Will an iPhone purchased in the USA work in Saudi Arabia?

iPhones purchased in the USA will not have a slot for a SIM card, they use eSIMs only.

If they purchase an unlocked phone, it will have no restrictions, there is no such thing as an iPhone that will only accept SIMs/eSIMs for one month.

If they purchase a carrier locked phone, it won't work at all in Saudi Arabia.

Abdullahalsarraj wrote:

Its an iphone 17 pro max.

Someone told me an iPhone purchased from the USA will only allow you to use a local SIM card in Saudi Arabia for one month. After that period, it will no longer accept Saudi SIM cards

Kustosis12 gave you the right information. Whoever told you about the SIM cards, didn't have a clue what they were talking about. But the phone will only use eSim, so you better be using a carrier which supports eSim and your friend needs to buy the iPhone from Apple and make sure it's unlocked. And again, the phone will have NO warranty in Saudi Arabia. If it breaks or you need service, you'll be hopping on a plane to bring the phone to the US for service.

An iPhone 17 Pro Max purchased from the USA will not accept a SIM card. It can only use an eSIM, so the carrier would need to support the eSIM. I'm not aware of any time restrictions.

Abdullahalsarraj wrote:

my friend is coming from the USA to saudi arabia and he is bringing an iphone for me with him. will it work?

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[Edited by Moderator]

It might. But we have no clue what phone model he is bringing. It surely will have no warranty in Saudi Arabia, however.

It’s always best to purchase an iPhone in the country of it’s primary intended use.