iPhone 16/Plus US vs UK iPhone cheaper, e-sim and more cellar bands covered?

[caap]

I am considering buying a US iPhone rather than a UK one as I prefer e-sim without a physical sim tray. Also it is considerably cheaper. Looking at the list of cellular bands supported it also appears the US phone supports all the same bands as the Uk phone plus many more. So it seems a no brainer, cheaper, more bands supported, and more modern without the physical tray opening. Or am I wrong? https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/cellular/ I would buy the iPhone directly from apple unlocked then in UK would move my old number to it.

 

[Webcat86]

Are you factoring in US prices not showing inclusive of tax? I think you’ll pay the sales tax at the checkout (will need a US shipping address I assume), and a high chance you’ll also get stung for import customs.

I don’t know what price comparison you’ve worked out but adding 20% estimated sales tax to the USA prices it doesn’t come out much different, plus you’ve got no worries about import costs then.

 

[ACDeag]

If you pay US sales tax (only a few states won’t add it) and have to pay VAT on it, it will cost more than here in all likelihood.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Not to mention, no Consumer Law coverage.

 

[C. Robert]

I have no idea why you wouldn’t want a physical sim tray. Does it add weight

 

[ryan102]

Last year I did similar but I ordered to a US store for pickup as I was going to be on a trip to the US on launch day.

Ordered 15 Pro Max for $1,255 (included sales tax) which worked out about £960 at the time which was cheaper than the base iPhone 15 Pro model in the UK so it was a no brainer.

However I when I got back to the UK, I realised E-Sim isn't really a thing outside the US. I've been counting the days down for 11months for the iPhone 16 Pro launch so I can get a UK model again.

It's also only Apple who will let you trade-in a foreign model. Long as it's an Apple device, you can trade in at any Apple Store world-wide. However this limits your cash value as you're stuck with whatever Apple gives you. You can't trade the US model at Music Magpie for example who might be offering £100+ more trade-in value.

After having the US model for a year, my view is that it's the most limited region of iPhone. Purchasing from any other country is preferable where it would cheaper or close to the US price.

However as others have said, if you're going to be getting it imported then get ready for custom fees which will wipe out any savings. However if you're going to be in whatever the country is then there's not too much of a down-side.

 

[Diorama]

I get that the side of the phone is smoother without the sim tray, but the back would be smoother without a camera.

I was in Southeast Asia last year and it was so simple to get a SIM card from any kiosk, load it with data, and away you go. Bollocks to trying to set up a new e-sim; if it doesn’t work, what then?

 

[ukms]

I get that the side of the phone is smoother without the sim tray, but the back would be smoother without a camera.

I was in Southeast Asia last year and it was so simple to get a SIM card from any kiosk, load it with data, and away you go. Bollocks to trying to set up a new e-sim; if it doesn’t work, what then?

Going off topic a bit ….. but Why wouldn’t it work ? Just as likely as a physical sim not working. If it doesn’t work you get another QR code

 

[ukms]

If anyone from the UK is looking to save a little money on an iPhone then Dubai or Abu Dhabi is a good option if you happen to be passing through. The models sold here are the same as the UK. £1249 for a 16PM 512. You can also claim back the 5% VAT. If your iCloud account is UK you can take UK AppleCare+ direct from the device.

Obviously you make your own decision on whether you declare it at the airport but I’ve never seen queues of people declaring phones at Heathrow.

 

[AirpodsNow]

So I’m in the same boat.

Ordered an Us 16pro from a sales tax free state which is far cheaper than the UK. I worked out a provider that can do eSIM in the UK and will most probably need to figure out how an eSIM only travel life will work. It seems very bustling.

In my case I am moving my number to giffgaff which has eSIM offering also for payg, which I prefer. It will allow to keep my number for very low cost. I activated this in the USA and will follow up on the pac code after getting my 16pro.

Then I noticed a lot of good eSIM offerings on eBay uk with lots of data for cheap from the major carriers. I will be trialing that route from now onwards to get “cheap” eSIM data in the UK or elsewhere where I travel. In this way my real number (for all kinds of 2 factor) remains with me while I can freely change eSIM for whatever data is cheaply available. Sometimes these data eSIM without number are far cheaper than getting it from a major uk carrier.

Did you made a decisions already? iPhones in the USA are really much cheaper.

 

[Qountdown]

So I’m in the same boat.

Ordered an Us 16pro from a sales tax free state which is far cheaper than the UK. I worked out a provider that can do eSIM in the UK and will most probably need to figure out how an eSIM only travel life will work. It seems very bustling.

In my case I am moving my number to giffgaff which has eSIM offering also for payg, which I prefer. It will allow to keep my number for very low cost. I activated this in the USA and will follow up on the pac code after getting my 16pro.

