Iphone 4 - from USA

fnc63

hi there

i really want to get on the iphone bandwagon, i resisted when the 3g was out because of the 3gs model coming along, but never could justify it, now with the iphone 4 being announced and with its front facing video amongst other things, i really cant think they could bring out any further improved features that would make me want to upgrade again to a 5 or 6, so i would have a suitable phone for a very long time

of course we all know the UK is going to be stung badly when it arrives next month and seeing prices in the US are going to be $199 for 16gb & $299 for 32gb i think thats a reasonable price structure, i like the sound of a 16gb for £138, the only trouble is where to get it and getting it here

i suspect the only us based sellers willing to ship will be the ebay profiteers, now they may well claim its unlocked and i hope it would be

what difficulties am i likley to face - will it work straight out of the box on the uk networks and with a uk sim, will i get stung my custom charges and if so by how much, how would they work that out

anyone ever gone done this route before with an earlier model and care to share your story of how it came to be, i would much appreciate it

MT's

Nile

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jd87

I think you have misunderstood the prices.

The prices you quote are with a contract. To get the phone for $199 you would need to take out a contract with AT&T in the US, which will be of no use to you in the UK (and as you aren't resident in the US you won't be able to get one anyway).

If the iPhone goes on sale ona handset only basis, without contract, expect it to be £500-600.

fnc63

jd87 wrote: »

I think you have misunderstood the prices.

sorry, you're right, my bad

i got carried away in my excitement of usd to gbp conversion

still im sure i'd still be able to get one thru ebayUS cheaper than PAYG over here, so i guess its just the question of custom charges ?

gjchester

fnc63 wrote: »

still im sure i'd still be able to get one thru ebayUS cheaper than PAYG over here, so i guess its just the question of custom charges ?

The US does not have PAYG iphones. Ones on Ebay are probably contract phones that will have been unlocked (I assume by non apple means) and are being sold on. You would always have the risk they may get re-locked in an upgrade, or you'd get no support if they broke due to the unlocking process.

redux

fnc63 wrote: »

... so i guess its just the question of custom charges ?

Yes, you have to pay VAT (on total price including shipping) and a clearance fee to the firm doing the import

Also it would be worth checking if you would have any warranty cover over here without needing to ship it back to USA. Or it may be void anyway, if unlocked or jailbroken, as per the above post.

Oscar_The_Grouch

There are other threads on here where the point of the warranty has come up. General consensus is that if YOU purchased the iPhone and then brought it to the UK, they will honour most of the warranty (they are under no obligation to help you in the UK if you bought it in the US, but do their best) but if you buy the phone from someone else, you are on your own and need to refer back to the country of orgin.

If you are someone who travels alot and can pick up the iPhone 4 for $500, then you should be ok. If you are in the UK and just trying to save a few quid, don't bother.

jimbms

As others have said, if you buy an iPhone 4 from the US you are asking for problems, it is odds on not officially unlocked so you risk upgrading, your warranty is more or less invalid unless you can persuade Aplle you have moved from the US to the UK in which case they may even unlock for you if you can prove you had a AT&T contract and to top it all though many may argue, the build standards in the US are slightly less due to the fact consumer laws there are such that anything slight wrong and Apple can't get out of a replacement so they build in the mind that they will need to swap it in 6 months anyway, whereas in Europe they build them to a higher standard.

Fifer

In addition to the manufacturer's warranty probably being country specific, you have no protection under the SOGA which you will have if you buy from a UK vendor. These are particularly important issues with the early models of a new technology product where there is a higher than average risk of design and manufacturing issues as well as bugs.

jimbms

I think the short answer is that is it worth all the hassle and risk just to save about £30

gjchester

jimbms wrote: »

the build standards in the US are slightly less due to the fact consumer laws there are such that anything slight wrong and Apple can't get out of a replacement so they build in the mind that they will need to swap it in 6 months anyway, whereas in Europe they build them to a higher standard.

I 'd be willing to bet its one standard in the plant that builds them to and they don't have different standards. Makes more sense that you build to one level and ship it where the demand is, rather than seperate build qualities and hope the right one is in stock at the time.

I also think the US tend to have 90 day warranties on things..