Buying iPhone in the US

RoryMurphyJnr

This is a two pronged question.

1. Can I by an iPhone 5S from an Apple store in the US and simply put my iPhone 4s sim into it?

2. If I can, I want to give my wife the 4S, she has a bog standard phone, will she need a new sim?

Both of us are with O2 if that makes any difference

Thanks
R

guil

4s uses a micro sim. 5s prob uses the nano sim the same as the 5.

IrishHomer

Would you recommend discarding packaging before flying home to avoid customs and tax?

RoryMurphyJnr

guil wrote: »

4s uses a micro sim. 5s prob uses the nano sim the same as the 5.

Next question so, can I get my micro sim ported to a nano sim?
What costs would be invovled?

Ta

Stainless_Steel

I would recommend against buying an iPhone in the US.

I bought my sim free iPhone 5 in New York. 3 months into use and it developed a hardware fault.

The problem is that the iPhone in US is a different model code to Europe (cell frequencies or something). So Apple will not exchange within Europe.

They won't ship a replacement out of the US either. So the only way is to go to the US or know someone there.

willah

RoryMurphyJnr wrote: »

Next question so, can I get my micro sim ported to a nano sim?
What costs would be invovled?

Ta

There shouldn't be any cost just go into an O2 shop and ask for a nano sim. You could cut your wife's sim I have done it a few times, or while in the O2 shop bring her with you and get a micro sim for the 4s. Only risk buying in the states is the warranty isn't covered. But if you travel there frequently, or know someone there I think it is worth the risk.

Green_Martian

Im travelling to NYC in a few weeks and am thinking of buying the 5s over there Sim free in the apple shop, im begining to get a bit worried as people are mentioning faults etc and void warranty if using outside US.

Would insurance not solve this issue??

Looking on the site it says the unlocked 5s comes with a T-mobile sim and to set up phone bring it to an apple shop or t-mobile shop, is this really nessecary if bringing back to Ireland??

Sorry for hijacking but didnt see point in starting new thread

Thanks

Stainless_Steel

Green_Martian wrote: »

Im travelling to NYC in a few weeks and am thinking of buying the 5s over there Sim free in the apple shop, im begining to get a bit worried as people are mentioning faults etc and void warranty if using outside US.

Would insurance not solve this issue??

Looking on the site it says the unlocked 5s comes with a T-mobile sim and to set up phone bring it to an apple shop or t-mobile shop, is this really nessecary if bringing back to Ireland??

Sorry for hijacking but didnt see point in starting new thread

Thanks

I can't help re insurance. You'd have to check the small print of the policy. If the insurance company run into the warranty problems then they may use a clause against you.

Personally I wish I never bought the phone in the US. I didn't know about the different models at the time.

Re t mobile setup, I didn't have to do this with my iPhone 5. There was no sim and it was fully unlocked out of the box. I didn't hear if this is changing for the 5S release.

I'm now left with a useless brick of an iPhone. My bro is going to the US next month and he will get me a replacement under the US warranty. But I am still left with a phone that i will have trouble selling on once I alert the buyer about the potential warranty issues.

willah

Green_Martian wrote: »

Im travelling to NYC in a few weeks and am thinking of buying the 5s over there Sim free in the apple shop, im begining to get a bit worried as people are mentioning faults etc and void warranty if using outside US.

Would insurance not solve this issue??

Looking on the site it says the unlocked 5s comes with a T-mobile sim and to set up phone bring it to an apple shop or t-mobile shop, is this really nessecary if bringing back to Ireland??

Sorry for hijacking but didnt see point in starting new thread

Thanks

No. If you don’t want a multiyear service contract, or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. If you choose T-Mobile, your iPhone comes with a T-Mobile SIM card already installed. You will need to contact T-Mobile or visit an Apple Retail Store to activate your iPhone.
Otherwise, the unlocked iPhone does not come with a micro-SIM card for iPhone 4s, or a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5c so you’ll need to get one from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using your iPhone, simply insert the SIM card into the slot and turn on iPhone by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

snappieT

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

I can't help re insurance. You'd have to check the small print of the policy. If the insurance company run into the warranty problems then they may use a clause against you.

