iPhone 17 Pro Max Buying iPhone from the US and using it in Europe

[xTomi]

This may be a silly question. If I buy an unlocked iPhone in the United States and bring it to Europe, can I use a local operator's eSIM in it and will it work like any other phone purchased in Europe? No technical differences?

I live in Finland and am traveling to the US on vacation in October. I'm planning to buy an iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB there, as the price difference is significant. In the US, the phone costs $1,199, and in Finland, it costs €1,509 (≈$1,777).

 

[NotApplicable]

No technical differences?

You can buy an iPhone in the US and use a local operator's eSIM in it. BUT, there will be some technical differences. Fore example, here are the band differences in base iPhone 17 models (A3520 is intl, A3258 is USA)

 

[xTomi]

You can buy an iPhone in the US and use a local operator's eSIM in it. BUT, there will be some technical differences. Fore example, here are the band differences in base iPhone 17 models (A3520 is intl, A3258 is USA)
View attachment 2551849

US version include all same band as int version + there is some extra. What exactly does this mean in daily use? Works like a dream, or a total disaster?

 

[NotApplicable]

US version include all same band as int version + there is some extra. What exactly does this mean in daily use? Works like a dream, or a total disaster?

You're right, I didn't realize intl was a strict subset of the us model these days

Sounds like it will be just fine :thumbs-up:

 

[stormchasejg]

US version include all same band as int version + there is some extra. What exactly does this mean in daily use? Works like a dream, or a total disaster?

Should be just fine, I used my US 13PM & 15PM in the UK with no issues they just worked like they did in the US only difference was the addition of mmWave and the 15PM being eSim Only which was fine for me as id been using dual esim exclusively since my 13PM with UK & US lines and single esim on my UK line since the XS Max.

 

[ukms]

Only thing to keep in mind is your warranty / AppleCare. The validity and/or level of support might be tricky once you take it back to Finland. There is another thread on this about Germany.

 

[emeka09]

No issues for me. Used my US bought 15 pro max in the UK without any issues. Got an ESIM in the uk that worked fine. Apple care services worked too.

 

[ukms]

No issues for me. Used my US bought 15 pro max in the UK without any issues. Got an ESIM in the uk that worked fine. Apple care services worked too.

I didn’t say it wouldn’t work. If you needed to exchange a US eSIM only device in the UK they likely may not have stock. So you could end up either having to accept a device with a physical sim slot or having to ship it to the US for exchange. The challenge created because they are 2 different devices. This has been discussed to death before.