i phone 4s if bought in usa/will it work in uk?

bondy_lad

just a quicky,,,,someone told me you can buy an i phone in usa much cheaper than here? is this true and more importantly will it work in england/uk?reason i ask is i am going to new york for a few days in a couple of weeks and thought about getting one there,,i am in no way technically minded and have no idea,,it would be a present for my oldest son (22),,thank you.

jayme1

no it isn't cheaper in the US, and no it won't work here in the UK.

the person who told you this probably has quoted the price of $199 this is correct but with a 24 month contract, at this moment they are not selling sim free ones in the US and when they do the price is $699-$799 without tax.

bondy_lad

much appreciated and thanks for your prompt reply.

grumbler

Buying a phone from America

If you do your maths correctly you'll see that it is not much cheaper there.

gjchester wrote: »

16GB $649 £449 UK £499
32GB $749 £513 UK £599
64GB $849 £582 UK £699

Unlike the UK, US sticker prices are always before Tax. Tax %age varies from state to state.

There may be up to 13% sales tax on that it it's bought in store so I added 10% on before doing the $ to £ conversion. Also I used interbank rates, the tourist rate will differ by a few quid..

VAT and Duty may be charged if they declare it (or even a fine if they don't and are caught). If stopped the onus is on them to prove they left the UK with it, not Customs to prove they didn't. Throwing away the box and reciept will not help, the IMEI could be used to identify the phone source. It is a big IF though..

You'll also need a UK plug, official Apple ones are £25 but plan on £5 or so if you need one or use a travel adapter permanantly, however iPhones happily charge from a PC.

Also: iphone 4s unlocked u.s

grumbler

jayme1 wrote: »

...no it won't work here in the UK.

May I ask why?

sdduk

I think the reason the iPhone 4s won't work in the UK is because its locked to the AT&T and they are the only network that do the iPhone 4s they don't sell them unlocked so you would have to get it unlocked first and i don't know if you can jail break the US version.

grumbler

Yes, I see now: "Available on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon".
However, I also see: "...Or get iPhone unlocked and contract-free. Coming in November."

bondy_lad

confused now ,,does that mean if unlocked and bought in usa ,it will work here?

mrochester

grumbler wrote: »

Yes, I see now: "Available on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon".
However, I also see: "...Or get iPhone unlocked and contract-free. Coming in November."

AT&T 4S's bought for the 'off-contract' price of $650 have been coming unlocked too.

Toe-Jam

If you buy the sim free version in the US, it will work in the UK.

Regarding the US sales tax. Visitors can reclaim sales tax on purchases under $800. However this is not as straight forwards as it sounds and varies drastically depending on state
You could always buy it sim free from Apple UK via Quidco.com and get 2% cashback.