“Grey” iPhone: how to recognize a counterfeit and why the official iPhone is better? What is a “gray” iPhone, and is it worth buying such a device? Burgundy iPhone 7.

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What are the differences and what are the risks?

Differences

True story:

I bought a “gray” iPhone at store N, but the speaker in it was damaged. I wanted to send it in for repair under warranty, but the store no longer exists.

Such stories are not uncommon now. Even large online stores are closing down, as due to exchange rate fluctuations it has become almost impossible to work.

So it turns out that I wanted to save a couple of thousand, but in the end I paid much more.

So which is better to buy an iPhone now: PCT or Eurotest?

When iPhone turns into PCT

Just a moment. PCT- this is a generally accepted, but not entirely correct designation for such devices. In fact they are called E.A.C..

Apple has iPhones for different markets, including Russian. However, it becomes “white”, thereby “PCT”, after it has passed internal certification in the Russian Federation and customs control.

What does this give us?

– Full guarantee on the territory of Russia;
– You do not support the “gray” market.

Typically, officially imported EAC iPhones are a little more expensive than “gray” devices, but you can rest easy knowing that in the event of an emergency you will not be denied a warranty.

EAC iPhone is your bro.

The so-called “gray” iPhone is imported into the country unofficially, without going through customs (and therefore without paying duty). Yes, it is a little cheaper than EAC, but you buy a smartphone at your own peril and risk. Especially now.

What is the risk

As you already understood, the main difference is guarantee. So what, you say. But I’ll save money normally, “and the PCT is for fools.”

Yes, that was the case until recently. But now the market situation is such that it is difficult for numerous online stores to compete with official resellers. Small shops are closing because the exchange rate has become simply unaffordable. And who to go to next if the office no longer exists, and there is a problem with the device?

The unstable exchange rate made buying “gray” iPhones a pointless idea, since you can’t beat the price. Let's say this is the price for an iPhone 6s 64 GB in re:Store.

But the average price for the same iPhone in Yandex Market.

The difference is minimal, so why this fake saving?

How will it end

If it breaks, you'll be left with a problem iPhone, but you'll save a couple of thousand. Is it necessary?

For example, replacing the display module on an iPhone 6 will cost 10 thousand rubles. And for iPhone 6s – 19 thousand rubles. Quite an overpayment, right?

Eventually

These are not the best times for the gray market. And, as always, the buyer suffers. By buying non-EAC equipment, you are essentially playing the lottery.

Therefore, it is better to go to a store with a good reputation and registration "Premium Reseller".

In my city it's re:Store– the largest Apple Premium Reseller network in Russia. A store that will always help you and will not refuse free warranty service.

Here you can save:

nerves, because there is insurance + that protects against all problems of the device
money, because you can take out installments without overpayment for a long time.

Why installments are good:

For example, take an iPhone 6s with 128 gigabytes. Installments for 12 months means you pay 6,249 rubles per month. You don’t overpay a single percentage or a penny more. Don't worry about the price increase that will happen.

Or here's an option. Upgrade your Mac: Get a 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina display. The newest one for only 8,582 rubles per month. A powerful laptop for work and entertainment, for which you no longer need to save endlessly.

We’ll tell you more about insurance and installment plans. In the meantime, save your nerves, money and time. Shop at trusted places that won't close tomorrow.

Please rate it.

“Grey” is equipment imported into Russia illegally, bypassing customs and institutions that control the quality of goods distributed throughout the Russian Federation. The budget is thus left without paying tax, but does it make any difference to the buyer - after all, the model is working, and even more so it costs less than the official one!

Until recently, one could have said: “Yes, it makes more sense to buy cheaper!” Moreover, the difference in price is often 20%. But now the situation has changed: it makes sense to pay more, because the main “trick” of officially imported equipment is warranty service from Apple. And it works in Russia!

Where to find the official iPhone

For an answer to this question, go to the official Apple website (herehere ), enter the name of your locality and get a list of stores where you can buy an iPhone that is subject to warranty service. Well, the opportunity to purchase a smartphone online has also not been canceled. If you find a suitable iPhone on APORT, check whether the store selling it is on the list of official Apple resellers (read about them below).

What does the Apple warranty cover?

If no more than one year has passed since your iPhone was activated, you may get everything changed - from a display with burnt pixels to a stuck or “crunchy” Home key. Free, fast and high quality. At official Apple service centers in Russia. Sounds good, right?

Warranty service, however, has its pitfalls. So, for example, if you have been using an iPhone for more than a year, regardless of whether you decided to go the honest route - you bought official equipment in Russia, or use an equally honestly purchased device brought from afar, you will still have to pay the bills.

For some Apple gadgets, the rule “we only repair what was purchased in Russia” does not apply. Thus, service centers (SCs) accept for service products purchased both in the Russian Federation and in Europe.

Important!We are talking only about the models of the smaller “six” A1586 and A1589, and the larger “six” A1524. American iPhones cannot be returned under warranty in Russia.

For other iPhones, warranty service is also possible. SC accepts:

iPhone 5s (A1457)
iPhone 5c (A1507)
iPhone 5 (A1429)
iPhone 4s (A1387)
iPhone 4 (A1332)

Important!Some models have their own warranty programs. These include iPhone 5 smartphones, which under warranty can be replaced with a lock button (only the A1429 model is serviced) or a defective battery, because the company has identified massive manufacturing defects in these components.