FWIW, I had a US-bought iPhone covered under Ulster Bank (ufirst) insurance and they paid me out a cheque for €600 when it was stolen.

miralize

Which model should I get for it to work in Ireland? I have a relative going over in November.

guil

miralize wrote: »

Which model should I get for it to work in Ireland? I have a relative going over in November.

You can't choose which model you buy. There is one for sale over there and the other here.

miralize

guil wrote: »

You can't choose which model you buy. There is one for sale over there and the other here.

There were 2 models for the 5 A1428 and 1429. The A1429 works in Ireland but its actually the CDMA model in the US no?

guil

miralize wrote: »

There were 2 models for the 5 A1428 and 1429. The A1429 works in Ireland but its actually the CDMA model in the US no?

Since the iPhone 4S there was no difference between a GSM and CDMA model. The difference between the A1428 and A1429 is the LTE chip. The first is sold in America and the second here. It's not possible to buy the second in America

Kagawa

I was in the apple store in London, I asked if there would be any problem if I bought a 5s in the US and wanted to use it here in Ireland and I was told that there would be no problem as the iphone 5s "has one of the widest LTE bands around", so I don't see there being any problem with regards to coverage. I do know that the warranty won't be covered here though, but it would be roughly €220 cheaper, so I think its worth the risk IMO.

IrishHomer

I'm planning on buying one in New York. Would it be advisable to leave the box packaging behind to avoid getting stung for tax?

jack presley

IrishHomer wrote: »

I'm planning on buying one in New York. Would it be advisable to leave the box packaging behind to avoid getting stung for tax?

You're allowed bring in €430 worth of products free of duty which works out at about $570 at today's exchange rate so if the phone is under that amount and you don't buy anything else, there's no need to discard the box.

Green_Martian

From the latest replies i might take the jump and get one while in New York of they are still available in the apple shop.

Quick question can i go to my mobile provider now and request a nano sim or should i wait till i get back as i would still be using my phone up until i get the new one in New York. Just wondering does the sim only become active when inserted or when collected in store

L5

If buying in NY what's the story with making sure it's compatible with the LTE
networks which will be launched here?

Do you need to tell them that the phone will be used in uk and ireland? As
I heard there are different versions of the 5s for different regions

Zcott

Anyone want to buy me a phone in the states while they're there? Quite serious...

freeze4real

Guys are you saying that the price of an iPhone 5s in the states is around the€450 mark ?

themacdaddy

I bought my iPad in the Apple store on 5th Avenue in March. No issues at all, I brought the box back too. You would be unlucky if you got caught for customs check and even at that just take the price off. They cannot prove you bought it there, (oh and hide your US apple charger as that would be a give away). I was told by the guy in the US apple store that my warranty was valid worldwide so there was no issue.

guil

themacdaddy wrote: »

I bought my iPad in the Apple store on 5th Avenue in March. No issues at all, I brought the box back too. You would be unlucky if you got caught for customs check and even at that just take the price off. They cannot prove you bought it there, (oh and hide your US apple charger as that would be a give away). I was told by the guy in the US apple store that my warranty was valid worldwide so there was no issue.

Is the iPad LTE if so they simply won't repair or replace it here. Look at the couple of posts/threads here about apple not repairing iPhone 5 bought in the states. They are different models

themacdaddy

guil wrote: »

Is the iPad LTE if so they simply won't repair or replace it here. Look at the couple of posts/threads here about apple not repairing iPhone 5 bought in the states. They are different models

No mine is not LTE. It is Wifi Only.

SpaceTime

Just be very careful as there are several versions of the iPhone 5S / 5C with different frequency setups for LTE.

