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Apple Begins Offering Unlocked, SIM-Free iPhone 5s Models in U.S. with 1-2 Week Shipping
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LTE 7: Europe vs. America
Ironic that in Canada Bell/Rogers seem to be introducing the 2600MHz (LTE 7) band which the iPhones sold in Northern America will not be able to use but the ones from Europe would. Ofcourse (as per that article) it seems like that band works better for more stationary connections (like LTE "sticks"). Still it should work OK in mobile phones too (after all the European iPhone has support for it)...
Ironic that in Canada Bell/Rogers seem to be introducing the 2600MHz (LTE 7) band which the iPhones sold in Northern America will not be able to use but the ones from Europe would. Ofcourse (as per that article) it seems like that band works better for more stationary connections (like LTE "sticks"). Still it should work OK in mobile phones too (after all the European iPhone has support for it)...
I don't get this...
Either its the same people change their tune, or what, but when phones are locked in the U.S .... it sounds like a better deal, cos people are used to be....
When it's unlocked, less people probably buy, because its too expensive, little to they know its more on a contact anyway, since the carrier wack you an extra $200 on the contact period anyway... They don't tell you, just do the maths, you'll see.
Either its the same people change their tune, or what, but when phones are locked in the U.S .... it sounds like a better deal, cos people are used to be....
When it's unlocked, less people probably buy, because its too expensive, little to they know its more on a contact anyway, since the carrier wack you an extra $200 on the contact period anyway... They don't tell you, just do the maths, you'll see.
Yes you're right, why would somebody pay full price then pick up a $60-70 plan from AIO, straight talk or t-mobile instead of getting the phone subsidized and being locked in a contract for 2 years. It's not like you'd be saving $30-50 per month by doing this which over the course of 2 years would actually be cheaper. You're right, what a sucker!
Edit: After further review, Straight talk plans start at $45 per month which is even more savings than I previously thought. But yes, total suckers to do something like this.
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To get a $199 iPhone 5S you have to sign up for 2-year plan (including an ID check, credit check, etc.) They won't let the phone out of the store without signing you up and activating it. Besides the phone itself, you'll pay for the first month of service, activation fees, any unlock fees, and an early termination fee. Welcome to the real world.
My wife is on a $30/month T-Mobile plan for her 32GB 5S. Total cost is less than $1500 for two years and $360/year thereafter if she keeps the phone.
I still use a cheap phone. Costs me $30/year after the first year ($100 for the first year). AFAIC the people who are on contracts are the suckers!
2600 MHz is simply not going to have the same throughput indoors as 700 MHz. Because physics.
Bell and Rogers are using that 2600 MHz spectrum to backfill any additional bandwidth needs, not as their primary spectrum. Same as EE and Vodaphone in the UK.
You need a Verizon CDMA phone to work on Verizon. But Verizon iPhones are unlocked. You can pay full price if you want and then do whatever you want with it, or even the subsidized price.
Full price-no contract- ATT and verizon 5S iphones were always free and will be free!!!
Right, AT&T and Verizon are just giving phones away.
Enjoy your $120 smartphone plan.
Another dodgy site. Tried a Lumia in its checker and it came up as an ancient Nokia feature phone.
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...
Let anyone say anything. When I was at an apple store, the lady said tmobile versions are unlocked if you buy them out. I got it for my wife and she is travelling and the phone is working perfectly fine. Its just the way apple likes to market their products.
here is the proof
IMEI: xxx
Serial: xxx
Model: iPhone 5S
Warranty: Applecare Protection Plan (727 days left)
Warranty Start Date: 2013-11-08
Warranty End Date: 2015-11-07
Activation Status: Yes
Locked By Carrier: Retail Unlock
Find My iPhone: OFF
Sim Lock: Unlocked
Here is what my iPhone 5S comes up as when I use that web site:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/20/4753498/conflicting-info-on-if-t-mobile-iphone-5s-comes-unlocked
I'm not sure why yours is coming up as unknown, but I assure you that it has worked with every iPhone I have tried without spamming me. I suspect you probably need someone younger than yourself to help you with your technology needs.
Are you trying to prove that my phone is supposed to be unlocked when it was not?
It is unlocked now, after all the painful phone calls to at&t. The reason I got the at&t version is that I have no intention to bet on and buy a $900 paperweight that potentially does not work with my carrier.
