To be clear, the international warranty is applicable on unlocked iPhones only. The carrier-locked iPhones do not come under this package even if you unlock them with unofficial methods. Apple has always provided global warranty for products which are portable (with some applicable riders), except for the iPhone. That used to create a lot of confusion to the users. Thankfully, the new changes make it a level playing field for all devices. Globally, nearly every smartphone OEM restricts the applicable warranty to the country where it was purchased. That has been a norm since long. With Apple introducing global warranty for iPhones, we can expect other smartphone OEMs to follow suit as well. No matter where you purchase the (unlocked) iPhone from, you should be able to get support for that iPhone in India. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to purchase the upcoming iPhone X. As we have noted in our detailed post on prices of unlocked iPhone X across the world, the latest Apple flagship costs a lot more in countries like India, Brazil, and Russia as compared to places like the US, Hong Kong, and Japan. Previously, users would hesitate purchasing iPhones from other countries for the lack of international warranty. With this new change, we can expect more people to purchase/import the iPhones from countries like the US, UAE, and Hong Kong. Specifically considering iPhone X and India, users purchasing the iPhone X in the US or Hong Kong would save almost Rs 20,000 as compared to India. Speaking to TechPP, the person familiar with the matter clarified that the new change in iPhone International warranty terms is applicable to any iPhone purchased in the past, but should still be in warranty. The iPhones usually support global LTE bands, so users don’t really need to worry too much before purchasing an unlocked iPhone in the country of their choice anymore. Update: The applicable change in iPhone International Warranty terms is specific to India. We are not sure if the same has been applied in other countries as our source can’t vouch for that. What we do know is irrespective of where you purchase your next unlocked iPhone from, it will be honored for service in India. We have reached out to Apple to understand if international warranty is made available to other countries as well. We will update as soon as we hear back from them. For now, we would suggest users in other countries to check if the Apple support in your country will honor the warranty for imported units.