You could end up buying a US iPhone that will not work on any Irish 4G network when they go on air in November.
European band allocations for LTE/4G are quite different to US ones.

freeze4real

What if you bought a model that does work in Ireland and something happens to it. Will apple repair it ?

guil

freeze4real wrote: »

What if you bought a model that does work in Ireland and something happens to it. Will apple repair it ?

No. How many times has it being said already? The LTE chip is different so different models. That was the case with the 5 so probably the same with the 5s

freeze4real

All the iPhone's have used are from the states and I have no problem with it or whatsoever. But the last-one I used was the iPhone 4. So lets say Ive been out of the game.

So in other words its not advisable buying an iPhone5/5s in the states due to as if something goes wrong apple wont fix it ?

guil

Yes that was the case with the iPhone 5. Looking at the specs on the uk and Us store they both give 5 different models for the 5s so I'm not sure it could be changed.

SpaceTime

It looks like the iPhone 5S models ALL support all Irish LTE frequencies.
The iPhone 5 didn't.

Irish bands for LTE :
800MHz - Band 20 (Digital Dividend former analogue PAL TV spectrum)
900MHz - Band 8 (old GSM 2G spectrum being freed up)
1800MHz - Band 3 (old GSM 2G spectrum being freed up)

(As yet, unclear which will be used by which networks, they mostly have licences for all 3. However 800MHz or 900MHz would provide the best signal propagation similar to that of GSM 2G. There's been a big issue with 2100MHz for 3G as it doesn't propagate well in buildings etc)

Bands for UMTS/3G (European standard)
2100MHz

Bands for GSM/EDGE 2G (European standard)
900MHz
1800MHz
(Both used by most networks, so having only one would limit you in dense areas where 1800MHz may supplement 900MHz)

iPhone 5S

Model A1533 (GSM)*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)

Model A1533 (CDMA)*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)

Model A1453*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)

Model A1457*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20)

Model A1530*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20); TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40)

All tech specs are available on www.apple.com/iPhone

Just beware though that some US shops may not know what model they're selling. Make sure you check very carefully before buying.

Also, I am not entirely clear what the difference between FDD-LTE and TD-LTE will be in an Irish context as I don't know what the networks are using until they give out more technical information. I would assume it's whatever most ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) members use though which seems to be a preference for FDD-LTE not TD-LTE. TD-LTE is generally confined to China and parts of the far east from what I have read about it and FDD-LTE is where most of the industry is going at the moment. FDD uses a frequency for upload and another one for download while TDD uses time division to share a single frequency for both. FDD seems to be producing better results at present though.

From the above though, it would seem like it doesn't matter as LTE-FDD is only supported on the last model on Bands 38, 39, 40 anyway. I would suspect that's the one aimed at Asian markets.

If you're planning on using it in both the US and Europe, check out the US frequencies more carefully as it looks like Ireland's going to be *very* Euro-standard and not at all quirky / weird. US frequencies tend to be strange because the FCC invariably comes up with absolutely daft frequency plans and operator-specific allocations that are totally unique to one company and stuff like that.

It's highly unlikely that Irish operators will do anything weird as they'll want access to the widest range of handsets and devices possible and won't want weird, expensive one-off network infrastructure gear either.

The FCC's approach has actually often held the US mobile industry up relative to the EU in particular which has been a lot more logical about allocations. In the early days of both 2G and 3G in the US the allocations were quite ridiculously small and a lot of networks were just permanently choked up. Early US 3G actually shoehorned 3G into the same spectrum that the existing CDMA and GSM 2G occupied where as in Europe it was given its own space.

In short: do your research mostly on the US side as that's where the weird stuff and unusual band allocations are likely to be!

freeze4real

The price of 16gb 5s of 549 pounds can buy 64gb iPhone 5s in the states.

This is very interesting.

Infact you can buy an iPhone 5s and ship it to a P.O box in the states and with a parcekl company ship it to Ireland. But I'm very sure that it will come with import tax.