Ironic that I have already kind of replied the same inquiry from the same person...
Just to clarify. Both full retail price. Any other questions?
I am amazed that you can tell my phone is supposed to be unlocked when you have not seen it, have not used it and do not have it in your hands ever while on the other hand, I do and the darn thing was LOCKED!!
Any iPhone purchased directly from AT&T full priced or on contract will be locked. That's a given. If you wanted unlocked, you bought from the wrong place.
As far as unlocked from Apple we have thousands posts on here with proof that if purchased from Apple "device only" it is unlocked.
If you some how managed to buy a locked "device only" iPhone 5s from the Apple retail store why haven't you returned it? Buy another device only. It will be unlocked.
How many people can remember that Apple--when the iPhone first came out--was offering the iPhone for sale outright. I bought one. It was AT&T that convinced Apple to allow subsidized sales. They started to fly off the shelves. It's not what it cost to buy; it's what it cost to keep. You will pay many times what the phone is worth with a subsidized plan. To add insult to injury AT&T threatens Apple, "that they won't support a 'World iPhone' with synthesized SIM card / chip."--we would be able to change providers at will.
I vote for Apple to buy a phone company and provide their own pipe.
I vote for Apple to buy a phone company and provide their own pipe.
Then feel free to enlighten me on how come my darn phone was locked!?
And feel free to tell me how I am supposed to buy my own stuffs and I shall return it. Thank you, big brother.
You are sounding like I am gaining anything by stating the fact that my phone bought outright was supposed to be unlocked...when in fact, I was the one suffering this mishap fiasco. I don't get it...
You only talk to people for around 30 minutes a month and don't text?
Why bother with an iPhone, why not a cheap mobile instead?
Incorrect. That is a common misunderstanding. It is a waste of money to spend the exact same amount on an officially carrier-specific phone (whose IMEI number is tied to the carrier) that, according to AppleCare representatives, is locked at the time of purchase and the carrier has future locking jurisdiction over (whether the carrier chooses to exercise that jurisdiction or not, it still has it). It is much better to spend that exact same amount of money on a clearly and unambiguously officially factory unlocked iPhone 5S, and the SIM-free version is only model that will, without any doubt, always be unlocked (both domestically and internationally), work with literally every GSM carrier in the world for voice, and never need a specific American carrier's SIM card to be activated.
UPDATE: At this very moment, I'm on the phone with an AT&T representative who is very familiar with the iPhone unlocking process (she's done it several times for herself, family, and friends). She tells me the contract-free full-priced carrier-specific versions are locked when purchased. She said that, since such phones are not on contract, a customer can send a request to AT&T to unlock the phone, but it is definitely locked when purchased. So, my point is valid: It is a waste of time and money to buy a carrier-specific iPhone 5S and go through the hassle of unlocking it when you can buy an officially factory unlocked SIM-free version for the exact same price. Also, due to the fact that the carrier-specific iPhones have an IMEI number connect to a carrier, it can cause confusion and lower the phone's resale value.
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Unlocked is unlocked. Period. If you buy a device only iPhone 5s directly from Apple it is in their unlock database and it will never change. I have returned an iPhone for warranty repair. They gave me a replacement. They looked up the unlock status, and gave me an unlocked replacement.
Also, if you buy an AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile device only iPhone from Apple. YOU DO NOT NEED A CARRIER SPECIFIC SIM CARD FOR ACTIVATION. I bought an AT&T device only iPhone for a friend in Brasil. In Brasil we opened the iPhone threw out the AT&T SIM and activated it with a local SIM card from Brasil out of the box.
Yes they are locked if purchased directly from the carrier or from a 3rd party store. (BestBuy, Walmart, Radio Shack, Target.) The AT&T rep told you AT&T's policy and locked status of iPhones sold at AT&T's stores. Not device only purchases sold by Apple.
If purchased directly from Apple full price "device only" they are unlocked. I have purchased several iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s device only and shipped them to friends who live in foreign counties and they activated their iPhones just fine using their foreign SIM. BECAUSE THEY ARE UNLOCKED!
And before you respond with "they are locked in the U.S. and unlocked for international" that is also not true. You can buy a device only AT&T iPhone 5s and use it with T-Mobile and vice versus. Because they are unlocked.
If I'm a US user and don't travel internationally, it doesn't seem to make economic sense to spend $650 for an unlocked phone. Am I missing something?