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Carrier (T-Mobile iPhone 5s is LOCKED- Unlocked iPhone 5s Discussion)

I am done with waiting. Switching to Android camp until iPhone 6 comes out

KPOM said:
Yes, the T-Mobile iPhone 5s purchased directly from Apple is unlocked, despite the changes on the website. All you need to do is insert a working SIM from any carrier and you should be able to use it. That said, it is taking a long time to ship online orders of the T-Mobile version from Apple because T-Mobile bought a large allocation of phones for itself and have locked those phones for sale in their own carrier stores.
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I placed my order of T-Mobile 64GB Gold iPhone 5S at 7:00AM on September 20, 2013. My order status still shows available to ship: October. Since it seems true that online order of the T-Mobile version from Apple will take forever, I cancelled my order today.

I purchased iPhone every year from the first iPhone to iPhone 5. I did the same for iPad. After I played with my wife's Galaxy Note 3, I will skip iPhone 5s. I will buy Galaxy Note 3 and use it until Apple makes a significant improvement and larger screen for iPhone 6 next year. I love Apple but I made a decision that slight improvement Apple made to iPhone 5s is not enough to wait longer than 2 weeks to get the notification when my phone will be delivered.

Good luck to you all.
 
mc35 said:
I placed my order of T-Mobile 64GB Gold iPhone 5S at 7:00AM on September 20, 2013. My order status still shows available to ship: October. Since it seems true that online order of the T-Mobile version from Apple will take forever, I cancelled my order today.

I purchased iPhone every year from the first iPhone to iPhone 5. I did the same for iPad. After I played with my wife's Galaxy Note 3, I will skip iPhone 5s. I will buy Galaxy Note 3 and use it until Apple makes a significant improvement and larger screen for iPhone 6 next year. I love Apple but I made a decision that slight improvement Apple made to iPhone 5s is not enough to wait longer than 2 weeks to get the notification when my phone will be delivered.

Good luck to you all.
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Do you need the unlocked version? If not, the quickest way to get a T-Mobile iPhone is through T-Mobile.com. When I checked last week, except for the gold version, which legitimately appears in short supply, they still had phones ready to ship.

What shipment time did they give you when you placed your order? Were you in the 7-10 business day or "October" crowd? If the "October" crowd, they gave advanced warning. If you are in the 7-10 business day camp 10 business days was Friday so I agree they should have given you some update by now.

I had the 5, and while the 5s wasn't as big as the jump from the 4s to the 5, it is more than a "slight" improvement. I really like Touch ID. And the 5s is as fast as or faster than the Note 3 even though it has a dual core processor. The color is more accurate, as well. Also note that the iPhone 6 might have a larger screen, but I doubt it will be as large as the Note 3 and it certainly won't have a native stylus. Apple has a different design philosophy.
 
Hi brian here,

New to MacRumours but have used it a few times in the past. I am going to America on october 17th and I was wondering if I buy a T-Mobile iPhone 5s will I be able to use it permanently in Ireland?

I have a buyer for my iPhone 4s so I just wanted to find out will I be able to use a iPhone 5s from america because it will work out cheaper than buying one in Ireland.

Thanks
 
brianfitz said:
Hi brian here,

New to MacRumours but have used it a few times in the past. I am going to America on october 17th and I was wondering if I buy a T-Mobile iPhone 5s will I be able to use it permanently in Ireland?

I have a buyer for my iPhone 4s so I just wanted to find out will I be able to use a iPhone 5s from america because it will work out cheaper than buying one in Ireland.

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you are actually able to find an iPhone in an Apple Store, you can get a T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T phone and it will be unlocked if you pay full price for it. However, if you buy a T-Mobile phone from a T-Mobile store it will be locked and it isn't that easy to unlock it. If you buy an AT&T phone from an AT&T store it will be locked but since you are paying full price you can request an unlock right away.

However, the hard part is actually finding an iPhone 5s in a store. Apple has an online reservation system that is snapping up most of what little is here, and you can't buy a device through that system without also ordering a contract.
 
KPOM said:
If you are actually able to find an iPhone in an Apple Store, you can get a T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T phone and it will be unlocked if you pay full price for it. However, if you buy a T-Mobile phone from a T-Mobile store it will be locked and it isn't that easy to unlock it. If you buy an AT&T phone from an AT&T store it will be locked but since you are paying full price you can request an unlock right away.

However, the hard part is actually finding an iPhone 5s in a store. Apple has an online reservation system that is snapping up most of what little is here, and you can't buy a device through that system without also ordering a contract.
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Okay thanks for all the help, but if I do manage to get my hands on a iPhone 5s is there a certain model I need I get for compatibility in Ireland and if so how do I get that one as in is it under a certain carrier.

