iPhone for a few days.
Click to expand...
I am from Denmark and I bought my current iPhone 6 in the US three years ago when it first came out. When I lived in Japan I needed the screen replaced because of a manufacturing defect. They ended up replacing the entire phone with a US version because something with TouchID that did not work between versions, so it did take a few days before I got the new one.

I have the T-mobile version, and I am now getting a T-mobile iPhone X as well :)
 
B44dsh4h said:
Thanks for the replies.
I know I'll be taking a chance if I want the X as stock is intermittent, whereas 8plus should be easier to get.

Anyone from the UK have any experience of getting an iPhone from the US and using it here?

Is buying the X on Verizon the only one which will be unlocked to use in UK, or will that be the same no matter which carrier o choose?
Click to expand...
I bought an 8 on launch day as my 6s endes up in the pool on holiday, I bought an AT&T version and it works fine in the U.K. on EE....plus just a simple iPhone on the rear and no regulatory logos

Best thing was it cost me £540 which is £159 less than the U.K. price
 
So looks like AT&T or T-Mobile from the US should work in the UK fine, which is model A1901.
Now to try and fine one next week!
Thanks :)
 
I signed up to istocknow notifications last night to try it out.
I got the emails a few mins ago.
Tried going through the reservation process, selected pay in full, but it asks for Wireless Number, Billing Zip Code, Last 4 digits of Social Security Number.

Is there any way to reserve it without having to provide this number....as I don't have this info being from the UK :-(
[doublepost=1510399793][/doublepost]Can I select "Device Only" somehow?
 
B44dsh4h said:
I signed up to istocknow notifications last night to try it out.
I got the emails a few mins ago.
Tried going through the reservation process, selected pay in full, but it asks for Wireless Number, Billing Zip Code, Last 4 digits of Social Security Number.

Is there any way to reserve it without having to provide this number....as I don't have this info being from the UK :-(
[doublepost=1510399793][/doublepost]Can I select "Device Only" somehow?
Click to expand...

I don’t remember having to add this when I got my 6S Plus from the US. Have you tried just skipping this info, or putting some fake numbers in if it has to be populated?
[doublepost=1510418643][/doublepost]
Ad13 said:
I don’t remember having to add this when I got my 6S Plus from the US. Have you tried just skipping this info, or putting some fake numbers in if it has to be populated?
Click to expand...
Found a way round your problem. I think you’re selecting ATT as the carrier and this requires the full carrier account details. Try selecting T-Mobile as the carrier and you don’t have to input any of the details and it allows you to go directly to checkout and complete the transaction. I’ve nearly just bought a X trying for you. That was a close call!
For reference, the ATT and T-Mobile models are identical. They come with different SIM cards, which you’d just dispose of anyhow. Note, these phones don’t usually come with the SIM eject tool so I’d recommend you take one with you.

Let me know how you get on.
 
Last edited:
Ad13 said:
I don’t remember having to add this when I got my 6S Plus from the US. Have you tried just skipping this info, or putting some fake numbers in if it has to be populated?
[doublepost=1510418643][/doublepost]
Found a way round your problem. I think you’re selecting ATT as the carrier and this requires the full carrier account details. Try selecting T-Mobile as the carrier and you don’t have to input any of the details and it allows you to go directly to checkout and complete the transaction. I’ve nearly just bought a X trying for you. That was a close call!
For reference, the ATT and T-Mobile models are identical. They come with different SIM cards, which you’d just dispose of anyhow. Note, these phones don’t usually come with the SIM eject tool so I’d recommend you take one with you.

Let me know how you get on.
Click to expand...
@Ad13.....You are a legend!!! :)
Thank you so much for your help :)
Yes, I was trying AT&T.
Will do T-Mobile, when i get a notification that they are available.
 
You need to buy the Apple Care+ in the same country that you buy the iPhone. It works universally, but you need to buy them together.
Could get sticky after the fact trying to light that up in the UK.