Then I noticed a lot of good eSIM offerings on eBay uk with lots of data for cheap from the major carriers. I will be trialing that route from now onwards to get “cheap” eSIM data in the UK or elsewhere where I travel. In this way my real number (for all kinds of 2 factor) remains with me while I can freely change eSIM for whatever data is cheaply available. Sometimes these data eSIM without number are far cheaper than getting it from a major uk carrier.

Did you made a decisions already? iPhones in the USA are really much cheaper.

How does that work? where are they delivering it to? how will you get it.

 

[AirpodsNow]

I am considering buying a US iPhone rather than a UK one as I prefer e-sim without a physical sim tray. Also it is considerably cheaper. Looking at the list of cellular bands supported it also appears the US phone supports all the same bands as the Uk phone plus many more. So it seems a no brainer, cheaper, more bands supported, and more modern without the physical tray opening. Or am I wrong? https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/cellular/ I would buy the iPhone directly from apple unlocked then in UK would move my old number to it.

Just to add. Indeed there are more bands, it’s annoying to be in the USA without band 71 for me. It’s not that mmWave is important to me which only us models have.

However the uk version or mostly every with sim tray except china etc, have sim tray but should work similarly as us versions. They will be able to carry same number of esims and be used similarly. I don’t think there is a difference.

Also, if you get apple care from USA, it doesn’t need any fee for repair I believe compared to some fee in the uk. And you not as limited in the number of cases you are covered, please check. This is covered worldwide.

 

[AirpodsNow]

How does that work? where are they delivering it to? how will you get it.

I’m in the states now. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. I tried to look to get a sim tray version from Canada, but without able to physically go there it was far more expensive compared to paying for import duties, shipping and Canadian sales tax.

 

[darabo]

I got the UK version of the 15 PM last year while visiting London.

I had the same concerns about less cellular bands vs the physical sim card tray but honestly, I haven't noticed much a difference speed or coverage wise since bringing the phone back to the US.

The only thing to keep in mind is while it's already unlocked for esim capability on T-Mobile and AT&T, you either have to ironically get physical sim card to use Verizon (or a carrier that uses it like US Mobile, which is what I use) or call and sweet talk Verizon into whitelisting your phone's IMEI number to allow esim use.

I tried to sweet talk Verizon to no avail, they said I had to sign up for a plan, even a prepaid plan first before they could add my phone to their esim database. So I did a semi-sneaky thing where I got a call and text only esim plan for very cheap. It was good enough for the customer service representative who immediately added the IMEI number to their database, and since then my phone has had no issues with US issued esims.

So yes, it's ridiculous Apple has released the third iPhone where the US has made iPhones esim only. It's obviously not a constraint issue since the rest of the world has the sim tray.

 

[ukms]

So I’m in the same boat.

Ordered an Us 16pro from a sales tax free state which is far cheaper than the UK. I worked out a provider that can do eSIM in the UK and will most probably need to figure out how an eSIM only travel life will work. It seems very bustling.

In my case I am moving my number to giffgaff which has eSIM offering also for payg, which I prefer. It will allow to keep my number for very low cost. I activated this in the USA and will follow up on the pac code after getting my 16pro.

Then I noticed a lot of good eSIM offerings on eBay uk with lots of data for cheap from the major carriers. I will be trialing that route from now onwards to get “cheap” eSIM data in the UK or elsewhere where I travel. In this way my real number (for all kinds of 2 factor) remains with me while I can freely change eSIM for whatever data is cheaply available. Sometimes these data eSIM without number are far cheaper than getting it from a major uk carrier.

Did you made a decisions already? iPhones in the USA are really much cheaper.

Any reason you wouldn’t just use giffgaff in the UK for everything I have a UK number parked with them for £10 a month which gives me 40gb of free data. Also with giffgaff you can switch the eSIM from phone to phone within their app.

 

[AirpodsNow]

Any reason you wouldn’t just use giffgaff in the UK for everything I have a UK number parked with them for £10 a month which gives me 40gb of free data. Also with giffgaff you can switch the eSIM from phone to phone within their app.

I am planning to be less in the Uk for the coming years and was looking for a way to keep my number the cheapest way. That’s the main reason. There are plenty of ways with a SIM card with payg but eSIM it’s very limited.

While in the uk I might opt for giffgaff data bundle. But my area would be best with the three or ee network. So that it’s another consideration why I might not use giffgaff for data.

 

[caap]

Are you factoring in US prices not showing inclusive of tax? I think you’ll pay the sales tax at the checkout (will need a US shipping address I assume), and a high chance you’ll also get stung for import customs.

I don’t know what price comparison you’ve worked out but adding 20% estimated sales tax to the USA prices it doesn’t come out much different, plus you’ve got no worries about import costs then.

