I'm currently in China as an Italian citizen and I'm interested in buying an iPad since the prices are much lower compared to Italy. However, I have concerns about potential warranty issues when I return to Italy. Are there any software limitations I should be aware of for Apple products bought in China? Would I encounter any issues with features like eSIM or Apple services?
2 Answers
It's worth noting that Apple products in China can have some limitations. For example, Chinese iPads generally do not support eSIM, and features like FaceTime audio or group video calls may be unavailable. These variations could be significant if those features are important to you.
From my experience living in China, I can tell you that the hardware on Chinese Apple products is often the same as other models, but the software is where the differences come in. Devices bought in mainland China will lack certain integrations such as ChatGPT with Siri, and they might use different AI from Alibaba. Keep in mind that if you buy an Apple product from an authorized store, the warranty should be valid worldwide, but if it’s a reseller, you might face issues. So make sure to buy from Apple Stores for global warranty support.
Thanks for clarifying! I'm concerned about losing Apple features too, so I think I'll steer clear of buying here. I might travel to Hong Kong next year—I've heard products there don’t have these limitations, is that true?