To understand PCT models once and for all, we have collected the differences for all current iPhones in one place.
PCT devices are products officially imported into Russia that have Rostest certificates
This means that all declared functions of the device will work in the country, and the device will be covered by the manufacturer’s official warranty.
So-called “gray” devices, which are imported from Europe or the USA, can either work fully or be unsuitable for some services. There may be problems with the warranty of such devices.
Before buying an iPhone in person, in an online store or in a specialized place where equipment is sold, you should always check the model of the device.
How to find out the iPhone model and country of origin
The model number is printed on the back cover of the device and on the box. Of course, the codes must match. Sellers usually do not hide this information.
To find out where a specific device model comes from, you should look at the box or find the data in the device itself along the path “Settings - General - about this device”. Information about the country is carried by the last two Latin letters in your model code.
It will be more difficult with the country. Usually this information is not advertised when selling. You can most often view the iPhone region directly upon receipt of the device.
Below is a list of codes for all regions for which iPhones are produced:
A – Canada AB – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt AE – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, B – Great Britain and Ireland BG – Bulgaria BR – Brazil BT – Great Britain BZ – Brazil C – Canada CH – China CI – Paraguay CM – Hungary, Croatia CR – Croatia CS – Slovakia, Czech Republic CN – Slovakia СZ – Czech Republic D, DM – Germany DN – Austria, Germany, Netherlands E – Mexico EE – Estonia EL – Estonia, Latvia ER – Ireland ET – Estonia F – France FB – France, Luxembourg FD – Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland FN – Indonesia FS – Finland GB – Greece GH – Hungary GP – Portugal GR – Greece HB Israel HC – Hungary, Bulgaria HN – India IP – Italy J, JP – Japan IP – Portugal, Italy ID – Indonesia K – Sweden KH – South Korea, China KN – Denmark and Norway KS – Finland and Sweden LA – Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico LE – Argentina LL – USA LP – Poland LT – Lithuania LV – Latvia LZ – Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay MG – Hungary MM – Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia MY – Malaysia ND – Netherlands NF – Belgium, France , Luxembourg, Portugal PA – Indonesia PK – Poland, Finland PL, PM – Poland PO – Portugal PP – Philippines PY – Spain QN – Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway QL – Spain, Italy, Portugal RO – Romania RR – Russia, Moldova RP, RS, RU – Russia RM – Russia, Kazakhstan RK – Kazakhstan SE – Serbia SL – Slovakia SO – South Africa SU – Ukraine T – Italy TA – Taiwan TH – Thailand TU – Turkey TY – Italy VN – Vietnam X – Australia, New Zealand Y - Spain ZA - Singapore ZD - Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, Monaco, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland ZG - Denmark ZO - UK ZP - Hong Kong and Macau ZQ - Jamaica
Once you have decided on the origin of the model, you can understand the distinctive features of the device.
How to distinguish RosTest from EuroTest
There is nothing difficult in distinguishing PCT phones from EuroTest iPhones. The easiest way is to examine the box in which the phone comes. On the bottom of the PCT iPhone box there are inscriptions in Russian. There must also be a batch number with an identifier - RR. If you have this identifier, you can be sure that the phone is intended for use in the Russian Federation.
If you lose the original box, the iPhone serial number can be found in the settings. It has a similar appearance: NV432HS/A. Moreover, after the numbers there are letters indicating the country into which the iPhone was imported. The serial number of a phone officially imported into Russia would include the letters RR.
It should be noted that the percentage of problems with phones marked EuroTest is slightly less than with Russian certification. This is due to the fact that certificates are issued for the entire batch of new gadgets. Therefore, there is no guarantee that each phone has been tested for quality.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
In addition to these models, you can find models from Japan (A1779 and A1785). They do not turn off the shutter sound in the standard Camera application; they have a FeliCa module for payments and transfers via Apple Pay. Such models may not work correctly with domestic payment terminals.
There are other minor differences for models from certain countries or regions, read more about that here.
Models A1660 and A1661 have a faster LTE module. Under ideal conditions, the difference in speed can be up to 30%.
