iPhone 14 Pro Max Which country to purchase an iPhone?

[ee99ee]

I'm currently living in Thailand but plan relocate to the US later this year. I frequently travel to Hong Kong and Singapore and might be in the UAE soon briefly. I intend to purchase an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Aside from price differences due to local taxes or currency conversion, is there any reason I should buy or avoid buying an iPhone in a particular market?

In the past, I understand there were different radios in the iPhones based on the market where it was being sold due, in part, to licensing restrictions and I think in part to support frequencies used by local carriers in some countries. Is there a difference between iPhones sold in, for example, the US, Thailand, China, Singapore, etc.? Of those, which is most compatible with carriers globally? Although I'm planning to move back to the US soon, I will continue to travel international extensively.

Thanks!

 

[tuanlouis]

I'm currently living in Thailand but plan relocate to the US later this year. I frequently travel to Hong Kong and Singapore and might be in the UAE soon briefly. I intend to purchase an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Aside from price differences due to local taxes or currency conversion, is there any reason I should buy or avoid buying an iPhone in a particular market?

In the past, I understand there were different radios in the iPhones based on the market where it was being sold due, in part, to licensing restrictions and I think in part to support frequencies used by local carriers in some countries. Is there a difference between iPhones sold in, for example, the US, Thailand, China, Singapore, etc.? Of those, which is most compatible with carriers globally? Although I'm planning to move back to the US soon, I will continue to travel international extensively.

Thanks!

You can buy an iPhone from an Apple Store in Thailand for your convenience, I suggest the one in front of Centralworld then have a good streetfood meal there to celebrate your new iPhone. Then you're good to go anywhere with that iPhone I'm pretty sure.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Generally speaking - USA phones have no SIM tray (all eSIM). China phones have NO eSIM, dual-SIM tray. Everywhere else, one physical SIM and eSIM.

Thailand, Singapore, UAE any of them are fine. I’d avoid Hong Kong since that’d be a China version.

 

[NoBoMac]

Might want to avoid buying in UAE. I know I've seen online about some restrictions there in the past, but just found this on Apple's site: wonder if restrictions are locked by model or geofence? (Did not dig into model list to see which countries have which)

Wireless carrier support and features for iPhone in the Middle East and India - Apple Support (AE)

Choose your country or region to learn about the wireless carriers available to you.

support.apple.com

FaceTime isn't available in the United Arab Emirates.

FaceTime may be unavailable if your device originates from this country or region and becomes unlocked or is used in another country or region.

 

[JPack]

It basically comes down to:

• eSIM + nano SIM = Global
• Dual nano SIM = HK, Macau, China
• eSIM only = U.S.

There are minor differences in bands, but those will not appreciably affect cellular performance.

The U.S. version supports mmWave. But since mid-band 5G is so widely deployed (outside the U.S.) and fast (up to 3Gbps), mmWave is not really useful.

Given you are an extensive traveler, I'd opt for the dual nano SIM version.