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tl01

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jun 20, 2010
2,350
649
Please explain the benefits of an unlocked iPhone.
Thanks!
 
It's unlocked. I'm not kidding you, that's it.

EDIT: and a SIM eject tool, though that seems to change from time to time (whether AT&T bundles it).
 
International travellers can use a prepaid sim in an unlocked phone, which should save you paying extortionate roaming fees.

Resale value and more potential buyers as it will work on any network.
 
Sadly, that's not the case. It will only work on on GSM networks, not CDMA.

Basically, it's great if you often travel overseas or use T-Mobile or another GSM based network.

Ah yes. I must not forget about the CDMA networks in the US. Good point! :)
 
International travellers can use a prepaid sim in an unlocked phone, which should save you paying extortionate roaming fees.
This. I'm from the US, and I bought an unlocked 4S last October. I am currently in Korea for the summer, and I've been able to use my 4S in Korea. I had to use this site as a guide. (I have no affiliation with that site. I found it from reading another post on this forum.)
 
This. I'm from the US, and I bought an unlocked 4S last October. I am currently in Korea for the summer, and I've been able to use my 4S in Korea. I had to use this site as a guide. (I have no affiliation with that site. I found it from reading another post on this forum.)

I really hope you're either on WiFi or using a Korean carrier SIM card...

edit: My bad, I thought you were OP. Similar username...
 
Well, I paid full retail price here in Europe to have a non-subsidized 4S, so that I can use it with my carrier of choice, and pay 10 to 15€ per month, instead of €50+ over two years if I had gone for an official carrier.
I chose to pay more upfront to be able to save quite a lot in the end.
 
This. I'm from the US, and I bought an unlocked 4S last October. I am currently in Korea for the summer, and I've been able to use my 4S in Korea. I had to use this site as a guide. (I have no affiliation with that site. I found it from reading another post on this forum.)

Same here. I bought my unlocked iphone 4S, went to the Global KT store in Seoul and purchased a pre-paid sim card. Unfortunately I couldn't get an i-plan as I needed a Korean ID or an immigration ID. I do have a dumb phone in Korea but of course they can't port that number to my smartphone. Anyways, I prefer the pre-paid as I only use it for texting and some calling.
 
4S is a world phone. Verizon will even unlock it to be used internationally on GSM networks. However it still will not work on AT&T here in the states.

Most people don't have a reason to have an unlocked phone but many prefer it. Plus it's snappier lol
 
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