Buying an iPhone in the United States can be a good idea if you are planning to visit this country. Now, you need to consider a series of important factors to avoid any further inconvenience. And taking advantage of the prices at which the iPhone is sold on the other side of the world is quite tempting.
What You Need to Know About Buying an iPhone in the US
Don’t think that buying an iPhone in the United States andJust go to a store, buy it and that’s it. You need to evaluate a series of possibilities before you start buying it.
Price: Yes, they are more advantageous
First of all, let’s imagine that we are traveling there and we want to take advantage of the price difference to bring an iPhone to Spain. You have to compare prices, and below you have a screenshot with the prices in Spain and there of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Let’s imagine that we want to get the high-end with a capacity of 256 GB, here in Spain we have it for € 1,469, while in the United States it is $ 1,199, the current exchange rate is 1,081 euros.. The saving is €388.a fairly considerable sum.
A US iPhone is eSIM only
Now, it’s not just about price savings. If you don’t know, in the United States, iPhones do not have a physical SIM card holder.but you must use it with an eSIM, that is, an electronic card. In Spain, more and more operators offer this format, but not all of them. To date, these are the operators that offer the virtual card:
- Movistar
- Orange
- Vodafone
- yoigo
- Pepephone
- O2
- Jazztel
- Simyo
So, if you do not belong to one of these operators that offer you the eSIM card in Spain, you are not interested in taking an iPhone.
5G network bands
If you buy an iPhone there, you should first find out what the network bands are compatible with. In general, you will not have any problems. I have been using an iPhone purchased in the USA for a long time and there were no problems with my operator. Indeed, an American iPhone is usually compatible with many European 5G bands. However, some operators do not offer the most optimal bands for these devices. US models support mmWave, which is not very common in Europe though.. Here, the CG network is based on the sub-6 Ghz bands. If in doubt, you should consult your carrier before purchasing an iPhone in the United States.
Tax issues, be careful
If you buy an iPhone in the US because you won’t have problems with the eSIM card or 5G network bands, we will have to take into account tax issues. If you come with the phone perfectly packed and stored in your suitcase, You can attract attention as soon as you pass through the scanner at the destination airport in Spain. The corresponding agent may or may not turn a blind eye, but be aware that this object must be declared to the tax authorities and then pay the corresponding taxes. Therefore, you would not have any economic advantage in bringing the iPhone from the United States. This is something that may not usually happen, much less if you already enter Spain using the phone as property.
But of course, there is a small possibility that you are considering making money by buying several iPhones in the United States to resell them in Spain at a lower price than here. In this sense, there is a much greater chance that your suitcase will attract attention in the scanner and be necessary to open it. It would not be someone who simply brought an iPhone to use it, but a commercial expedition and there things become a little more serious, because not only will you have to pay the corresponding taxes, but you could have an administrative sanction in the form of a fine. In addition, if you did not have enough money to pay the corresponding taxes, you would be forced to abandon the airport and leave without the devices, until you have the money to recover your merchandise. Is it really worth it?
As you can see, before buying an iPhone in the USA A series of factors must be taken into account. Obviously, this is a good option if you meet all the requirements and the phone already works from there. If your carrier does not have eSIM or the band compatibility is not adequate, it will not be a good deal. And of course, if you have the mentality of making money by reselling multiple devices, you better get this idea out of your head. There is a good chance that it will go wrong, since it would be a fraud before the tax authorities.