Also if I bought one at full price from AT&T how long would I have to wait for the unlock code? Thanks for all your help!
 
brianfitz said:
Okay thanks for all the help, but if I do manage to get my hands on a iPhone 5s is there a certain model I need I get for compatibility in Ireland and if so how do I get that one as in is it under a certain carrier.

Also if I bought one at full price from AT&T how long would I have to wait for the unlock code? Thanks for all your help!
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Full priced from an AT&T store. As long as you can provide proof of purchase I've heard of people getting the unlock done instantly over the phone and others having to send a fax and wait 1-2 weeks for the unlock. It depends who you get in customer service and if they know what they're doing.
 
brianfitz said:
Okay thanks for all the help, but if I do manage to get my hands on a iPhone 5s is there a certain model I need I get for compatibility in Ireland and if so how do I get that one as in is it under a certain carrier.

Also if I bought one at full price from AT&T how long would I have to wait for the unlock code? Thanks for all your help!
Click to expand...

Any version but the Sprint version should work for you. The AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile phones all support the same LTE and HSPA+ bands. I'm not sure what LTE bands the Irish carriers will use, but the North American versions don't support Band 7 (2600MHz), which some European carriers are using. They do support Bands 3 (1800MHz) and 20 (800 DD), which a number of European carriers are using.

If you find an AT&T phone inside an AT&T store, you can apply for an unlock right away here.
 
KPOM said:
Any version but the Sprint version should work for you. The AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile phones all support the same LTE and HSPA+ bands. I'm not sure what LTE bands the Irish carriers will use, but the North American versions don't support Band 7 (2600MHz), which some European carriers are using. They do support Bands 3 (1800MHz) and 20 (800 DD), which a number of European carriers are using.

If you find an AT&T phone inside an AT&T store, you can apply for an unlock right away here.
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If the LTE was Band 7 would i still be able to access 3G or would I have no connection?
 
KPOM said:
Yes, the 3G is penta-band so it supports all the major 3G frequencies in Europe and North America.
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Last question, I have read about I should not letting them activate the phone with the T-Mobile sim, can you clear up that whole area for me?
 
brianfitz said:
Last question, I have read about I should not letting them activate the phone with the T-Mobile sim, can you clear up that whole area for me?
Click to expand...

If you buy the phone from Apple that should not be a problem. It should be unlocked, and they won't try to activate it for you, anyway. If you buy the phone from T-Mobile it will be locked regardless of how you try to activate it.
 
Coleman2010 said:
Onde você comprou o iPhone? Da Apple, o iPhone T-Mobile é desbloqueio e é bom para usar no Brasil. Se você comprou de T-Mobile será bloqueado e não vai funcionar.
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Ainda não comprei , um Amigo vai para Miami , semana que vem , ou em Novembro , e irei pedir pra ele trazer , Deve pedir pra ele ir na LOJA DA APPLE E PEGAR O IPHONE 5S T-MOBILE CONTRACT-FREE , correto ? que ira funcionar com Chip do Brasil ? e quando comprar ele tem que Tirar o chip da T-mobile antes de liga-lo ?

'' Still have not bought a friend goes to Miami, next week, or November, and I will ask him to bring, should ask him to go on APPLE STORE AND GET THE IPHONE 5S T-MOBILE CONTRACT-FREE, correct? that will work with Chip Brazil? and when purchased, it will have to Remove the SIM card from T-Mobile before it connects? ''
 
vihoffmann said:
Ainda não comprei , um Amigo vai para Miami , semana que vem , ou em Novembro , e irei pedir pra ele trazer , Deve pedir pra ele ir na LOJA DA APPLE E PEGAR O IPHONE 5S T-MOBILE CONTRACT-FREE , correto ? que ira funcionar com Chip do Brasil ? e quando comprar ele tem que Tirar o chip da T-mobile antes de liga-lo ?

'' Still have not bought a friend goes to Miami, next week, or November, and I will ask him to bring, should ask him to go on APPLE STORE AND GET THE IPHONE 5S T-MOBILE CONTRACT-FREE, correct? that will work with Chip Brazil? and when purchased, it will have to Remove the SIM card from T-Mobile before it connects? ''
Click to expand...
Diga ao seu amigo para comprar na loja da Apple. Ele pode comprar o AT&T, T-Mobile ou Verizon versão "device only" e será desbloqueado. Tudo iPhones comprados "device only" são desbloqueados.

Entendeu?

Retire o chip e colocar no seu. Então ativar o iPhone.
 
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