Bringing back a 5s from the states?

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pwapwap

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Master Geek

#130925 2-Oct-2013 20:04

Hey,

I have done android, winphone and blackberry, time to go iphone, pity it has not yet launched in NZ yet.

Anyway, I have a colleague who is travelling to Seattle soon, so thought I could get him to pick me up a 5s while he is over there. Reading stuff on-line just now it seems to be a little less simple than initially thought. Lots of confusion as to if things are actually unlocked and I am not sure on frequency's (I am with Vodafone).

Can anyone advise if this is worth pursuing, or a dumb idea?

Thanks

michaelmurfy

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#906648 2-Oct-2013 20:13

It will cost you, normally you'll have to pay GST on this at the airport which means the savings are minimal. For you, it's best to wait until they're available locally in NZ.

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old3eyes

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#906875 3-Oct-2013 08:46

I believe you can't buy an unlocked 5S in the US this time so it may be a waste of time..

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stevenz

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#906878 3-Oct-2013 08:50

As long as the box has been opened, you probably don't need to worry about GST.

But yeah, all iPhones sold in the USA are network locked. I believe you can pay a premium to get them unlocked by the provider with proof that you're a tourist thought?

They're "world phones" though, they support pretty much every standard frequency, so you don't need to worry about that bit.

I wouldn't want to risk it, getting it home only to discover it has not in fact been unlocked correctly would be pretty painful.

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#906885 3-Oct-2013 09:06

I was just in the US and though it wasn't a 5s I did see 4s and 5 that were unlocked in Apple shop for US$549 and US$599 . It wasn't in Seattle but Portland. As Portland is in Oregon you don't pay sales tax but in Seattle you would be paying 9.75% sales tax.

Behodar

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#906887 3-Oct-2013 09:09

The "T-Mobile" models sold by Apple (NOT by T-Mobile!) are unlocked.

wellygary

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#906900 3-Oct-2013 09:15

stevenz:
They're "world phones" though, they support pretty much every standard frequency, so you don't need to worry about that bit.

Not quite true,

there are at least 2, I think 3 versions of the 5s on sale in the US depending on the network operator you want to use it on,

Have a look at "Cellular and Wireless" on this page

http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/specs/

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pwapwap

103 posts

Master Geek

#907094 3-Oct-2013 13:53

I have confirmed by calling an apple store - the t-mobile phone is an unlocked 1533 GSM. You need to do the order on-line with "personal pickup"option when they get stock.

Just need to check the bands are there, and we are on!

chiefie

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#907130 3-Oct-2013 14:05

I'd avoid the complication of any warranty issue for this US-imported iPhone 5s. You may find yourself most likely not going to be covered under NZ CGA. If you happy to risk it that way, or willing to purchase AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone then you get about 3 years phone and hardware support by Apple directly, and can be serviced worldwide.

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pwapwap

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#907144 3-Oct-2013 14:26

chiefie - good thinking.

Satch

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#907818 4-Oct-2013 11:59

chiefie: I'd avoid the complication of any warranty issue for this US-imported iPhone 5s. You may find yourself most likely not going to be covered under NZ CGA. If you happy to risk it that way, or willing to purchase AppleCare+ Protection Plan for iPhone then you get about 3 years phone and hardware support by Apple directly, and can be serviced worldwide.

I don't think the warranty issue is the biggest thing here. The OP clearly wants to get a 5s earlier than the currently non existed NZ release date so is why this avenue is being explored.

I contacted Apple a couple of weeks ago to ask them about iPhone warranties, as I will be in Sydney at the end of this month and thought I might be able to pick one up there. They confirmed for me (as I was unsure at the time) that iPhones do not carry international warranties, but suggested that the AppleCare route might be the way to go. The person I spoke to wasn't sure if AppleCare would provide me with international coverage, but he thought they may be a bit more lenient if I paid for the extra cover. It would pay for the OP to confirm this with the AppleCare team first just to be sure.

Personally I've (almost!) decided not to get a 5s in Sydney because I don't want any warranty issues. Anyway, there is probably a high probability that nothing will be available in Sydney anyway even at the end of this month.

Another thought I did have was that I could get a 5s in Sydney and risk it. If I did have a warranty issue, I could just return it to Sydney via post. Given I've never had a warranty claim on any of my iPhones or iPads, the cheaper option might be to do that. Although Murphy's Law has a habit of enacting itself in situations like this...

Anyway, some more options and homework for the OP to do.