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Unlocked iPhone on launch?
- Thread starter exizeo
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Most countries offer them unlocked on day one but so far US customers have had to wait a couple of months longer before they are available.
With T-Mobile you don't have contract. You just pay monthly payment of your device on top of your monthly bill. You can just get the phone from T-Mobile.
I personally have a few friends that I know of that bought factory unlocked 5S phones from the Apple store on Launch day for full retail off contract.
It would seem to me they would do that here in the States again for the new phone.
It would seem to me they would do that here in the States again for the new phone.
Alright, that's fine. Thanks.
Hopefully they do sell the 6 unlocked at launch.
I guess that'll work, as well.
So, buy a $200 Verizon iPhone 6, go to TMobile, and swap the sim? Would I still have to use a Verizon plan or have Verizon subsidize my next phone?
Verizon won't give you a $200 iPhone unless you sign up for service with them. It will cost you $350 + some prorated fees for the service to cancel but it it's still cheaper than paying $649 + tax for an unlocked from Apple.
When you buy iPhone from Verizon for $200, it is subsidized. As far as I know, your phone is locked until you fulfill their two year contract for the subsidization or pay the ETF and all other fees associated with it. So yes, you do need to use their plan for two years. I think what T5BRICK meant was that you can pay full price of the phone at Verizon and take it elsewhere. Though I don't really get why you wouldn't just get the phone from T-Mobile to begin with, if you are planning to use it there.
All Verizon iPhone 5, 5c and 5s models(all Verizon LTE phones, actually) are UNLOCKED from the get go.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/aboutus/commitment/safety-security/device-unlocking-policy.html
I'm just going to hope that either I can get an unlocked phone from Apple for use with T-Mobile, or get the phone from T-Mobile.
With Verizon, even if it is unlocked, would I still have to pay anything either up-front or monthly to Verizon if I switched to T-Mobile?
With Verizon, even if it is unlocked, would I still have to pay anything either up-front or monthly to Verizon if I switched to T-Mobile?
If you buy it outright, for full price, there won't be any monthly or up front costs besides the cost of the phone.
So I CAN buy it on launch-day, unlocked, with Verizon, for $649? Then go back to T-Mobile?
That's great!
If you're planning to use T-Mobile, then just buy one from a T-Mobile store at launch.
If you need an unlocked one, Apple sells the unlocked model on day one for $649. Last year they referred to it as "unlocked with a T-Mobile sim".
If you need an unlocked one, Apple sells the unlocked model on day one for $649. Last year they referred to it as "unlocked with a T-Mobile sim".
Yes that's true. At launch though last year the Apple Store was giving people a hard time who were trying to buy the Verizon model full price. At least at the one near me. I think they gave preference to people who were buying subsidized.
The verizon version of 4S/5/5S/6 all work with any carrier around the world. I have a lot of relatives overseas and when they ask me for a phone from here i go on craigslist and look for verizon models. They come unlocked and people sell it for less because it is Verizon and they think it wont work on other carriers.
Not fully the case for the 4S at least. It can be unlocked but doesn't come unlocked on its own and it can only be unlocked for GSM carriers outside of US. As of 5 they are factory unlocked and can work with US GSM carriers as well (the 5 though has somewhat different LTE bands so might not support LTE on various GSM carriers).
Despite what an apple store person will tell you, its been the experience of others in this forum that Tmobile iphones sold at the APPLE STORE will be unlocked.
Verizon iphones will also be SIM unlocked if you can convince a specialist you wanna buy one off contract.
AT&T iphones will unlock if you buy it at full price and go home and sync to iTunes to unlock it. (what i did for the 5S). Just tell them you want to buy it out of contract and you dont want to activate it in store.
Tmobile doens't have contracts. if you mean you want to join tmobile and pay the installment plan then you have to do that at a tmobile store.
I have personally bought and used a 4S overseas and i also used my own 4S that i got from Verizon throughout the past years. I didnt call Verizon for an unlock or use a 3rd party to unlock them. You think i got lucky on those being unlocked?
Perhaps, not sure what the details were in your case. But, by default, 4S from Verizon is not GSM unlocked (and when it is GSM unlocked it's only unlocked for networks outside of US). One example of this: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phon...-sim-unlock-your-verizon-apple-iphone-4s/6712
This is probably what I will be doing. Although I plan to order it online to pick up at the store. Either way, I'm paying full price for the iPhone 6.
