What do I need to upgrade to 3GS?

[sugarcanes2004]

OK sorry I'm late to the party, but I am still using the original 2G Iphone and want to upgrade.

Problem is, I don't want to upgrade through AT&T and was planning on purchasing an iPhone 3GS from ebay and using that.

I've read through some threads on here that say that I WILL be able to use my 2G SIM card in the used 3GS I purchase, but I had a few questions.

Most notably, do I need to purchase an "unlocked" phone off ebay, or will any 3GS work? Most of the auctions I see are for used 3GS's, and I assume I can just put my sim card into this phone and it will work correctly. Is this an accurate assumption? Will I have to activate the phone at all to get it to work, or can I just power it on, put my SIM card in, and it'll work just like my 2G does now?

Thanks a ton for any info.

 

[Reach9]

Don't want to upgrade through ATT? Then wait 3 more months for an iPhone 5 and just buy it unlocked?

I don't see the point buying a 3GS which will soon be obsolete in a few months.

But if you're set on getting a 3GS, then you can get it from eBay, and unlock it yourself (YouTube it).

 

[sugarcanes2004]

Well my reasoning was that I've been hearing the iPhone 5 won't be out until September and I really didn't want to wait that long. My first-gen iphone is on it's last leg. But I was planning on upgrading through AT&T once the 5 comes out, but I wanted something to hold me over in the meantime. The 4 is pretty expensive on ebay, but I can get a 3G or a 3GS for around $175-$200.

But thanks alot for the response...I just wanted confirmation that the phone actually has to be unlocked BEFORE you put your own SIM card in it. I knew for certain it had to be unlocked to use a different provider's SIM in an iphone, but I wasnt sure since I already have an AT&T SIM card in my 2G phone.

So if I purchase a phone off ebay, it should be able to be unlocked without activating it or anything like that, then I can use my SIM card in it and it'll work fine?

 

[Small White Car]

So if I purchase a phone off ebay, it should be able to be unlocked without activating it or anything like that, then I can use my SIM card in it and it'll work fine?

Just make sure it's not locked to some carrier in some other country.

But if it was used as an AT&T phone before then it'll be fine. It won't matter that it's locked to AT&T since you're still using it on AT&T. Just put your SIM card in and then plug it into iTunes and restore it from the backup of your old phone.

 

[Bakakage]

Criagslist is always an option if you wanted to test out your sim before buying it.