You make it sound as if those with unlocked phones are to going to have to pay for their monthly service. Most folks will still want monthly access to data, rather than having data only some months and not others. In the USA the carriers don't give you a discount on the monthly service if your phone is not subsidized by them. They don't say "oh hey, we don't have any subsidy to recover from you, so you can pay less for your voice/data plan". Nope.... they just reap all the profits as you pay them the $15 to $45 per month (depending on your plan/carrier).
So if the carrier is offering a subsidy, then buying the unlocked is certainly not a way to save money. The only advantage to an unlocked phone is to use it on a carrier that does not offer the subsidy or to avoid being locked into a contract for 1.5 to 2 years without the ability to upgrade. But if you plan on sticking with your current carrier, then buying an unlocked phone in the USA holds no financial reward except for the carrier itself."
Totally NOT true. If you buy a subsidized iphone 4s thru ATT and pay for the mid range data/voice package...its $84.99 a month for 24 months =$2,039 + $399 for the 64gig iphone + $36 activation fee =$2,474 over two years.
If you buy the unlocked 64gig iphone like i plan to, it costs $849 + the ATT prepaid go phone voice plan/text plan of $25 a month....thats $1,449 over 2 years. Yeah...you dont have data...but i already have an unlimited data plan on my ipad which i much prefer surfing the web on...plus the iphone has wifi....and MOST IMPORTANTLY....i am not locked into a contract, and when i travel abroad - which i do often...i can swap out sim cards without hassle instead of paying for my att contract at home PLUS insane international roaming fees.
