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"Off Contract" AT&T iPhone 4Ss Already Come Unlocked
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If your plan is only $20 per month you are not going to be able to use the full potential of the iPhone. Might as well get an iPad and a cheap cell to make calls and text with.
The cheapest plan I know of is one from Virgin mobile. $25 a month for unlimited data and text and add $10 for 400 minutes of talk time. It's a pay as you go deal. Too bad you can't use an iPhone with that, you're stuck with an Virgin supported (Android) smartphone.
But yeah... paying 8 or 9 hundred bucks for a phone is crazy. Paying a hundred bucks a month for a 2 year contract is crazier still.
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So, you've had the new iPhone for awhile? Yeah... right.
That's what my friend does. GoPhones have unlimited calling/texting/data now for like $50/month, I believe, but you're technically not supposed to use them with iPhones. They get mad.
Also, your visual voicemail and FaceTime won't work.
I mean, not necessarily ...
All you really need is calling and data. Texting is a must for some.
The cheapest way to get it is not necessarily the worst way. That said, you may have less guarantees of service and run into trouble with losing your number if you don't pay your bill, or something.
I've got my AT&T bill down to $67/month with a minor texting plan and still grandfathered unlimited data. These things make the phone cheaper.
I sold the 4S that I preordered on eBay for $610. Am selling my old iPhone 4 and hoping to fetch $300 ... and, last, paid $689 (incl. tax) for my unlocked iPhone 4S out of contract. It only cost me $150 or so to buy myself out of the contract for the additional line I'd bought my iPhone 4 under (before) ... and so I'm basically break-even right now. But, my needs are less and my cellphone plan is less, so I'm saving money each month. Most people pay like $85-$90 or more for an iPhone each month.
Next year, if we see an iPhone 5, I'm hoping to switch to Verizon for an LTE boost and (hopefully) unlocked GSM roaming.
So, you've had the new iPhone for awhile? Yeah... right.
we've had unlocked phones for years. we, as in European customers. i still think it's a much better deal than anything with a contract.
Hi,
As a UK customer, I do not see the fuss about the absurd retail prices for the unlocked iPhone 4S, direct from Apple.
As our American cousins may say, Lets do the Math
Based on the UK iPhone 4S, with costs for a 12 month Contract with a mid/low-tariff with Vodafone, the largest UK carrier (and 2nd largest in the world)
600 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 500mb Data, WIFI Hotspots =
£41 / month x 12 + £419 for 64GB the contract handset = £911
Remember, the only important thing to consider is the real costs for the same package over the appropriate set contract timeframes.
Now I have ordered a 64GB 4S @ £699 from Apple, but I will pay less for my phone in the long run and consider the additional benefits to be greater.
I will explain.
I have ordered a Micro SIM only plan from Vodafone and will receive.
600 minutes, 3000 Texts, 500mb Data, WIFI Hotspots =
£17.50 / month x 12 = £210 + £699 for 64GB direct from Apple = £909.
A saving of £3 to spend in Starbucks on a coffee and half a cake!
Joking aside, the most important part to me is that:
1. The plan is a 90-day plan (not 12, 18 or 24 months), rolls over to a 30 day plan on expiry for same monthly fee.
2. iPhone is unlocked and you are not tied to a contract or carrier. It is mine outright.
3. If you travel outside your region (like I do regularly) you can simply swap Sims for a local one.
4. If you are one of those people who must have a new phone on launch day, you will not get ripped off on buying out your contract WHEN the iPhone 5 comes out. And can sell (or pass on) the old one unlocked, with no hassle.
The bottom line is that, if you can afford to pay upfront, do it. If not, all the deals make you pay sooner or later. At least in the UK anyway, I would be interested to know how it works elsewhere.
The calculations work across the board for the most part. Even if you base the above on O2 (arguably a marginally inferior network carrier) contract you over pay by just £36. But to be honest an extra 10p (15 US cents) a day to an iPhone owner who must have the latest and greatest is not going to be a bankruptcy maker.
As a UK customer, I do not see the fuss about the absurd retail prices for the unlocked iPhone 4S, direct from Apple.
As our American cousins may say, Lets do the Math
Based on the UK iPhone 4S, with costs for a 12 month Contract with a mid/low-tariff with Vodafone, the largest UK carrier (and 2nd largest in the world)
600 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 500mb Data, WIFI Hotspots =
£41 / month x 12 + £419 for 64GB the contract handset = £911
Remember, the only important thing to consider is the real costs for the same package over the appropriate set contract timeframes.
Now I have ordered a 64GB 4S @ £699 from Apple, but I will pay less for my phone in the long run and consider the additional benefits to be greater.
I will explain.
I have ordered a Micro SIM only plan from Vodafone and will receive.
600 minutes, 3000 Texts, 500mb Data, WIFI Hotspots =
£17.50 / month x 12 = £210 + £699 for 64GB direct from Apple = £909.