Models A1778 and A1784 are officially serviced in Russia. There will definitely be no problems with them when contacting a service center.
Why are “gray” smartphones worse than PCT?
What is worse than “gray” smartphones, which are often imported from the USA or the EU (sometimes, however, there are more exotic options - for example, from Japan)? No one guarantees you 100% operation of all functions, a full guarantee, etc. Let's take a closer look.
1) First, there may be problems with warranty service . All PCT models purchased from official dealers or from Apple itself in Russia receive a 2-year warranty. If you bought a smartphone in an unofficial store or in Europe, but the version of the gadget corresponds to the Russian one, then you will still have a warranty, just half as long - only 1 year.
iPhones purchased in the USA and other countries where models not adapted for Russia are produced do not have a warranty at all. You will have to repair such iPhones at your own expense.
2) The second and most important difference is the support for different operator channels in different countries, so not all models work the same around the world.
However, it should be noted that all modern iPhones (starting with iPhone 6s and 6s Plus) support 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 communication channels (so-called bends). Basically, Russian operators deal with bands 5 and 7, so theoretically all more or less recent iPhones will work correctly for us.
But in the case of older models (and also, most importantly, with the still current inexpensive iPhone SE), you should be more careful - the American versions do not support all the channels common in our country, and you risk being left without fast mobile Internet.
However, not only disadvantages - iPhones intended for sale in the USA also have one significant advantage. And these are faster modems. These models come with a 4G modem from Qualcomm, which is faster. We sell iPhones with a 4G modem from Intel - which is accordingly slower. Moreover, the difference in speed can reach more than 30%.
3) Yes, you should also take into account that if you buy an iPhone in the USA or China, you will need to buy an additional charger or adapter - the shape of the pins in these countries is different.
4) It is wise to generally avoid smartphones from Japan, since they support contactless payment standards that differ from ours, called FeliCa and SuiCa.
So you are unlikely to be able to take advantage of all the benefits of Apple Pay. In addition, models for Japan and other Asian countries have another unpleasant feature - the camera shutter sound cannot be turned off. Why, you ask? To ensure that the owner of the gadget is physically unable to conduct covert filming or secretly catch an unsuspecting person. There is a way out - jailbreak.
5) You should also not buy an iPhone in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates because they have blocked the FaceTime video calling service. And this problem can be solved, as in the case of Japanese devices, only with the help of jailbreak.
Considering everything stated above, it would be wise to check for Rostest certification before purchasing an iPhone.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
Models certified for sale in the Russian Federation have codes: A1688 and A1687 . Other models A1633, A1700 A1634, A1699 are intended for sales in the USA and Asian countries.
There are some differences in the supported frequencies, however, they are not that critical. There is no real difference in mobile Internet speed; all models will work with domestic operators.
The only difference is the official guarantee on the territory of the Russian Federation. Models A1688 and A1687 will be serviced under warranty at any authorized service center, but repair or replacement of other models may be refused.
What does RosTest mean?
The RosTest marking is often denoted by the abbreviation PCT. This mark indicates the type of certification that distinguishes between officially imported and illegal devices.
The presence of such markings on Apple gadgets indicates that they have passed certification in the Russian Federation. This means that this phone was manufactured for use in Russia. The main advantage of purchasing such a phone is the elimination of buying fake or “gray” iPhones.
Such gadgets differ from “gray” ones in price, because a fee is charged for certification services by government services of the Russian Federation. They are covered by the manufacturer's warranty Therefore, repair operations are carried out only in authorized centers. The package contents of such devices include instructions written in Russian, as well as a charger with an attachment for Russian conventional sockets.
In addition, purchasing an iPhone with RosTest certification will protect you from purchasing a “locked” iPhone. Such a phone will allow you to use Russified programs, settings and menus.
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iPhone SE
When purchasing this model, you need maximum attention. It's all about the supported LTE bands. Almost all domestic and many European operators operate on frequencies that are not supported by the American model.
