Israelis seeking the latest and greatest in iPhone technology now have a date to look forward to. The iPhone 6 will be arriving here on October 23. The date was announced Monday by Apple's official Israeli importer.
The devices – both the iPhone and iPhone 6+ - are already being sold in Israel, by several retail outlets that are importing them directly from Europe. However, Apple's prices will be lower than the prices for the devices already on the market. One retail chain, for example, is selling the basic iPhone 6 for NIS 4,500 – while Apple plans to charge NIS 4,200 for the more advanced iPhone 6+. All the devices are sold unlocked, and can be used with SIM cards from any Israeli cellphone service provider.
With the official arrival of the devices, tax officials are hopeful that ongoing attempts to smuggle iPhone 6's into the country will end. Several weeks ago, a smuggler, who tried to surreptitiously bring 100 of the devices into Israel. The smuggler was arrested and the devices were confiscated.
A fully-loaded iPhone 6+ sells for $950 (NIS 3,500), while the devices are likely to cost between NIS 6,700 and NIS 8,000 initially. The import costs for smartphones is 35.7% - 15% purchase tax, 18% VAT, and 2.7% duty, for devices $200 and more.