A saving of £3 to spend in Starbucks on a coffee and half a cake!
Joking aside, the most important part to me is that:
1. The plan is a 90-day plan (not 12, 18 or 24 months), rolls over to a 30 day plan on expiry for same monthly fee.
2. iPhone is unlocked and you are not tied to a contract or carrier. It is mine outright.
3. If you travel outside your region (like I do regularly) you can simply swap Sims for a local one.
4. If you are one of those people who must have a new phone on launch day, you will not get ripped off on buying out your contract WHEN the iPhone 5 comes out
. And can sell (or pass on) the old one unlocked, with no hassle.The bottom line is that, if you can afford to pay upfront, do it. If not, all the deals make you pay sooner or later. At least in the UK anyway, I would be interested to know how it works elsewhere.
The calculations work across the board for the most part. Even if you base the above on O2 (arguably a marginally inferior network carrier) contract you over pay by just £36. But to be honest an extra 10p (15 US cents) a day to an iPhone owner who must have the latest and greatest is not going to be a bankruptcy maker.
In short, yes.
But, you just need to make sure that you can get a contracted or Pay as you go "Micro Sim" package to make it worth the bother.
When I go to France (for example) I just use my UK sim and swallow the charges as it is more hassle than it is worth IMO.
Make sure any deal includes a Micro Sim, as at least you and they know it is for an iPhone. It really makes a difference.
Yeah you can. Buy it off-contract (unlocked) and you can put pretty much whatever sim in whatever country and it will work. I have a T-Mobile sim in New York, a 3 Mobile sim in UK, and a Tata Docomo sim for India business trips.
The India one has prepaid data and it never seems to run out. UK sim is only £10/month for limited data/talk. NYC sim $50/month unlimited everything.
Yeah, you might be able to do that for a little bit..but AT&T regular sweeps their network for iPhone IMEI #s and forces you get an iPhone plan. Your best bet is do it in such a way where AT&T cannot sweep for your IMEI #....there are 2 ways for that..either 1. You get ATT Contract-Free, but use a non-ATT carrier.....OR you get Official Unlocked in November and use ATT GOphone plan.
that's what he means by AT&T prepaid. I was on the $50/month unlimited GoPhone plan for awhile and data did not work, if you have a smart phone you have to buy a feature package on top of the $50 plan. They advertise it like it's all included, but data is not if you have a smart phone.
You're not getting it.So, you've had the new iPhone for awhile? Yeah... right.
He was saying that many others on this planet have had unlocked phones for years, not this specific iPhone.
Note that in certain markets (e.g., Belgium), it is illegal to lock handsets to a carrier. All handsets must be sold unlocked. I believe in some other markets, locked handsets must be unlocked if the consumer requests it.
You should look around you (i.e., beyond the borders of the United States of America) and realize that not everyone does everything like what you are used to in your hometown. And frankly, it's probably better that we don't.
it's not unlimited data if you have a smart phone...only for feature phones. If you have a smart phone they make you add data on top of the $50 plan. maybe you can jailbreak and try but i changed the APN on my iphone and the data didn't work until i paid for a feature package.
check out H20 wireless, it's on AT&T network and appears to have better prices.
T-Mobile plans are much better value than at&t.
If you know you are going to have cellphone service for the foreseeable future, you can just buy this "unlocked" 4S. You pay more upfront but save money in the long run. The longer you stay, you more you save. About $400 on t-mobile vs. at&t over 24 months for instance.
Plus your eS is unlocked, great for when you travel.
You can even sweeten the deal, get a 2 years contract with T-Mobile and sell the phone you'd be getting that to help fund the unlocked 4S purchase.
Now if you own a 4, you can get $350-400 on CL for it.
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/value-plans.aspx
But doesn't the iPhone only support T-Mobile frequencies at 2G? Seems like that would be a huge waste.
Yes, that's the compromise. T-Mobile 3G operates on two frequencies in duality, one of which is 1700MHz which the 4S doesn't work on.
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Did it have any SIM installed before you plugged it in?
Also, does this message appear right after you plug it in? In other words, did you perform any actions between plugging it in and the message being displayed?
Hi,
As a UK customer, I do not see the fuss about the ‘absurd’ retail prices for the ‘unlocked’ iPhone 4S, direct from Apple.
As our American cousins may say, ‘Lets do the Math’
Based on the UK iPhone 4S, with costs for a 12 month Contract with a mid/low-tariff with Vodafone, the largest UK carrier (and 2nd largest in the world)
600 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 500mb Data, WIFI Hotspots =
£41 / month x 12 + £419 for 64GB the contract handset = £911
Remember, the only important thing to consider is the real costs for the same package over the appropriate set contract timeframes.
Now I have ordered a 64GB 4S @ £699 from Apple, but I will pay less for my phone in the long run and consider the additional benefits to be greater.
I will explain.
I have ordered a Micro SIM only plan from Vodafone and will receive.
