Best country to buy an iphone4S or 5?

[hermespan]

I have two weeks to buy an unlocked iphone5. I will be in Canada, USA, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok to shop in this period. My priorities are in the following order...

1. best price (the most important feature, but keeping in mind #2-6)

2. worldwide use (quadband is what i heard the key is. I don't want any country I can be online)

3. best value (what one gets in the package is more important than price per se)

4. best service (I stopped buying Samsung when I learned that BKK servcies centres won't even touch my Malaysian purchased product)

5. anonymous purchase (I don't like telling Apple corporation my private business. I pay cash and expect service and subscriptions to be done without ID)

6. best price for used (I will probably buy new, but if second hand with worldwidde warranty is available...)

What I want to avoid is any problems like...

"Oh, the warranty doesn't apply in here/there/Mongolia"

"Oh, you can't use the phone service of Japan/Upper Slobovia with this device"

"Oh, this is a fake - it's not even a real Apple product".

" Oh *this* model is a special one, sold only in nation ABC - it lacks feature XYZ and the menu is available only in Swahili"

In other words, no problems. I don't want hassles just to save $100.

Suggestions? I will probably piurchase a 64 Gb iphone 6 with no attached phone service in USA. I am in a new nation every few months. I can't be tied down with servcie contracts to Thailand or Seattle for example. But perhaps I am wrong and there are better deals in Asia for this California product.

[TobiasML]

Apple products, officially purchased, are more or less the same price. USA might currently have the biggest advantage due to the exchange rate.

You should purchase additionally the Apple care product as this s providing you the worldwide warranty without hassle. Otherwise you will only have local warranty. As soon as you have purchased the product Apple will know as you have to register with the Apple shop to download anything No choice to keep it anonymous.

To get an unlocked phone you will need to buy directly at the Apple Store. Hong Kong and Singapore will provide you only with unlocked phones in every store. Not that cheap though. USA as I understood will sell in the Apple stores unlocked once otherwise they are branded.

Hope this helps

[lomatopo]

What is your "native" currency?

Where, exactly, will you be in the U.S.? Obviously a state without sales tax would represent a savings.

It is fairly easy to compare prices given there are on-line stores.

I'm not certain there is an iPhone 6 yet? In the U.S., a factory-unlocked iPhone 5/64 GB is $849 before any sales tax or shipping. You can buy factory-unlocked iPhones in Apple stores in the U.S.

Do you have any requirements for LTE? If so, which bands?

Unless you plan to use T-Mo/LTE (AWS: 1700/2100) in the U.S. I might get the GSM model A1429.

[hermespan]

Lomatopo wrote"What is your "native" currency?"

USD, CDN, & HKG - I bank in all three. I have cash (banknotes) in USD and CAD also.

"Where, exactly, will you be in the U.S.? Obviously a state without sales tax would represent a savings."

Good point - Seattle, WA

"It is fairly easy to compare prices given there are on-line stores."

Not so easy with five countries. Actually five, but I need the device before I get to Cambodia"

"I'm not certain there is an iPhone 6 yet?"

I read that it will not be a huge improvement and might just be an iphone5S. I hope it does come out in the next week, so there will be a discount on the 'old' model.

"In the U.S., a factory-unlocked iPhone 5/64 GB is $849 before any sales tax or shipping."

That's sounds about right. Apple products do not seem to be as compettively priced compared to PC. I don't mean versus PC, I mean comparing vendors of the same product line.

"You can buy factory-unlocked iPhones in Apple stores in the U.S."

And no doubt in Canada - I will call and compare.

"Do you have any requirements for LTE? If so, which bands?"

Don't know what that is. All I know is that I have to be able to use internet and phone everywhere I go in the world. I am a video scout and I was so impresed during a casting interview to see that the actor was able to use his own device and immediately send the snap to my Director - no fuss, that I decided that using a 'real' camera is obsolete. So, I am buying it for the interconected camera really.

LTE might as well be ABC. All I need is no limits such as arriving in Mongolia or Eritrea and finding out it doesn't work there.

"Unless you plan to use T-Mo/LTE (AWS: 1700/2100) in the U.S."

You are a funny guy.

"I might get the GSM model A1429."

