Can an unlocked sim-free Japanese iPhone 7/+ work in the US?

[Appurushido]

Can an unlocked sim-free Japanese iPhone 7/+ work in the US? I plan to buy one in Japan next week because they have the Suica embedded in the phone. OR should I just buy one at the Apple store before I leave? I would have waited for the 8, but my battery is slowly dying. Drains on a full charge in just a few hours (less than 3-4 on my 6+).

I plan to buy an unlocked sim-free Japanese iPhone at an Apple store directly cause carrier ones are locked. Can it work with my carrier (i'm on ATT) in the US when I take it home? Anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Applejuiced]

Yes if it's unlocked it will work on any gsm carrier in the world.
But not sure if it will include all lte bands used by AT&T.
You should double check on that before you purchase.
Also it will have the Japanese regional restrictions with the camera shutter sound. Not sure if that bothers you or not but figured I'd mention it.

 

[Appurushido]

Thanks for the info. I totally forgot about the perv shutter sound. That might be the deal breaker. Might have to just get an apple watch for the Suica feature. The one thing that I drew me to get a Japanese one was, even with the exchange rate, the cost is about $30-$50 cheaper overall.

 

[Channan]

$50 is not worth the camera shutter. Lol

 

[Appurushido]

Yeah, I thought long and hard then I came across this article to convince me that the Suica and $50ish or so cheaper feature wasn't worth the shutter sound.

A good read to those contemplating on buying a Japanese iPhone 7

https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/30/japans-noisy-iphone-problem/

 

[mavis]

Remember that using an Apple Watch's Suica function is not exactly the most convenient thing in the world, as the card reader is always on the right, whereas most people wear the watch on their left. Meaning you'll be twisting and contorting your body to get it to read ...

 

[bakamitai]

I was on the fence about this as well, since I travel to Japan yearly. After checking the iStocknow site daily, the 7+ still seems to be in limited supply. With the added shutter sound, and the fact I'd only be using it a few weeks out of the year, I decided to just deal with it. Bought a sim-free version and will continue to use my Suica card like usual. I had a Porter case on my 6+ that had a slot in the back for the suica card. I'm hoping when I'm up there next month something similar will be available.

 

[Appurushido]

I was on the fence about this as well, since I travel to Japan yearly. After checking the iStocknow site daily, the 7+ still seems to be in limited supply. With the added shutter sound, and the fact I'd only be using it a few weeks out of the year, I decided to just deal with it. Bought a sim-free version and will continue to use my Suica card like usual. I had a Porter case on my 6+ that had a slot in the back for the suica card. I'm hoping when I'm up there next month something similar will be available.

I just got to Japan about 36hrs ago (I'm usually here about 2 months out of the year on several occasions). My local Apple store has the 7+ in stock, so I opted to buyout the sim-free, unlocked version for $930ish tax incl. It's freaking a lot of money just for a smartphone and the first iPhone I purchased un-subsidised. I too will just continue to use my Suica card. I would much rather have no shutter sound over convenience on a phone.