What is a Grey Import? Why should I avoid them?
Grey imports are handsets brought into the European and US markets from the Far East. They are Designed to be sold and operated in their domestic markets such as China, India, Thailand and Malaysia. Grey imports often look very similar to legitimate Western specification handsets however are very different. They are usually locked to operate only with the network operators who provided them. Unlocking handsets from rare manufacturers such as Haier are both problematic and costly. Furthermore unlocking handsets is in some duristrictions is illegal and may invalidate any warranty the handset may have. With particular reference to the Haier Elegance, the internal specifications of grey imports are substantially different. Firstly they only operate a dual-band service. This means that the handset will connect to fewer GSM signals and not only making use in your home country risky but substantially limits the handsets international roaming capabilities. Secondly, grey import handsets do not
