I'm shortly going to be in America for 6 months, shortly before leaving 2 weeks I'm due to upgrade my phone, I'm thinking about buying one in America rather than in the UK due to the price difference. However when I was in the Covent Garden store(London UK), the staff member said that the phones are different and when I returned I would not be able to use 4G or 5G if I bought the US version as they are not compatible.
Is this correct? I don't believe it is?
iPhone XS
The US phone is missing band 28 (and has an additional band 71). If your carrier uses band 28 you will not be able to use LTE with that carrier. Here's a list of European carriers -->https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks_in_Europe. Band 28 is not used in the UK, but it is used by some carriers in a few other countries (Sweden, Finland, Germany, France). So you many not get LTE in those countries. But you may, because all carriers have other bands in addition to 28, so it depends on where you are in the country. It will still work on 3G, no matter where you are.
I will note that I had LTE with my US phone in the UK, France and Germany recently.
The US phone is missing band 28 (and has an additional band 71). If your carrier uses band 28 you will not be able to use LTE with that carrier. Here's a list of European carriers -->https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks_in_Europe. Band 28 is not used in the UK, but it is used by some carriers in a few other countries (Sweden, Finland, Germany, France). So you many not get LTE in those countries. But you may, because all carriers have other bands in addition to 28, so it depends on where you are in the country. It will still work on 3G, no matter where you are.
I will note that I had LTE with my US phone in the UK, France and Germany recently.
Please see the list of compatible LTE phones below. Note the different models for different regions.
Keep in mind if you you need full warranty service, i.e. replacing the iPhone, you will need to return to the US or send it to a friend or relative and have them take it in.
US v UK iPhones