SpaceTime

Be ware that it will come with a LOT of import tax though, so you might actually end up paying the same price as you would here / more.


Total customs value (CIF): €590.75 for iPhone 5S 32GB
- Duty: €0.00
- VAT: €135.87
Total import duty & taxes due: €135.87

Total landed cost: €726.62

& whatever you pay for shipping!

jack presley

SpaceTime wrote: »

Be ware that it will come with a LOT of import tax though, so you might actually end up paying the same price as you would here / more.


Total customs value (CIF): €590.75 for iPhone 5S 32GB
- Duty: €0.00
- VAT: €135.87
Total import duty & taxes due: €135.87

Total landed cost: €726.62

& whatever you pay for shipping!

One thing I've never known for sure with customs is do they value the item at the price you paid in the States or wherever and convert the value to Euro or do they price it on what it would cost if you bought it here? Surely it's the former, especially if you have a receipt as in a lot of cases things you are buying might not be available here meaning they have nothing to compare it to?

If it is as I think, you could get the 16GB 5c for $549 ($570-580 with tax depending on which state you buy it in) which is close to the €430 limit that you can bring in without having to pay duty.

freeze4real

SpaceTime wrote: »

Be ware that it will come with a LOT of import tax though, so you might actually end up paying the same price as you would here / more.


Total customs value (CIF): €590.75 for iPhone 5S 32GB
- Duty: €0.00
- VAT: €135.87
Total import duty & taxes due: €135.87

Total landed cost: €726.62

& whatever you pay for shipping!

My bro is in the states so buying it is no problem. I'll just tell him to discard the box.

SpaceTime

jack presley wrote: »

One thing I've never known for sure with customs is do they value the item at the price you paid in the States or wherever and convert the value to Euro or do they price it on what it would cost if you bought it here? Surely it's the former, especially if you have a receipt as in a lot of cases things you are buying might not be available here meaning they have nothing to compare it to?

If it is as I think, you could get the 16GB 5c for $549 ($570-580 with tax depending on which state you buy it in) which is close to the €430 limit that you can bring in without having to pay duty.

I think they can work from just the catalogue value here sometimes. I'm not 100% sure as a legitimate shipper will usually declare it accurately.

Kagawa

Does anyone know what the tax would be if I bought it in the apple store in New York?

L5

Kagawa wrote: »

Does anyone know what the tax would be if I bought it in the apple store in New York?

I think the sales tax is 7%

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

SnowDrifts

SpaceTime wrote: »

It looks like the iPhone 5S models ALL support all Irish LTE frequencies.
The iPhone 5 didn't.

Is the opposite true ... will an Irish iPhone 5s work on 4g/LTE networks in the US?

SnowDrifts

Also - any idea when the US Apple stores will stock sim free iPhone 5S?

Kagawa

I assume that they would have them available from the start? I plan to pick one up in mid October, so I hope they have them by then

SnowDrifts

Kagawa wrote: »

I assume that they would have them available from the start? I plan to pick one up in mid October, so I hope they have them by then

Not available yet. I think it was close to December last year before the iPhone 5 was available sim free over there.

Kagawa

They have them available on the US website so I don't see why they wouldn't have them available in the stores

Zcott

Kagawa wrote: »

Does anyone know what the tax would be if I bought it in the apple store in New York?

Find the zip code of the apple store NY then go through the Apple US store website and try making a delivery to that address. Should tell you the tax.

SnowDrifts

Just after noticing that now.. I thought it was locked to "T-Mobile". Last year, there was an option for just a sim-free phone and mentioned nothing about T-mobile.

SpaceTime

SnowDrifts wrote: »

Is the opposite true ... will an Irish iPhone 5s work on 4g/LTE networks in the US?

Until I know which particular model Apple's going to sell here (as all the GSM/UMTS ones seem to work on our LTE networks) I couldn't answer that.
Although they'll all work for AT&T and T-Mobile GSM 2G and probably UMTS 3G. The LTE reception would be the potentially problematic bit.

