Buy WITHOUT a carrier...

[StarShot]

I'm not sure I get this option. IF I were to buy without a carrier, I assume I could still slip in my ATT sim card and be good to go. If instead, I buy a ohone with a carrier, it comes with a sim card set up for my present number. I also asssume without a carrier, it's cash purchase without any monthly option.

So, why would one want to get a phone without a carrier.

 

[DaveOP]

Buying unlocked phones is popular if you take them overseas, or for those of us who prefer to buy outright anyway. Otherwise, they're often the exact same hardware. If you'll only use it with a single carrier, perfectly fine to buy the carrier model.

 

[geoff5093]

I'm not sure I get this option. IF I were to buy without a carrier, I assume I could still slip in my ATT sim card and be good to go. If instead, I buy a ohone with a carrier, it comes with a sim card set up for my present number. I also asssume without a carrier, it's cash purchase without any monthly option.

So, why would one want to get a phone without a carrier.

I believe you could still finance it through Apple. Lots of people don't want to be tied to their carrier for 2 years either, so by not using your carrier's financing option it allows you to take it to any carrier without being hit with a huge bill.

Plus like last year, the unlocked model was the better performing Qualcomm model.

 

[eyoungren]

Plus like last year, the unlocked model was the better performing Qualcomm model.

Not outside the US though. Outside the US the unlocked model was the GSM only Intel modem version.

Quite a few people visiting the US who found out they couldn't use Sprint or Verizon.

 

[gurase]

Some of us are on smaller carriers so we have to either wait for the SIM free model, preorder the T-Mobile model which may or may not support all carriers, or try to get a more capable Verizon model in store. The other carrier models require you to provide account info to preorder.

Also the Apple upgrade program still requires you to at least sign up with a major carrier.

Even with those restrictions, I would never switch back to a major carrier I get AT&T coverage on Cricket but with a much smaller bill.