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unlocked phone in the US

G

ghanwani

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 8, 2008
5,053
6,564
US users -- has anyone tried to buy an official unlocked iphone either from another country (Canada, UK, etc.) or from an online site?

Is there any reputable seller in Canada that will sell/ship an unlocked iphone to the US?

Otherwise, I was thinking of making a trip across the border to get one. It doesn't seem to make sense buying it from any other country (even thought it might be convenient because of existing travel plans) where the power plugs are different.

I figure the freedom of changing carriers and the ability to simply not have a data plan would make it well worth it.
 
if you plan to use it in the US you must become a vassal of AT&T...or suffer under T-Mobile EDGE

what "carrier freedom" are you refering to? none exists in the US at the current moment
 
ghanwani said:
Why can't I just use it as a regular phone and use the email, etc. only when on wifi?
Click to expand...

You should be able to with T-Mobile (as long as you purchased it unlocked outside the US or jailbreak+unlock it in the US). I haven't done it myself so I could be wrong.
 
Yeah, I'm looking for someone reputable. Wonder if it would be sold by Best Buy in Canada and if they would ship to the US.
 
ghanwani said:
Yeah, I'm looking for someone reputable. Wonder if it would be sold by Best Buy in Canada and if they would ship to the US.
Click to expand...

I believe an iPhone bought at BestBuy here in Canada would be locked to one the 3 carriers or their subsidiaries who deal with iPhone.
To get the true factory unlocked iPhone you would have to order from Apple Canada online or go to an Apple store.
 
Cole Slaw said:
I believe an iPhone bought at BestBuy here in Canada would be locked to one the 3 carriers or their subsidiaries who deal with iPhone.
To get the true factory unlocked iPhone you would have to order from Apple Canada online or go to an Apple store.
Click to expand...

Basically, it looks like one either has to make a trip up there or have someone you know buy it for you and ship it. Since I don't want to inconvenience someone else, I'll probably end up having to make a weekend trip up there.
 
old-wiz said:
price too good to be tend to be scams. Reseller ratings only has 3 reviews on the site and suspect that some were written by employees.

The site is actually based in Hong Kong, so I wouldn't trust them.
Click to expand...

I checked the negrielectronic in google and several forums send good feedback about it. Besides it has a link in tag prices for iphone 4 in gsmarena.com (which is an authentic site to me).
If I were in US and did not have a friend in Canada or Uk I would use it.
 
I would make sure the phone is GSM network capable. All Phones are not world phones. I would post what kind of phone in the future.
 
Check eBay or maybe even Craigslist for unlocked iPhone 4s. Not sure how much it'll cost you to make a round trip to Canada, but it seems sort of expensive and inconvenient in many aspects. Or just buy a no commitment iPhone and JB/unlock it.

Oh yeah, and if you plan on using it on a month to month AT&T plan, you run the risk of them adding a data plan. Stick with prepaid AT&T or switch to any plan on T-Mobile.
 
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