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Apple Begins Offering Unlocked, SIM-Free iPhone 5s Models in U.S. with 1-2 Week Shipping

nilk said:
I'm planning to buy my wife an iPhone 5S for Christmas for use on T-Mobile (which she is currently on, using an 3GS, so she'll need a new SIM card). I am intending to order from Apple and pay full price to ensure it is an unlocked phone (we're not completely committed to T-Mobile and like the idea of being able to switch to another provider). I already ordered a nano SIM card from T-Mobile when they had a $0 deal for it. Not sure if I should order the iPhone 5S unlocked SIM-free or if I should order the T-Mobile one to ease the switch from her 3GS. If I'm already going to have a T-Mobile nano SIM, can they transfer her account to it? Or is that going to be more of a hassle? I guess I should just give T-Mobile a call and figure this out :)
Click to expand...

Yea
 
op1 said:
It seems to me that on purely technical grounds, the CDMA version may the best options for a “universal” phone...
...
I don’t think you have to sign a contract with Verizon if you buy the phone outright and its at the same price as this GSM from Apple. So why not take that option instead? Am I missing something in the way of a CDMA version limitation for GSM use?
Click to expand...

Yes, the Verizon iPhone 5s/5c is the best choice, since it is unlocked and is the only one that will be allowed on Verizon's network (Sprint is not going to work though), and it also works with any other GSM network.

You can purchase from VZW full-price without signing up for any type of contract:
 
iwbyte said:
A word of warning: If you get a SPRINT phone, and later want to unlock it for use on AT&T or T-Mobile domestically, they WILL NOT unlock it for you regardless of if you are still under 2 year contract or not.

What's more, if you get an unlocked phone and then bring it to Sprint for their network, you are now PERMANENTLY locked to Sprint and CANNOT get it unlocked for AT&T/T-Mobile.

They will unlock it for INTERNATIONAL use, but not domestic use.
Click to expand...

That's all I need to care for unlocking the phone. Why would I care whether I could use it with other carriers in the same country when I've already picked a carrier?!

In fact, HOW FAST I can get the unlock for international usage is much much more important than whether I could EVER get the unlock for other domestic carriers.
 
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tongxinshe said:
That's all I need to care for unlocking the phone. Why would I care whether I could use it with other carriers in the same country when I've already picked a carrier?!
Click to expand...

Because, in the case of the Sprint iPhones, you can't change your mind and move to a different carrier without buying a different iPhone.

You will also have a smaller subset of potential buyers for your Sprint phone should you decide to sell it at some point in the future (basically, only Sprint users).

tongxinshe said:
In fact, HOW FAST I can get the unlock for international usage is much much more important than whether I could EVER get the unlock for other domestic carriers.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd rather not have to play "Mother May I?" with my carrier to use my phone internationally. YMMV.
 
elgrecomac said:
Why pay for the phone --- full price, when you can buy the phone from ATT or who ever and pay someone to unlock the phone for you? You'll end up with money in your pocket.

My iPhone 5 was unlocked by a 3rd party last year without any issue. And the 5S can be unlocked by 3rd parties as well.

For anyone that DOES buy this unlocked phone, please post your photo on Reddit so the whole world can laugh at you.

An, for the record, Apple makes GREAT products but their Marketing is even better than the products they sell.

Signed,
PT "there's a sucker born every minute" Barnum
Click to expand...

You are only making yourself laughed by assuming that the money AT&T subsidized for you won't be paid back by you, with 20%-per-month interest at least.
 
LFMNX said:
yes but the screen is much smaller
Click to expand...

All true (along with polymersayb's comment above), but the iPhone does a lot of tricks that the MBP doesn't (location awareness, phone calls :D).

Its biggest trick is that it made Apple what it is today. Otherwise, Apple would be in the same boat as Microsoft, watching PC sales decline.

Not arguing that Apple isn't expensive (I know, I've been buying Apple since 1986), but if you want to play with Apple toys, you've got to pay up. If you don't, there's always Android, but comparable hardware on that side is still going to cost you a few Benjamins.
 
tongxinshe said:
That's all I need to care for unlocking the phone. Why would I care whether I could use it with other carriers in the same country when I've already picked a carrier?!

In fact, HOW FAST I can get the unlock for international usage is much much more important than whether I could EVER get the unlock for other domestic carriers.
Click to expand...

As a former Sprint user, here is why you should care: Sprint was fantastic the first year in my area, but then went sour quick, it reached a point were the iPhone would struggle to pick a 3G signal, would loose 30% of its power if unplugged overnight if data is on. I broke free and used a SIM unlock, which works great now that I am using the phone on MVNO, but I can't upgrade to iOS 7 otherwise I will loose my unlock.