You can't generalise about 3G and LTE in the States even on the GSM/UMTS networks because AT&T and T-Mobile have different spectrum allocations for 4G. So a phone that works on AT&T may not necessarily work on T-Mobile and visa versa.

Verizon and Sprint are also using LTE, but they do not use GSM or UMTS as their 2 and 3G networks were built on Qualcomm CDMA technology EV-DO etc etc instead of the open GSM standards. They're gradually moving to open standards though as they move towards 4G however and ditching the proprietary stuff as it's more of a hinderance than a help i.e. restricting choices of handsets / devices and network equipment suppliers.

The big issue at the moment is that 4G does not carry voice traffic at all! So, when you make a phone call it will drop back to 3G. Voice over LTE is only beginning to be standardised now.

A solution to that isn't very far away though. I think the big issue has been to come up with something that's at least as good as GSM voice but using an all-IP network and VoIP.

SnowDrifts

Kagawa wrote: »

Does anyone know what the tax would be if I bought it in the apple store in New York?

The total for the 16gig 5S is $706 ( €522) - not a bad saving once you can avoid paying Irish duty and vat.

SnowDrifts

SpaceTime wrote: »

Until I know which particular model Apple's going to sell here (as all the GSM/UMTS ones seem to work on our LTE networks) I couldn't answer that.
Although they'll all work for AT&T and T-Mobile GSM 2G and probably UMTS 3G. The LTE reception would be the potentially problematic bit.

You can't generalise about 3G and LTE in the States even on the GSM/UMTS networks because AT&T and T-Mobile have different spectrum allocations for 4G. So a phone that works on AT&T may not necessarily work on T-Mobile and visa versa.

Verizon and Sprint are also using LTE, but they do not use GSM or UMTS as their 2 and 3G networks were built on Qualcomm CDMA technology EV-DO etc etc instead of the open GSM standards. They're gradually moving to open standards though as they move towards 4G however and ditching the proprietary stuff as it's more of a hinderance than a help i.e. restricting choices of handsets / devices and network equipment suppliers.

The big issue at the moment is that 4G does not carry voice traffic at all! So, when you make a phone call it will drop back to 3G. Voice over LTE is only beginning to be standardised now.

A solution to that isn't very far away though. I think the big issue has been to come up with something that's at least as good as GSM voice but using an all-IP network and VoIP.

Thanks for the information Spacetime. I'm thinking now it would just be a better option to get the sim-free T-Mobile US version. That way, it should work on both sides of the Atlantic.

Zcott

SpaceTime wrote: »

The big issue at the moment is that 4G does not carry voice traffic at all! So, when you make a phone call it will drop back to 3G. Voice over LTE is only beginning to be standardised now.

A solution to that isn't very far away though. I think the big issue has been to come up with something that's at least as good as GSM voice but using an all-IP network and VoIP.

Three in the UK support HD Voice, which is much clearer and sounds more like a Skype call than a regular phone call. It works on a few of the high end phones like the iPhone 5 and the S4, and it's way better. I suspect it's using 3G as we'll.

SpaceTime

Zcott wrote: »

Three in the UK support HD Voice, which is much clearer and sounds more like a Skype call than a regular phone call. It works on a few of the high end phones like the iPhone 5 and the S4, and it's way better. I suspect it's using 3G as we'll.

It's supported on Vodafone 3G here too.

http://www.vodafone.ie/network/hd-voice/

The range of handsets supporting it is growing all the time.

Most of the top-tier ones already do iPhone 5, HTC One, HTC 8X, the newer galaxies and some unexpected ones like Huawei Ascend G510

whiterebel

Zcott wrote: »

Find the zip code of the apple store NY then go through the Apple US store website and try making a delivery to that address. Should tell you the tax.

NY tax is 8.75%