If you look at the specs for the two models (not including the one for Japan - as they have their own unique NFC chip there), they support the same LTE bands - meaning it really wouldn't matter which model you get.

The A1901 would be the model sold in the UK (GSM only). Currently sold by AT&T & T-Mobile.
The A1865 includes support for CDMA (only utilized in the US and a handful of carriers elsewhere). (Verizon & Sprint).

Oh, and, yes, the SIM eject tool is in the box for the iPhone X (with the sparse literature). You can bring one from home, but you shouldn't need it. :)
 
B44dsh4h said:
@Ad13.....You are a legend!!! :)
Thank you so much for your help :)
Yes, I was trying AT&T.
Will do T-Mobile, when i get a notification that they are available.
Click to expand...
No problem. I know what’s it like as I went through exactly the same problems when the 6S Plus was launched. But unfortunately, I had nobody helping me and it’s was so frustrating and difficult to get the right info regarding the models etc, so as I had this experience, I thought I help you out to save you the time and effort and to ensure you get your dream machine.

Not sure about having to buy AppleCare in the country you buy the phone as posted above as I know people who have bought it after the fact in a different country and have had zero problems. I would buy it in the US regardless, as it works out cheaper, but also as I posted above, when I needed a screen replaced I didn’t have to pay the excess as the Apple Store in the UK didn’t know how to bill me in dollars - win win situation!
[doublepost=1510423177][/doublepost]
fischersd said:
You need to buy the Apple Care+ in the same country that you buy the iPhone. It works universally, but you need to buy them together.
Could get sticky after the fact trying to light that up in the UK.

If you look at the specs for the two models (not including the one for Japan - as they have their own unique NFC chip there), they support the same LTE bands - meaning it really wouldn't matter which model you get.

The A1901 would be the model sold in the UK (GSM only). Currently sold by AT&T & T-Mobile.
The A1865 includes support for CDMA (only utilized in the US and a handful of carriers elsewhere). (Verizon & Sprint).

Oh, and, yes, the SIM eject tool is in the box for the iPhone X (with the sparse literature). You can bring one from home, but you shouldn't need it. :)
Click to expand...
Interesting about the SIM tool. My USA sourced 6S Plus didn’t have one, neither did my brother’s USA sourced 8 Plus. Maybe the X is different.
 
Ad13 said:
Interesting about the SIM tool. My USA sourced 6S Plus didn’t have one, neither did my brother’s USA sourced 8 Plus. Maybe the X is different.
Click to expand...
Hmm. Maybe it's the delta between the carrier SKU's and the "SIM free" SKU. Seems so silly to leave something out that likely costs about 50 cents to make and package, but politically, I guess you could say the carriers don't want them taking that SIM card out.
 
fischersd said:
Hmm. Maybe it's the delta between the carrier SKU's and the "SIM free" SKU. Seems so silly to leave something out that likely costs about 50 cents to make and package, but politically, I guess you could say the carriers don't want them taking that SIM card out.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is what I thought. For the cost of the tool, you’d have thought it’d be easier to just include it in the box. I do remember that the T-Mobile SIM card was already installed into the phone and I had trouble removing it while on holiday.
 
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I may use this option when I am in the US during Christmas week, hopefully stock levels would no longer be an issue. Hope the OP can update us if he was successful
 
Last edited:
B44dsh4h said:
Hi,

I live in the UK, and next week I will be going to the US for 1 week.
I want to buy an iPhone, and am still thinking about whether to buy the 8plus or the X.

1 - Can I buy an X sim-free from Apple in the US, or are they only available on contract?
2 - Will the warranty work in the UK for a US iPhone? I asked at an Apple store in the UK, and he said if there is a fault, they will have to order the part from the US and so I might be without a phone for 4-5 days. Has anyone had any experience of this?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Were you successful with your quest to procure an X from the US? I am just wondering as I will be doing this next month.
 
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