US iphone 6 in the uk

No possibly not because the frequencies are different in the US to the UK, so you could buy a phone in the US and bring it back to the UK and use it, but you would not be able to get 4G in the UK - it could not be guaranteed and also remember that if you buy a phone in the US, then you have no warranty cover for it in the UK - iPhone warranty is country specific so if you have problems, you'll have to take it back to the US.

If you want to buy a phone, then buy it in the UK where it will work as expected and you will also have EU warranty cover.

Yes really. If you buy the phone from the US, then it is not guaranteed to work with Vodafone 4G - you will take pot luck with that, but if you want an iPhone that is guaranteed to work with Vodafone 4G in the UK, then buy it in the UK.

The US model iPhone6 is part number A1549 (GSM) or A1549 (CDMA). The A1549 (GSM) will work in the UK but will not support all the frequencies used in the UK. From the https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ page it appears in this particular case the A1549 (GSM) supports 800MHz - LTE band 18 or 19 which is one of the frequencies used by Vodafone UK and also supports 2.6GHz LTE band 7 which is the other frequency used by Vodafone UK.

This implies it might be suitable to use with Vodafone UK on 4G. However while the networks and the above Apple table merely list the frequency as 800MHz or 2.6GHz in actuality the frequencies are not simple or exactly 800MHz and 2.6GHz. Vodafone bought a license to use 2 x 10MHz of bandwidth in the 800MHz range and 1 x 25MHz and an additional 1 x 20MHz in the 2.6GHz range. I suspect this means the actual real frequency might be something like 810MHz - 820MHz. It is therefore possible that a US band 18, 19 and 7 might not be exactly the same as the ones used by Vodafone UK.

I think however the biggest issue is going to be that while the above table specifically talks about LTE bands and seems to suggest you will be ok you also need to still take in to consideration the need to support 3G bands and maybe even 2G bands. This is because sadly 4G coverage is not 100% and in many areas you are forced to drop down to older slower networks. So if you did buy a US model which appears to support the 4G frequencies used by Vodafone you still also need to have coverage for 3G etc. as well. Also remember that right now non of the UK networks officially support VoLTE, Vodafone UK only made their very first VoLTE test call in August 2014 - less than a month ago! So while all the above relates to 4G data, voice calls still all use 3G.

For the purposes of a US citizen travelling to the US then go ahead, an iPhone 6 will be even better at roaming as it does support more frequencies than previous models. If your plan is to try and buy a handset more cheaply in the US and grey import it to the UK then don't bother. You still will have to declare it at customs and still will have to pay any duty plus the full 20% VAT. As US retailers typically charge US sales tax even to non-US customers you may end up paying sales tax twice over. It is far harder to almost impossible to claim back US sales tax. (It is easy to buy items in the UK to take back to the US and claim back or avoid UK VAT, many retailers on Tottenham Court Road do this simply by asking to see your foreign passport.)

I have a question about this and I am looking for technically informed answers if anyone can help.

I have an AT&T iphone 5S and looking to upgrade to 6Plus. I travel a lot. The Iphone 5S US GSM versions had different LTE bands to those in other regions. The 6 however seems to be in 2 GSM forms, US and non US (Let us ignore CDMA and Verizon/Sprint for this purpose). The US version has basically all the FD LTE Bands however the overseas model has additional TD LTE bands which are used in South America, Asia and some African and European countries. Therefore it seems that to have the band capacity for LTE roaming one should buy a foreign Iphone 6 for the extra bands as there are no bands on US phone which are not present on foreign version. Does everyone agree? Secondly being able to use the phone in LTE requires a 4G roaming agreement to be in place with carriers in that country, are there any issues with foreign sourced phones (can unlocked phones be bought from Apple Stores overseas) using such agreements, using VoLTE on AT&T and using Apple Pay at home. I know the Europeans have a different system for NFC using emv which is in process of adoption in US but there may be additional security protocols on US Phones or this may just be a software issue. Any informed technical help on interoperability would be appreciated. I presume my itunes account governs what apps I can download. If I bought my phone in UK or Japan I would not want to be stuck with local foreign apps.

By the way there is no such thing as US Sales Tax. Sales Tax is levied where applicable by the State where the transaction is made. There was an exemption where the purchaser made an internet or telephone purchase using a billing and shipping address in a different state where the seller did not have a licensed place of business but that is being closed by states. Rates of Sales Tax do vary by State though.

Don't forget that if something happens to the phone and you need service under the warranty, you will need to physically return it to the United States to get that service. I think this is a huge consideration when buying a phone.

Does that mean buying a phone in Britain means it has to be returned to Britain? Won't the local Apple Store be able to help? I know thy would be unable to replace but Apple says it has a global warranty on its products?

Global warranty only refers to items OTHER than phones. Phones are only serviced in the country they are purchased in. Very, very rarely they make exceptions, but don't expect to get service for a phone in a country you didn't buy it in.

I believe Apple do provide a global warranty for iPhones now however actually utilising it maybe more difficult. Assuming they do cover it, it will be via Apple Stores only and unlikely to be by any normal Apple Authorised Repair dealerships, I would also not expect mobile networks to provide support even if the same parent company e.g. Vodafone operates in both countries.

Assuming an Apple Store does provide cover you may have to hand the phone in and wait for it to be repaired as they may not have the appropriate international model (or parts) in stock.

I believe they did this for the iPhone 5 but certainly not earlier models. I don't know if they continue to do it. I also believe regardless of that any iPhone bought in Europe would be covered anywhere in Europe. (All European models are the same, just the charger differs.)

Having AppleCare would increase the likelihood of an Apple Store helping you.

John Lockwood wrote:

I believe Apple do provide a global warranty for iPhones now

I believe they did this for the iPhone 5 but certainly not earlier models.

You're wrong.

Yep, just called Apple. The warranty is a waste of time and money outside the US. Won't buy it on the 6 plus. I guess I will just buy it in my local Apple Store and have to put up with the carriers who do not use TD-LTE and use a local phone in China. Trouble is in many (non US) overseas countries they use other brands like Samsung which I find harder to get along with. Now I have to find out if Apple Pay will work overseas.... I suspect not until all US Banks use EMV and then they will change protocols to prevent world standards again.....