For the record, the phone was paid for with a clean ESN, once I terminated I paid the ETF in full, Sprint still wouldn't unlock it.
 
Where dose this "GSM-only" claim in the original blog entry come from?
("As Apple notes on the store page, unlocked iPhone 5s devices are model are A1533 and are compatible only with GSM networks.")

According to this article, the A1533 covers a fair range of LTE bands:
http://www.extremetech.com/computin...-support-for-3g-and-4g-lte-networks-worldwide

PS: Agree that iPhones are awfully expensive - even applying Apple's pricing standards. Methinks that they won't be able to command these price levels much longer (at least outside the US)...
 
op1 said:
It seems to me that on purely technical grounds, the CDMA version may the best options for a “universal” phone in that it includes all the GSM bands of the GSM version, but then adds the CDMA radio for voice on Verizon/Sprint. Though that CDMA capability may not matter much for international use, it might be worth having if you find yourself moving and needing to change carrier within the US.
Click to expand...
Close.

The Verizon iPhone 5S/5C will work on Verizon (obviously :)) and any GSM-based network, but it will not work on Sprint.

Also, all voice calls on the Verizon network use the CDMA radio, which also supports their (slow as molasses) 3G data network. However, you can't use voice and data at the same time, and this is true no matter which Verizon data network you are using: 3G/CDMA or 4G/LTE.

If you are using a Verizon iPhone 5S/5C on virtually any GSM-based network (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.), you can do voice and data at the same time.

op1 said:
I don’t think you have to sign a contract with Verizon if you buy the phone outright and its at the same price as this GSM from Apple. So why not take that option instead? Am I missing something in the way of a CDMA version limitation for GSM use?
Click to expand...
Correct. When I bought my off-contract Verizon iPhone 5S, all they needed from me was a method of payment. I popped in the AT&T micro-SIM (from my iPhone 5) before I turned on the phone, restored from my iCloud backup, and was good to go.

:apple:
 
Coleman2010 said:
They didn't hold out. The T-Mobile iPhones sold on the Apple website and in retail stores are unlocked. They were advertised as "contract free" but are unlocked.
Click to expand...

Not according to the 4 Geniuses that I have asked in the 2 stores where I visited along with the 2 chat sessions...:(
All of them told me the same thing that the phone is locked to T-mobile and I have to go ask them to unlock it.
I asked them isn't contract free = unlocked? Meaning I can just toss the SIM and be on my way?
Every single one of them said it is locked......

On the other hand, if they are indeed unlocked, why do they have to wait til now to offer this option? It makes little to no logical sense...
 
TrentS said:
Would I be able to use an unlocked iPhone 5s with my Tracfone account? That would be so sweet, since I only pay about $8 a month with my Tracfone Pay-As-You-Go plan.

:) :) :) :)
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about tracfone, but you will be able to get a better deal on an unlocked phone than buying through apple store. Apple charge full recommended retail price. Many retailers offer the phone and AppleCare below that.
 
elgrecomac said:
Why pay for the phone --- full price, when you can buy the phone from ATT or who ever and pay someone to unlock the phone for you? You'll end up with money in your pocket.

My iPhone 5 was unlocked by a 3rd party last year without any issue. And the 5S can be unlocked by 3rd parties as well.

For anyone that DOES buy this unlocked phone, please post your photo on Reddit so the whole world can laugh at you.

An, for the record, Apple makes GREAT products but their Marketing is even better than the products they sell.

Signed,
PT "there's a sucker born every minute" Barnum
Click to expand...

How much do you pay per month for your contract? Did you make a down payment? Do you have additional data package fees or monthly handset repayment fees? Is your contract for 1 or 2 years?

----------
elgrecomac said:
Why pay for the phone --- full price, when you can buy the phone from ATT or who ever and pay someone to unlock the phone for you? You'll end up with money in your pocket.

My iPhone 5 was unlocked by a 3rd party last year without any issue. And the 5S can be unlocked by 3rd parties as well.

For anyone that DOES buy this unlocked phone, please post your photo on Reddit so the whole world can laugh at you.

An, for the record, Apple makes GREAT products but their Marketing is even better than the products they sell.

Signed,
PT "there's a sucker born every minute" Barnum
Click to expand...

How much do you pay per month for your contract? Did you make a down payment? Do you have additional data package fees or monthly handset repayment fees? Is your contract for 1 or 2 years? How much did you pay for a 3rd party unlock?
 