My family is from the Us and live in New Hampshire which is a tax free state. But even other states have only 6% sales tax lower than 20% VAT. I can pick up when visiting.

 

[caap]

I have ee UK contract now £12-14/m. I just went into ee store and they said I can get a basic monthly sim only (e-sim) for £10/month. I was traveling in France, China and USA last year and used e-sim Airolo which worked fine. I don't understand the issue people mention about physical sims as Airolo and other providers seem to be everywhere. I change phones only every 5 to 6 model years so I want a future proof phone and it seems E-sim is the future?

But why i was asking on here was if the people understand the phone bands. If American phones will run all UK networks? From me reading of the list it seems american phones run all UK plus more?
American phones seem to be best for worldwide use whereas other regions are more limited.

 

[AirpodsNow]

My family is from the Us and live in New Hampshire which is a tax free state. But even other states have only 6% sales tax lower than 20% VAT. I can pick up when visiting.

iPhone 16 $799 vs £799. The pound is currently 30% or so more than the dollar. Even if the sales tax of whatever 10% can added, it's still cheaper in the US. Currently it seems that Apple sells the iPhones in the uk for the same price as the us (so $1099 is £1099). Without sales tax it's a clean 30% more expensive or 23/24% cheaper, depending which way you based it on.

 

[AirpodsNow]

But why i was asking on here was if the people understand the phone bands. If American phones will run all UK networks? From me reading of the list it seems american phones run all UK plus more?

I assume you looked at the specs yourself. It seems that it has extra:

mmWave 5G (n258, n260, n261) and additional bands like n14 (public safety), n29, and n71 (rural 5G) for specific US network use cases

however, without sim tray. So I guess that's the difference I can figure out based on the specs. I personally do regret getting the iPad Pro cellular in the UK, since being in the US, the 5G in rural area from t-mobile is mainly on band 71. The UK model doesn't have that, and since m4 iPad Pro cellular is only esim (no more sim trays!) it wouldn't have mattered to get it here.

 

[ACDeag]

I got the UK version of the 15 PM last year while visiting London.

I had the same concerns about less cellular bands vs the physical sim card tray but honestly, I haven't noticed much a difference speed or coverage wise since bringing the phone back to the US.

The only thing to keep in mind is while it's already unlocked for esim capability on T-Mobile and AT&T, you either have to ironically get physical sim card to use Verizon (or a carrier that uses it like US Mobile, which is what I use) or call and sweet talk Verizon into whitelisting your phone's IMEI number to allow esim use.

I tried to sweet talk Verizon to no avail, they said I had to sign up for a plan, even a prepaid plan first before they could add my phone to their esim database. So I did a semi-sneaky thing where I got a call and text only esim plan for very cheap. It was good enough for the customer service representative who immediately added the IMEI number to their database, and since then my phone has had no issues with US issued esims.

So yes, it's ridiculous Apple has released the third iPhone where the US has made iPhones esim only. It's obviously not a constraint issue since the rest of the world has the sim tray.

You have to have your IMEI whitelisted, wow? Nothing like that in the UK, I am sure Ofcom wouldn't tolerate it.

 

[AirpodsNow]

You have to have your IMEI whitelisted, wow? Nothing like that in the UK, I am sure Ofcom wouldn't tolerate it.

yeah, somehow Verizon needs you to add the imei to their system. It doesn't sound like a big deal though. I can imagine that many people do that. There is a dedicated website to do so: https://www.verizon.com/bring-your-own-device/. And yes it is odd, my experience was always that you just pop in the SIM card and that's it.

 

[psychopomp2]

If anyone from the UK is looking to save a little money on an iPhone then Dubai or Abu Dhabi is a good option if you happen to be passing through. The models sold here are the same as the UK. £1249 for a 16PM 512. You can also claim back the 5% VAT. If your iCloud account is UK you can take UK AppleCare+ direct from the device.

Obviously you make your own decision on whether you declare it at the airport but I’ve never seen queues of people declaring phones at Heathrow.

Something to be aware of with iphones sold in UAE: they come with Facetime deactivated because of local Gov't regulations. Not a huge issue for many I imagine since every man & his dog are using Whatsapp these days, but this may affect its future resale value.

 

[ukms]

Something to be aware of with iphones sold in UAE: they come with Facetime deactivated because of local Gov't regulations. Not a huge issue for many I imagine since every man & his dog are using Whatsapp these days, but this may affect its future resale value.

NOT TRUE …. All phones sold in the UAE have FaceTime it’s just that using it is blocked by the telcos here (mostly). The app works its just when you make a call it rarely connects. It works perfectly well outside the UAE. Likewise WhatsApp calling is blocked here. A few years ago the FaceTime app was not on the device but that changed quite a long time ago. Same applies to iPads