600 minutes, 3000 Texts, 500mb Data, WIFI Hotspots =
£17.50 / month x 12 = £210 + £699 for 64GB direct from Apple = £909.
A saving of £3 to spend in Starbucks on a coffee and half a cake!
Joking aside, the most important part to me is that:
1. The plan is a 90-day plan (not 12, 18 or 24 months), rolls over to a 30 day plan on expiry for same monthly fee.
2. iPhone is unlocked and you are not tied to a contract or carrier. It is mine outright.
3. If you travel outside your region (like I do regularly) you can simply swap Sim’s for a local one.
4. If you are one of those people who must have a new phone on launch day, you will not get ripped off on ‘buying out’ your contract WHEN the iPhone 5 comes out
The bottom line is that, if you can afford to pay upfront, do it. If not, all the deals make you pay sooner or later. At least in the UK anyway, I would be interested to know how it works elsewhere.
The calculations work across the board for the most part. Even if you base the above on O2 (arguably a marginally inferior network carrier) contract you over pay by just £36. But to be honest an extra 10p (15 US cents) a day to an iPhone owner who must have the latest and greatest is not going to be a bankruptcy maker.
I think your argument is great for the UK (and probably most countries where iphones are sold legitimately) where you have several good providers that you can switch to and really good PAYG plans. Here in the US, we only had one provider until about 6 months ago and now, even with 3 legit providers and 1 unofficial provider (T-mobile), we still can't go from one provider to the next very easily or without sacrificing something (Edge vs 3G for Tmobile, CDMA vs GSM). I would prefer to buy an unlocked phone but I would still use it on AT&T since T-mobile doesn't support the iphone's 3G frequency and I would still end up paying what I do now. There really wouldn't be an advantage for most people to buy an unlocked phone in the US unless they are frequent travelers or are looking to resell their phone for a higher value when they upgrade again. The US mobile industry needs some sweeping changes or we need another major provider who can give AT&T and Verizon a major run for their money.
Well, it is really weird in US honestly, cellphones services are so freaking expensive! So, you're saying that $50's data plan is a no go since it was not meant for smartphones users?
cellphone service in the US is ridiculously expensive.
The 19%+ taxes (bunch of taxes and surcharges carriers claim they pass on to the user) don't exactly help either.
The 19%+ taxes (bunch of taxes and surcharges carriers claim they pass on to the user) don't exactly help either.
If anybody might be able to help out with this, that would be great. I called the Apple store and they were unsure of the answer and I sincerely doubt AT&T will give me a straight answer.
I preordered the iPhone 4s online and used my upgrade. So I renewed my contract. Now that I see the handset seems to be coming unlocked, I want to return my iPhone and get the off contract version. I plan to go to my local Apple store and pick it up. Since I ordered online, I can't exchange/return there, I have to send back my phone that was purchased with the contract.
1. Can I swap sim chips before I send back my iPhone 4s or is my contract tied to that sim chip?
2. If I can swap sims, will that re-lock the phone somehow? Should I plug into iTunes first before putting in the already activated sim?
3. If I cannot swap, is it possible to activate the off contract phone while my current one is in route back to the Apple warehouse? Would my contract be reset properly if I activated the off contract phone before the other on contract phone is returned?
Quite a complicated situation I have. Over the weekend I decided I don't want anymore phone contracts. Wish I had made the decision before I preordered and renewed.
Thanks for the help.
I preordered the iPhone 4s online and used my upgrade. So I renewed my contract. Now that I see the handset seems to be coming unlocked, I want to return my iPhone and get the off contract version. I plan to go to my local Apple store and pick it up. Since I ordered online, I can't exchange/return there, I have to send back my phone that was purchased with the contract.
1. Can I swap sim chips before I send back my iPhone 4s or is my contract tied to that sim chip?
2. If I can swap sims, will that re-lock the phone somehow? Should I plug into iTunes first before putting in the already activated sim?
3. If I cannot swap, is it possible to activate the off contract phone while my current one is in route back to the Apple warehouse? Would my contract be reset properly if I activated the off contract phone before the other on contract phone is returned?
Quite a complicated situation I have. Over the weekend I decided I don't want anymore phone contracts. Wish I had made the decision before I preordered and renewed.
Thanks for the help.
Nothing - just plugged it in to the Mac with iTunes running and "Congratulations" popped up on the screen. These phones are not locked. There is no AT&T logo written anywhere at all on the box or the UPC sticker - only on the receipt they emailed me. I took the AT&T sim card out before I plugged it in to the computer.
By the way, what is CL - you wrote they buy iPhone 4 for 3/400 bucks?
Exactly. Everyone views products differently for value...but shelling out $650 for a cell phone is ludicrous if you ask me...and it's the 16GB size! Let's face it...the iPhone is really 1% phone and 99% computer/internet stuff...you might as well have purchased an iPod Touch for 1/3 the price and used Skype to make your phone calls.