Why the cheaper iPhone 16 overseas isn't a good deal
In France, The classic iPhone 16 will be sold from €969. In the US, it will cost $799 (or rather around $879 with taxes). So why not buy the iPhone 16 across the Atlantic, then have it delivered to France for less?
Don't fall into the trap
Our colleagues fromAndroidAuthority did a simple calculation to show the price of the iPhone 16 in 38 different countries, converting the price to dollars and factoring in potential taxes in each country. Note that these prices do not include shipping costs, so if you are not buying the device locally, you will have to consider this additional cost.
So, the cheapest model is the Chinese iPhone 16, which comes in at $842 (a little less than the American price if you add taxes). Then come Japan ($877) and Hong Kong ($885). If an American is looking to get the iPhone 16 in France, they will pay $1069. So, Americans don't necessarily benefit from a great discount if they get the smartphone abroad. But what about France? Can you benefit from a significant discount by deciding to get the smartphone in China, for example?
To be clear, yes. It is possible to benefit from a reduction, but the latter will not exceed €100 including shipping costs. And for this potential €100 difference, you get a model with a potentially unsuitable software configuration (inevitably, at launch, everything will be in Chinese), with the impossibility of activating your warranty in the event of a major problem. If you opt for a model sold in the United States, you will lose a feature that may be important to you: the nano-SIM card carriage, the models sold across the Atlantic (USA and Puerto Rico) having switched entirely to eSIM; on the other hand, you do not risk any incompatibility problems in terms of 4G and 5G frequencies, as indicated by the list of bands supported by the different versions of the iPhone 16 provided by Apple.
Overall, it is therefore recommended not to fall into the trap, and to favor patience: in a few months, it will be possible to find an iPhone 16 for less, whether new or reconditioned.
