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eNcrypTioN

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 4, 2009
393
1
So I have a unlocked Sprint 64GB iPhone 4S what is it worth?

Also, just unlocked my AT&T 64GB iPhone 5S with swift unlocks. What do you think it will be worth next year when the 6 drops?

I'm interested to know how much unlocking a device effects resale value. Someone educate me please :cool:
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
It's hard to predict really. When unlocks were harder to come by and much more expensive, an unlocked iPhone would definitely get a much higher resale value (sometimes $100 or more) than a locked one.

Now, the difference can be far, far less, almost negligible sometimes. With carrier unlocks for AT&T iPhones available for $2-$3, Sprint doing it for most people for free*, and Verizon's phones coming unlocked right out of the box, the difference in value isn't there right now. You might get a few bucks extra for an aready-unlocked iPhone, if you get a buyer who's either too lazy or clueless to figure it out for themselves.

That said, it still makes sense to unlock an iPhone if you can, as soon as you can. You never know when sources for unlocking phones might get forced to close up shop for regulatory or other reasons, at which point the value of an unlocked iPhone could skyrocket again.

*Note: Sprint only unlocks for international carriers. Under no circumstances can you carrier unlock a Sprint iPhone for US use outside of Sprint. Only way to do that is with a jailbreak or Gevey SIM, both very clunky solutions. So inherently, Sprint iPhones probably have less resale value because of this.
 
Last edited:

Astec

macrumors newbie
Oct 12, 2012
26
0
It's hard to predict really. When unlocks were harder to come by and much more expensive, an unlocked iPhone would definitely get a much higher resale value (sometimes $100 or more) than a locked one.

Now, the difference can be far, far less, almost negligible sometimes. With carrier unlocks for AT&T iPhones available for $2-$3, Sprint doing it for most people for free*, and Verizon's phones coming unlocked right out of the box, the difference in value isn't there right now. You might get a few bucks extra for an aready-unlocked iPhone, if you get a buyer who's either too lazy or clueless to figure it out for themselves.

That said, it still makes sense to unlock an iPhone if you can, as soon as you can. You never know when sources for unlocking phones might get forced to close up shop for regulatory or other reasons, at which point the value of an unlocked iPhone could skyrocket again.

*Note: Sprint only unlocks for international carriers. Under no circumstances can you carrier unlock a Sprint iPhone for US use outside of Sprint. Only way to do that is with a jailbreak or Gevey SIM, both very clunky solutions. So inherently, Sprint iPhones probably have less resale value because of this.

well have you tried this with sprint i phones? I talked to support, and they say when they international unlock it, its available for use on all GSM carriers.. aka ATT and T mobile
 
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