A1662 model will work only with some operators and not in all regions of the country. To avoid problems with LTE in Russia, choose models A1723 and A1724 .
The situation with warranty service has not been canceled.
iPhone warranty RosTest
Fast charging for iPhone support details
According to the consumer protection law, gadgets tested by RosTest are entitled to a two-year warranty. Apple will cover warranty cases free of charge for 1 year worldwide.
Because of this confusion, many retailers refuse to repair damage free of charge after 365 days from the date of purchase. In fact, the buyer, if he has a receipt under Russian law, has the right to make a claim and receive a two-year service guaranteed by RosTest.
Official excerpt from the official Apple store in the Russian Federation
This is where the owners of “Americans” and “Europeans” will get burned. But not much. According to Apple’s internal policy, “illegals” will be repaired in any country if you have a receipt with the date of purchase from the officials. There is a small caveat, though. The official store will undertake to repair only the following models:
- iPhone 7 with number A1778;
- 7 plus - A1784;
- 8 - A1905 and A1863;
- 8 plus - A1897 and A1864;
- X - A1901 and A1865;
- XS - A2097 only;
- XS Max - A2101;
- XR - A2105.
Ages 6 S and older should check with your retailer.
Note! These are exactly the models whose firmware fully complies with Russian communication standards. If you purchase a foreign iPhone with such numbers, there will be no difference or discomfort such as reduced speaker volume or failure to recognize cellular operators.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
PCT models have codes: A1586 and A1524 . The following devices can be found on sale: A1549, A1589, A1522, A1593.
The situation is similar to the iPhone SE. Models A1549 and A1522 do not support operation in LTE Band 38; MTS and Megafon operators operate on this frequency. Such devices will only be able to access the network via 3G or they will have to change their operator.
EAC
The devices may also have the “ EAC ” icon, which indicates that the product has been tested in accordance with the standards established in the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
Such goods are also “white”, that is, legally imported. They have also passed all the necessary checks and are fully adapted for work in Russia.
Is it worth overpaying?
It all depends on what kind of smartphone the buyer wants to use or on his financial capabilities. If your budget is small and you just need a phone to communicate, you can buy an illegal one. But there are nuances here too.
Firstly, an uncertified smartphone is unlikely to work with a SIM card from a Russian operator
. It will need to be reflashed. And such a service from modern masters costs about 3-6 thousand rubles. It all depends on the model of the device and the complexity of the work.
It is worth considering that not all illegal phones can be flashed. Some models have special security programs installed.
Secondly, if the gadget suddenly breaks down or any of its functions stop working, you need to turn to the experts for help again
. They will reinstall the software to an alternative one. No one can guarantee that a smartphone will work normally with such alternative software. Most likely, it will fail within a few months. You will have to install the software again. The services of masters cost approximately 2-3 thousand rubles.
Thirdly, if the buyer purchased not just a “gray” smartphone, but a fake, he is not immune from the fact that its build quality will not be poor. If the official manufacturer provides a guarantee that the assembly was carried out in accordance with established standards
, then
illegal manufacturers simply use cheaper materials
. They break quickly. The microcircuits stop working. And the body is damaged even from the slightest mechanical impact.
Based on the above, we can conclude that it is better to purchase legal smartphones
. Savings of several thousand rubles at the initial stage of purchase can then result in more significant costs for restoring the operation of the gadget.
When purchasing a legal device, the buyer is completely protected.
He receives a service guarantee. The software works stably, because it has already been adapted for use in our country.
Most importantly, if the device is used for work, it is better to give preference to original and legal smartphones
. They are difficult to hack. This means that fraudsters will not be able to access the user’s personal data. It is especially important to take this into account if the user constantly works with finances. Modern banking institutions make it possible to trade on the stock exchange even from a mobile device.
Counterfeit or illegal phones are easy
hack. They do not have special security codes installed. Therefore, quite often scammers become owners of users’ personal information, which they can use for personal gain.
The functions of legal smartphones correspond to those declared by the manufacturer
. In case of loss of a gadget, the buyer will be able to find it using a special program.
