Getting IPhone 4 or 4S from US to India

I can't speak for the CDMA iPhones, but the GSM iPhones with a contract are locked to AT&T.

 

How do you plan on getting an iphone with contract in the US?
You need to be a resident and have a social security number and decent credit history.
Not anyone can walk in and buy a subsidized iphone and then just go back to India or whatever country they came from.
And like mentioned above GSM iphones are locked to AT&T.
Verizon iphones can be unlocked by verizon but you have to pass some criteria before they allow that.

 

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Buy it unlocked.

 

IMHO, your best option will be to buy an unlocked iPhone 4/4S.

Good luck.

 

Buying unlocked is considerably more expensive but considerably less hassle. And worth it.

 

You'll have to buy an unlocked phone which should work for you, but, for the minor savings and slight risk of it not working, you're probably better off just buying one in India.

If you buy one on contract, you will not be able to use it on any other carrier. It will be locked to US AT&T.

 

AT&T iPhone early termination fee (ETF) is $325 minus $10 for each full month of your service commitment that you complete. And it would still be locked to AT&T.

 

You can't get a subsidized phone because you arent a citizen. You would have to buy the unlocked phone, which is a lot more money. By the time you add up the cost of the trip and the unlocked phone price and all the hassle, it will barely be worth it. Just sack up, open your wallet, and buy the phone in your country.

 

Do not buy the contract iphone. Even if you have friends/relatives who can buy it for you, they have to either live with an expensive contract to serve for 2 years or pay ETF. In either case, AT&T will NOT unlock the iphone for you and you will always rely on 3rd party software to unlock which may or may not be available all the time.

If you buy an unlocked phone from US, the difference if not huge if you are calculating the cost as INR 35k from US and 40K in India. Please remember, if you buy from US, you do NOT get warranty support in India. Additionally, Indian Operators are giving reverse subsidy which means for 40K you get an unlocked iPhone and Airtel will give you subsidy worth 20K (I think !), so it really makes sense to buy it from India and avoid all the hassle.

 

I can only think of these options for your situation:

Assuming all logistics work out for breaking the contract and the latest JB allows unlocking:
1. AT&T 4s + jailbreak = Usability in india + NO Future S/W Updates

2. UNLOCKED 4s = Full usability claim in India + Future S/W Updates

 

How many times do we have to tell you? The subsidized phone is locked. You can not unlock it with anything.

 

Here's the deal. Your relative can get the phone and break the contract. He/she will need to buy the Verizon phone. IF your relative has good standing with Verizon they will unlock it for use overseas (yes, it has a GSM radio too) after their first month's bill has passed. They can then pay the early termination fee, which is likely around $300. At the end of the day, you MIGHT save yourself something like $50, if anything at all. I just don't see that being worth it, but to each his own I guess.

Your best bet is to have your relatives look for someone selling the verizon iPhone on craigslist or someplace and are able to have the GSM capabilities unlocked for you. Phones like this sell for $500 or so in my area.

EDIT: Google says the Verizon ETF is $350

 

Or sprint will work same way. ATT will be locked with 0 chance of unlocking it legit way. Also remember there is no unlock for jailbreak yet so your options are
1) Unlocked phone
2) Verizon phone
3) Sprint phone

With choices 2 and 3 your relatives will have to call either vzw or sprint and ask them to unlock the phone. They will need to have account in good standing on both carriers and certain number of months in contract. If they already have the service it will be faster if they don't then you will need to wait

 

I have read that sprint wants something like 3-6 months of on-time payments before allowing this. Again, only what I read here, which we know is gospel truth.

 

1. A subsidized phone is generally locked to a carrier and cannot be used on another carrier, unless you jailbreak and unlock. Not all versions of iOS/baseband can be unlocked.
Contracts cannot be cancelled within the first month. Therefore, the first cell phone service invoice must be paid. This bill will likely be between $110 - 205$ (initial invoices are for a period between 1-2 months + activation fees + taxes, which may be as high as 35%)
Therefore the contract will cost a minimum of $325 (or $350 on Verizon) + 110 = $435 (or $460 on Verizon). It may be as high as $530 (or $555 on Verizon)

2. If sent by FedEx and appropriately declared, shipping charges will be around $100 and customs duty will be around 30% of $650 (this is the full retail value of iPhone 4S). Therefore: $100 + $195 = $295

3. If hacktivation is not a possibility, use it once in the US.

4. You can upgrade the software but your iPhone will become inoperative unless jailbreak/unlock are available.

5. iPhones do not come with international warranty.

 

Its possible. I unlocked mine same day i activated but i had sprint for a while

 

So that would mean you had at least 3-6 on-time payments before they unlocked it for you, right?

Side note: I also remember reading that Sprint was basicaly doing this for everyone for a couple weeks after launch and then the "rules" changed slightly. Again, I don't follow Sprint much. I couldn't stand the data when I had them. This is all I have picked up in passing, basically.

 

Hi. I haven't read all the comments. But I will try to answer all of it. I too am from India and using unlocked iPhone 4.

1. No, as on today, there is no unlock available for iPhone 4s, they say it's coming but u Neber know. Also, even if it comes, it's coming for the iOS 5.0 baseband, which u won't be able to get as u will get an upgraded new iOS version model.

Note: jailbreaking is different from unlocking. For atnt iPhones to work in India, u need to unlock. Which is not possible as on right now.

2. Yes tere are duties if couriered. How much, i don't know. But I wouldn't take a risk couriering such an expensive gadget even if it weren't chargaeable. The best option is a person carrying it for u.

3. No such thing. Just get it here.

4. Yes u can always upgrade softwares from apple. There is no issue if u but unlocked.
In case, an unlock comes and then u buy a locked phone and get it unlocked, ten u have to see e careful in upgrading the baseband version.

5.no warranty for any iPhone outside the country it is bought in. Irrespective of locked or unlocked. iPhone's are the only apple products that have country specific warranty. Something apple implemented to keep users buying from other countries at cheaper rates.

If something goes wrong then u have to send it back to the country it was bought from..

I hope this answers all your questions.
My advice: don't go for the locked one. There are chances of u making it an iPod if u accidentally upgrade it, if the baseband after upgradation is not unlockable..

Best option is to get an unlocked one from there. Still cheaper by 10000 rupees. And hopefully u won't have any issues. If u do then u have to send it back to your relatives to get it replaced and then get that replacement here.

 

Buy it unlocked in India.
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