Hey guys, I'm due to fly over to the states in a few weeks and was thinking about picking up a sim free iphone 6 whilst over there as they're quite a bit cheaper thanks to the exchange rate! has any one of you ever done this and if so will it definitely work when back in the UK? Obviously I know the charger will be different but that's not a problem with the handy USB cables supplied, I also have quite a few of the plugs that take USB cables too so not an issue there. I'm more concerned with the network side of things really and if all the features such as the NFC and stuff like that will work once I get it back to the UK. Anyway hopefully one of you guys will know the answer and I can pick myself up a bargain whilst on holiday! Thanks in advance!
you'll need to check if the LTE freq is the same as UK's. And yes warranty will be invalid too, so that's a risk to take.
I've had iPhones ever since the original one and have never had a problem with them so it's a risk I'm willing to take! Thanks for the replies, I'll have a look into the LTE Frequencies and see if any match up, as far as I'm aware it's only T-Mobile that sell them sim free in the states so that'll be my starting point!
It's complicated. When are you coming over? The Unlocked version won't be released for a few months now. The carrier versions are only available for the carriers unless they unlock them for you. The 4G LTE does not work outside the US on a US model number phone (i.e. it will only work on 3G). So all the cool VoLTE won't work for ya. All carriers are available device only at the Apple Store but getting one might be a problem in the early days. They just will all have a sim card for the carrier they belong to. T-Mobile included. Unlocked GSM phones are the only phones that are sim free. Edit/add: Apple Care is available worldwide no matter where you purchase the phone; apple care + is dependent on the country you are in if the + is valid.
I'm visiting Miami briefly on my way to the Bahamas on the 4th November so I was hoping the furore would have died down somewhat and they'd be readily available! I've read up on the LTE side of things and according to this table my carrier in the UK (Vodafone) is supported on the T-Mobile unlocked GSM model A1549, http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ I know the warranty would be useless but I'm willing to take that risk for a cheap iPhone 6! You sound like you know your stuff so if you wouldn't mind having a look at that table for me I'd appreciate it greatly! Thanks in advance!
Looks like the Vodafone is A1586 - that isn't the T-Mobile phone. Looks like you need to wait for the unlocked version which indeed will be more cost efficient for you. But don't worry about the Apple Care - it is valid in any country.
No, as you stated they are different phones but according to the table they both support the same frequencies? (Vodafone use frequency 20 800mhz in the UK) Or have I read it wrong?