I have a very basic question about the T-Mobile contract-free version of the phone. It seems to be the consensus that if you buy this version of the phone (A1533 GSM) from the Apple Store (online or in-store), that the phone is also unlocked. If you buy this version directly through T-Mobile then the phone is initially carrier locked.

Before moving to T-Mobile, I was an AT&T customer. Whenever I purchased an iPhone, I would fulfill my contract and then call AT&T to unlock my phone. I would then go into iTunes and restore my phone. Once the phone was restored, I would see the screen;
"Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked."
At this point I would know that my iPhone was indeed officially unlocked.

When the iPhone 5s came out, I decided to move to T-Mobile. I purchased my iPhone directly at an Apple Store for full price. The phone was activated and working great. I tried doing a restore through iTunes, but I did not receive the:
"Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked." screen.

I called T-Mobile after 40 days (trying to follow their rules) and asked them to unlock my phone. I gave them my IMEI number. They ended up sending me an email with the unlock code and told me to wait ~72 hours. I jumped through all their hoops and then tried doing the restore through iTunes again. I still did not receive the:
"Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked." screen.

And finally to my question...Are *all* unlocked iPhones supposed to see this screen? If you do not see this screen is that supposed to indicate that your phone is not unlocked? When I had AT&T models I would always see this screen when I restored my phone after I had them perform the unlock.
 
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TUD said:
For the money, I rather purchase the 'device only' Verizon 5S, remove the Verizon SIM, install a AT&T SIM, and continue to use AT&T until they push me to the limit that I am finally ready to leave & go to Verizon.
Click to expand...

What exactly do they do to you that is pushing you away?

My experience with carriers Verizon/Sprint/AT&T is generally I switch if I see a better plan. Usually they offer me an even better one to stay.

My switching in the past was based on wanting a Samsung Palm OS phone, so I went to Sprint. Then I wanted the iPhone so I went to AT&T when I had a chance at a good plan.

The only reason I'd switch from AT&T is if I moved somewhere with bad coverage or I could save a lot of money with a different carrier.

Gary
 
Good grief people. Apple is a business and didn't want people buying unlocked phones to resell. They want people buying them who are actually going to use them. At the same time it's in their best interest to garner a good working relationship with the carriers because the carriers are selling their phones. So the only thing they can really do is split the difference, and not market carrier phones as being unlocked.

I bought a T-Mobile 5S earlier this week, and it works with both T-Mobile and AT&T just fine. T-Mobile phones from the Apple Stores are NOT locked to T-Mobile. I have active SIM's from both carriers, and both work just fine.

Why buy an unlocked phone? We are in a contract for the next 11 months with AT&T, and using the early upgrade only saves me $200 but $100 of that would get eaten up with the new unlock fees (which are unreliable as it is now). That $200 becomes $100, and $100 is not worth it to me to get a another year added onto AT&T in contract, and I think the early upgrade we could get now would push my full upgrade to late 2015. So if I want the iPhone 6, and do a full upgrade the price will be $250 less. Paying full price for the 5S saves me money in the long run, and increases the used value being unlocked.
 
B4U said:
Not according to the 4 Geniuses that I have asked in the 2 stores where I visited along with the 2 chat sessions...:(
All of them told me the same thing that the phone is locked to T-mobile and I have to go ask them to unlock it.
I asked them isn't contract free = unlocked? Meaning I can just toss the SIM and be on my way?
Every single one of them said it is locked......
Click to expand...

You're getting bad information. Apple's own website says the T-Mobile iPhone is "unlocked and contract free":

iPhone 5s 16GB Space Gray (GSM) T-Mobile - Apple Store (U.S.)

Of course, the same page says AT&T/Verizon/Sprint iPhones "will work only with the carrier you choose", yet we know all Verizon 5S/5C iPhones come unlocked out of the box and work fine with AT&T or T-Mobile SIMs.

Still, if it were me, I would buy one of the off-contract Verizon models online or in person at the Apple Store. (In fact, that's exactly what I did.)

B4U said:
On the other hand, if they are indeed unlocked, why do they have to wait til now to offer this option? It makes little to no logical sense...
Click to expand...

Apple always waits to catch up to initial demand for carrier phones before selling the unlocked models.

Always.
 
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[/COLOR]
Freida said:
As far as I know 3rd party unlocks are not allowed so boosting about something that is not official is not the best approach, is it?
Click to expand...