You mean there is more than one model of apple iphone6?

[hermespan]

Apple products, officially purchased, are more or less the same price. USA might currently have the biggest advantage due to the exchange rate.

You should purchase additionally the Apple care product as this s providing you the worldwide warranty without hassle. Otherwise you will only have local warranty. As soon as you have purchased the product Apple will know as you have to register with the Apple shop to download anything No choice to keep it anonymous.

To get an unlocked phone you will need to buy directly at the Apple Store. Hong Kong and Singapore will provide you only with unlocked phones in every store. Not that cheap though. USA as I understood will sell in the Apple stores unlocked once otherwise they are branded.

Hope this helps

Thanks

Is Apple Care not available anonymously? It's not like I am a criminal but my habit is cash and I don't like big corporations (or the corner store) knowing my business, especially my financial business. This sounds odd that Apple requires registration. Samsung didn't require any sort of verification by phone or any tricks like that. I just bought the tabelt with cash and maybe registerered it to Mr. Magoo and it works fine. If I remember correctly...

Why would anyone buy a phone that commits you to a cellphone plan? Isn't that like buying a car that requires you to buy gas only from one petrol company? That actually is a possibility in the future if the present trend continues.

[lomatopo]

Apple has on-line presences on most of these countries allowing you to easily compare prices, assuming you have an internet-attached device. You'll have to convert currencies to some common one in order to compare.

In Washington (State) the sales tax is 6.5%, it may be closer to 9% in some incorporated municipalities.

There are three models, including two GSM models, one of which supports many worldwide GSM networks AND T-Mo/AWS. Hence the "funny" question.

In the U.S. you can buy un-subsidized, un-locked iPhones. You should not concern yourself with this aspect of retail handset distribution as it does not affect your situation.

Good luck.

Edited July 19, 2013 by lomatopo

[bubba]

Price in USD for unlocked iPhone 5, 16GB, from the country's online Apple Store. All include free shipping:

USA: $649 (not including State sales tax, if any)

Hong Kong: $720

Singapore: $749

But unlike other Apple products which might have worldwide warranty cover, iPhone warranties are valid only in the country of purchase.

[TobiasML]

Apple products, officially purchased, are more or less the same price. USA might currently have the biggest advantage due to the exchange rate.

You should purchase additionally the Apple care product as this s providing you the worldwide warranty without hassle. Otherwise you will only have local warranty. As soon as you have purchased the product Apple will know as you have to register with the Apple shop to download anything No choice to keep it anonymous.

To get an unlocked phone you will need to buy directly at the Apple Store. Hong Kong and Singapore will provide you only with unlocked phones in every store. Not that cheap though. USA as I understood will sell in the Apple stores unlocked once otherwise they are branded.

Hope this helps

Thanks

Is Apple Care not available anonymously? It's not like I am a criminal but my habit is cash and I don't like big corporations (or the corner store) knowing my business, especially my financial business. This sounds odd that Apple requires registration. Samsung didn't require any sort of verification by phone or any tricks like that. I just bought the tabelt with cash and maybe registerered it to Mr. Magoo and it works fine. If I remember correctly...

Why would anyone buy a phone that commits you to a cellphone plan? Isn't that like buying a car that requires you to buy gas only from one petrol company? That actually is a possibility in the future if the present trend continues.

You will need register with your name and address. At least when I bought it and registered my product. No credit card details needed though. To use the Apple online store you will need to register. Same for Android's play store.

I am not using a cell phone plan because at he end you pay more than paying up front. Usually you get a better deal from the phone companies too.

[watcharacters]

Price in USD for unlocked iPhone 5, 16GB, from the country's online Apple Store. All include free shipping:

USA: $649 (not including State sales tax, if any)

Hong Kong: $720

Singapore: $749

But unlike other Apple products which might have worldwide warranty cover, iPhone warranties are valid only in the country of purchase.

.

You are spot on

"But unlike other Apple products which might have worldwide warranty cover, iPhone warranties are valid only in the country of purchase."

Also the Applecare can't be bought for an iPhone bought through the Apple Thailand store.

iPhones are also region specific when it comes to repair. A US bought one for instance can't be repaired in Hong Kong and etc, at least with authorized repair.