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iPhone 5S will only be unlocked on T-Mobile
- Thread starter darster
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I just posted about that too, 5C both ATT and TMO unlocked avail, 5S only T-Mo. Major let down.
Verizon iPhone will be unlocked. They're required to sell their phones GSM unlocked now. AT&T ones can easily be unlocked using swiftunlocks
Sorry, there was that ruling last year that carriers do not have to unlock their phones.
Verizon is required to due to their agreement with the FCC for the spectrum they were allowed to get. All of the phones they've released this year are GSM unlocked. 5S will be the same.
Does anyone know where you could buy the iphone 5s unlocked? Will verizon sell it unlocked on Friday for preorder?
I got my 5 unlocked on preorder day from Verizon. I would imagine you could do that again on the 20th.
Oh ok. So you can just buy it directly from verizon on the 13th unlocked? I wasn't sure if they did that during the 5. I could care less who I buy the phone from as long as it's unlocked. My iphone 5 was stolen when i was on vacation.
Read the desricption of the 5S
"If you buy iPhone for T-Mobile, it will arrive with a nano-SIM card already installed that you can activate by visiting an Apple Retail Store or a T-Mobile store or by calling T-Mobile. When you travel internationally, you can use a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5s from a local GSM carrier. The unlocked iPhone 5s model is A1533."
It specifically says the T-mobile phone will be able to work with GSM worldwide unlocked. ONLY the T-mobile phone.
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Oh ok. So you can just buy it directly from verizon on the 13th unlocked? I wasn't sure if they did that during the 5. I could care less who I buy the phone from as long as it's unlocked. My iphone 5 was stolen when i was on vacation.
The 5S will not be out until the 20th. You can not preorder anywhere on 13th, even on Apple. You can get 5S from Verizon on 20th. I don't think it will be unlocked. Read my previous post.
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I think you might not understand the meaning of "unlocked". If it's unlocked, it's not tied to T-Mobile. Apple's website says, "The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a wireless contract commitment. You can activate and use the unlocked iPhone on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T or T-Mobile in the United States."
So are you then saying you can not buy Verizon or AT&T iPhone 5S contract free? In other words, pay full price to keep unlimited data on Verizon and pay month to month instead of forced 2 year contract?
The 5 description was EXACTLY the same and yet the Verizon iPhone 5 IS SIM unlocked. I know this because I am using the Verizon iPhone 5 on T-Mobile and the order screen was identical. The people saying that Verizon was required to do this by the FCC are correct.
It doesn't matter if you buy it from Verizon or Apple.
Unlocked and contract-free and different things. You can buy an unlocked 5S and it will work on T-Mobile, AT&T, or any other worldwide GSM carrier.
I don't know anything about Verizon pricing or contracts.
You can also buy a Verizon iPhone 5, 5C or 5S full price without a contract, and that phone will work on TMobile and ATT on their HSPA bands. No LTE (LTE on Verizon only).
The whole point of it being unlocked is that you can buy it and put whatever SIM you want in it. It may come w/ a TMo SIM in there, but it doesn't mean you need to stay with them.
I'm getting confused. I am currnetly under contract with Verizon. All I want to do, this Friday when tehy go on preorder, is pay full price for a brand new iphone 5s under Verizon. I won't be using it with any other carrier. I just want to buy the phone full price to use with my existing verizon service.
That's the bummer right there. I have to go out of town or upgrade online for my T-Mobile version. After using LTE on T-Mobile, I'm staying with them as my plan also includes unlimited mobile hotspot use.
The only downside is coverage is spotty outside city areas. So a trip up to Lake Tahoe on Hwy 50, drops signal every so often. Then I'm back up on 4G.
Also a thing of note for those who are on AT&T and want an unlocked iPhone, purchasing the T-Mobile unlocked device is essentially the same thing since they will likely be the same phone just like is the case with the iPhone 5.
You will be able to buy the Verizon iPhone 5S at full price on Apple's website. I did that last year with the 5. You don't have to worry about whether it's locked or not (it's not). Just go through the process by selecting the 5S for Verizon and if you don't have an available upgrade, you will be offered the phone at full price.
For the iPhone 5c and 5s (in the US) there are only two models. One for AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon seemingly with all LTE bands used by them supported and another for Sprint.
iPhone 5s/5c LTE Band Tweaks Combine AT&T and Verizon in One Model, Add China Mobile
"In the United States, a single model of each line supports both AT&T and Verizon, as well as T-Mobile, with support for Sprint coming in a separate model that is also compatible with KDDI and Softbank in Japan."
Apple iPhone 5c/5s LTE Chart
iPhone 5s/5c LTE Band Tweaks Combine AT&T and Verizon in One Model, Add China Mobile
"In the United States, a single model of each line supports both AT&T and Verizon, as well as T-Mobile, with support for Sprint coming in a separate model that is also compatible with KDDI and Softbank in Japan."
Apple iPhone 5c/5s LTE Chart
Agreed. Very cool.
So if I am reading this right, if I were to buy either models A1532 or A1533, I should be able to, assuming all contractual obligations are met, take them to Australia or New Zealand, as the same bands should work down there, even with them domestically having models A1529 and A1530?
Am I reading that right?
BL.
Cool thanks. That's all I wanted to know. I don't care about unlocked...just wanna be able to buy the phone at full price.
Some of the bands do appear to overlap. I guess it just depends if they overlap in all of the countries you're planning on visiting...