Official vs unofficial iPhone in Bangladesh

Both are genuine Apple phones. The difference is how they entered the country, and that decides the price, the warranty and who repairs the phone if something goes wrong.

Official

Imported by Apple's authorised distributors and sold by authorised resellers.

  • Duty and VAT paid, so the price is higher
  • One-year Apple warranty serviced in Bangladesh
  • Variant made for this region
  • Registered on the national handset database from the start
  • Bank EMI is widely available

Unofficial

Bought abroad and brought in by travellers or grey-market importers.

  • Noticeably cheaper
  • Shop warranty or service warranty only
  • Variant depends on the source country: eSIM-only, dual SIM or others
  • You should confirm the IMEI is registered and active
  • May arrive in an opened or activated box

How big is the price gap right now?

Official price minus unofficial price for the lowest storage option.

  1. iPhone 18 Pro Max৳110,000 (37%)
  2. iPhone 18 Pro৳99,000 (36%)
  3. iPhone 17e৳37,499 (33%)
  4. iPhone 17 Pro Max৳43,000 (22%)
  5. iPhone 17 Pro৳40,000 (22%)
  6. iPhone Air৳48,500 (29%)
  7. iPhone 17৳46,500 (30%)
  8. iPhone 16e৳22,999 (23%)
  9. iPhone 16 Pro Max৳107,500 (43%)
  10. iPhone 16 Pro৳75,999 (36%)

Regional variants you will meet in the unofficial market

  • USA (model code ending LL/A): no SIM tray since the iPhone 14; eSIM only. Check that your operator issues eSIMs.
  • Hong Kong and mainland China (ZA/A, CH/A): two physical nano-SIM slots. Popular for that reason.
  • Japan (J/A): the camera shutter sound cannot be silenced.
  • UAE, Singapore, Australia, UK and others: one physical SIM plus eSIM on most generations.

What to check before paying for an unofficial iPhone

  1. Match the IMEI on the box, in Settings and on the receipt.
  2. Check warranty coverage on Apple's "Check Coverage" page using the serial number. An already-started warranty means the phone was activated before.
  3. Confirm the handset's registration status for Bangladeshi networks with your own SIM in the phone.
  4. Ask what the shop warranty covers, for how long and where the repair is done.
  5. Make sure the phone is not carrier-locked: Settings, General, About should read "No SIM restrictions".

Which should you buy?

Choose official if you want local Apple service, plan to keep the phone for years or need bank EMI. Choose unofficial if the saving matters more to you than the warranty and you are comfortable checking the phone yourself and dealing with the shop if a fault appears.