As i said in a different post, i have a jailbroken, unlocked ip5 with a ligit grandfathered unlimited data plan so....yes it...for me. Especially with software like MyWi hotspot software. Att only throddled my data usage once in 3 years.
 
John.B said:
You're getting bad information. Apple's own website says the T-Mobile iPhone is "unlocked and contract free":

iPhone 5s 16GB Space Gray (GSM) T-Mobile - Apple Store (U.S.)

Of course, the same page says AT&T/Verizon/Sprint iPhones "will work only with the carrier you choose", yet we know all Verizon 5S/5C iPhones come unlocked out of the box and work fine with AT&T or T-Mobile SIMs.

Still, if it were me, I would buy one of the off-contract Verizon models online or in person at the Apple Store. (In fact, that's exactly what I did.)



Apple always waits to catch up to initial demand for carrier phones before selling the unlocked models.

Always.
Click to expand...

Kind of hard to believe it was bad info from 6 different representatives of apple...:eek:

Apple always waits...before selling the unlocked models, you say?
If the T-mobile one was unlocked, then this statement is kind of contradicting...right?
 
B4U said:
Not according to the 4 Geniuses that I have asked in the 2 stores where I visited along with the 2 chat sessions...:(
All of them told me the same thing that the phone is locked to T-mobile and I have to go ask them to unlock it.
I asked them isn't contract free = unlocked? Meaning I can just toss the SIM and be on my way?
Every single one of them said it is locked......

On the other hand, if they are indeed unlocked, why do they have to wait til now to offer this option? It makes little to no logical sense...
Click to expand...
Sigh. It's unlocked. They just don't advertise it as such. You'll be fine with the T-Mobile version if you want an unlocked iPhone.

----------
skerb1 said:
I have a very basic question about the T-Mobile contract-free version of the phone. It seems to be the consensus that if you buy this version of the phone (A1533 GSM) from the Apple Store (online or in-store), that the phone is also unlocked. If you buy this version directly through T-Mobile then the phone is initially carrier locked.

Before moving to T-Mobile, I was an AT&T customer. Whenever I purchased an iPhone, I would fulfill my contract and then call AT&T to unlock my phone. I would then go into iTunes and restore my phone. Once the phone was restored, I would see the screen;
"Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked."
At this point I would know that my iPhone was indeed officially unlocked.

When the iPhone 5s came out, I decided to move to T-Mobile. I purchased my iPhone directly at an Apple Store for full price. The phone was activated and working great. I tried doing a restore through iTunes, but I did not receive the:
"Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked." screen.

I called T-Mobile after 40 days (trying to follow their rules) and asked them to unlock my phone. I gave them my IMEI number. They ended up sending me an email with the unlock code and told me to wait ~72 hours. I jumped through all their hoops and then tried doing the restore through iTunes again. I still did not receive the:
"Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked." screen.

And finally to my question...Are *all* unlocked iPhones supposed to see this screen? If you do not see this screen is that supposed to indicate that your phone is not unlocked? When I had AT&T models I would always see this screen when I restored my phone after I had them perform the unlock.
Click to expand...

It is unlocked as long as you purchased the 5s from Apple. Go to AT&T and ask them to test an AT&T SIM. If it works, it's unlocked.
 
John.B said:
Because, in the case of the Sprint iPhones, you can't change your mind and move to a different carrier without buying a different iPhone.
Click to expand...

Doesn’t make financial sense anyway, to switch carriers after signing a contract. So I don’t care that “freedom” at all. What matters is whether I have to pay $500 for all sorts of roaming charges for my one-month overseas travel, or I am free to pop in a local SIM card.

John.B said:
You will also have a smaller subset of potential buyers for your Sprint phone should you decide to sell it at some point in the future (basically, only Sprint users).
Click to expand...

That’s two years later, when the phone no longer worth much anyway. And, I could always sell it at the other country I visit in that year.

John.B said:
Personally, I'd rather not have to play "Mother May I?" with my carrier to use my phone internationally. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree. Unfortunately AT&T doesn’t allow any kind of unlocking until the two year contract is finished. I will likely switch away from AT&T after my current contract period. Basically AT&T is the only carrier left with this big restriction.
 
boondocks said:
However (according to this Wiki) no operator in the UK is currently using LTE band 7. And since that is the only band the US iPhone 5s/5c does not support (compared to the iPhone 5c/5s sold in Europe), I would think - for the time being - you could get LTE (and everything else) just fine with the US iPhone 5s/5c in the UK.
Click to expand...

2600 MHz isn't exactly the ideal spectrum for cell service, I can understand why EE and Vodaphone are implementing other bands first.
 
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