Among the and there were also defective batches. Users of these smartphones have encountered problems with the iSight rear camera, and if you are among those whose main module takes blurry photos and there is no cure for it, goright hereand check if your phone is on the list of models eligible for free repair.

Important!Apple clarifies that this special warranty program only applies to models sold between September 2014 and January 2015.

Read more about Apple's 1-Year Limited Warranty .

Exchange

“White” devices, in addition to the fact that they can be repaired for free (or put in order by the hands of qualified employees who have undergone Apple training), can also be exchanged for new ones. If the “one year rule” no longer applies to you, and the cost of repairs is considerable, or you simply want to update your Apple fleet, you can do this with officially imported equipment. With an extra charge, of course: exchange old for new.

Check your iPhone

If you are in doubt about which iPhone you are using - gray or white - it can be easily cleared up by going through here is this link . On the page we enter the serial number of the hardware equipment - we check the smartphone for the right to service and support.

The serial number is printed on the device body, and you can also find it out by tapping Settings - Basic - About thisdevice.

How to distinguish an official iPhone from a “gray” one?

Just a few steps and you are there. The first thing to do is to carefully examine the packaging. The new iPhone should be delivered to the Russian market with a Russified box, which not only contains a description of the model in a language we understand, but also contains two important points:

“…RS/A” must be indicated at the end of the product RR code.
The sticker should bear the RosTest sign (the diagram is shown in the infographic below).

If the model was purchased in Europe, then, of course, there can be no talk of any Russification on the box. But there must be a sign of compliance with European quality standards.

And in general, you can start checking the “authenticity” of the iPhone by whether the seller of this device is on the list of official Apple resellers. This can be done .

The box must contain:

Clip. Believe it or not, some smuggled and counterfeit iPhones may come to you with very little equipment - just the iPhone, no instructions, no charger, no paperclip.
Instructions and warranty card in Russian.
Charger with plug for Russian electrical networks. Counterfeit iPhones often come to Russia from the USA, and there, as you know, the plugs there are not the same as ours.
Apple smartphones officially sold in Russia also come with headphones (Apple EarPods are included with iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s).

Well, for additional reinsurance, you can go to Settings - Basic - About this device, find the Serial Number and check it . If the model is real, and not Chinese or imported bypassing customs from any other country, you will see an available service option there, for example.

If there is a phrase on the screen that starts with “Unfortunately, this serial number...”, either double-check that the number you entered is correct, or avoid this merchant.

Counterfeits - just fakes - are very easy to identify by trying to log into the App Store from this device. An inexperienced buyer, who has never seen the real thing, sometimes comes across an Android copy being sold to him under the guise of an iPhone. No matter how good the fake is, an attempt to enter the App Store will one way or another end with a transition to the Google Play Market.

Another reliable program is iTunes. If your smartphone refuses to log into it and the program remains treacherously silent when you try to launch it, save yourself: you have come across a fake.

Unlocked smartphone from the USA

A flimsy tactic on how to buy an iPhone cheaper is to take an unlocked model, i.e. buy a re-flashed iPhone, previously intended to work with a SIM card of one or another foreign operator. Externally, you may not be able to distinguish this phone from the real thing (foreign mobile network operators engrave their logo on the back cover of some devices, but our craftsmen have learned to cope with this too). But when it comes to updating the software, unexpected problems may occur.

According to reviews, unlocked devices refuse to update or are updated incorrectly. Moreover, they are not subject to warranty service.

Yes, there are a lot of ways to remove the camera lock, but we also do not recommend that unprepared “hackers” go into this jungle, much less purchase a device that was obviously used by “specialists” no better than you.

Remember!Not all iPhones sold in online mobile and home appliance stores are “white.” Quite the contrary: most of these devices were imported into the country illegally and in some cases were even reconfigured to work in Russia. Therefore, vigilance and pickiness are your basic shopping rules of behavior.

Which iPhone do you use - white or gray? Test the device according to the instructions above and write the result in the comments! If “gray”, were there any problems with it, and if so, what were they and how were they resolved? We will be glad to receive any feedback.

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Elizabeth

Without a twinge of conscience, I ask for “phone numbers” from guys and girls I don’t know well. To check whether the lock button fits comfortably under your finger and whether the autofocus works quickly :) I would like to visit MWC and conduct a live blog from the thick of things.

The “gray” iPhone market in Russia “blooms” after the release of each new Apple smartphone. In the case of the iPhone 7 Plus, which will appear in Russia only a week later than the world release, sellers decided not to be modest, setting truly insane prices for devices unofficially imported into the country.

Price issue

The official prices for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are high, but they begin to seem quite normal when you look at the price tags that stores put on the “Sevens” imported into Russia before sales began. Thus, the iPhone 7 SPb store offers to purchase an iPhone 7 with 32 GB of internal memory for 129,990 rubles, a 128 GB version for 139,990 rubles, and a model with 256 GB of storage for 149,990 rubles. In the case of 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, prices are higher by 10,000 rubles, respectively. Similar price tags, with minor differences, are installed in other stores for the “gray” iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Official prices

Let us remind you that from today in Russia the possibility of pre-ordering the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus has opened. Prices for new Apple smartphones are as follows:

iPhone 7 32 GB - 56,990 rub.
iPhone 7 128 GB - 65,990 rub.
iPhone 7 256 GB - RUB 74,990.
iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB - 67,990 rub.
iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB - RUB 76,990.
iPhone 7 Plus 256 GB - RUB 85,990.

Thus, after waiting just a week, Apple fans will be able to purchase new iPhones without a significant overpayment.