Will the Sprint iphone5s/5c be sold as device only?

[kanimo]

Hello everyone, I am in California now but I will have to go back to Tokyo by the end of this month, so I'm thinking of buying a 5s or 5c to be sold in the USA because the unlocked iphones are not available in Japan.

I understand that both the Verizon and the AT&T(T-Mobile) versions are sim-free when you buy one at full price (without contract), but taking into consideration Japan's current LTE situation, the Sprint version must be the best ONLY IF IT IS SIM-FREE WHEN YOU BUY IT AS DEVICE ONLY.

Some staff members of Apple Store in Southern California (it was in Irvine I think) said "Apple has kept selling the Sprint version of iphone5 as device only, so 5s and 5c will also be sold as device only. But we don't know if it's safe to say that a Sprint iphone with no contract is sim-free".

I know people on this forum sometimes know better than staff members of Apple, so I would like to ask your opinion about questions below:

1) What are the chances that Apple is going to sell a Sprint iphone 5s/5c as device only?

2) If they sell a Sprint as device only, will it be sim-free or locked?

Thank you very much in advance!

kanimo

 

[eyoungren]

1) What are the chances that Apple is going to sell a Sprint iphone 5s/5c as device only?

The chances are very good. They sold a device only version with the iPhone 5. But, understand that in Sprint's case, device only means "without a contract." It does NOT mean unlocked.

2) If they sell a Sprint as device only, will it be sim-free or locked?

It will be locked. Sprint's policy is as follows:

To unlock a Sprint iPhone you MUST be a Sprint customer with an active line for a minimum of 90 days. You must pay your bill on time each month.

If you satisfy those requirements Sprint will unlock your iPhone for INTERNATIONAL use only. Since you say you are going to Japan this may work for you, but understand that Sprint will NEVER unlock for domestic US use. They have all the IMEI numbers of the iPhones they buy from Apple blocked from being unlocked for domestic use.

Since you have only one month before you leave I highly doubt that a Sprint iPhone is going to be a solution for you.

 

[kanimo]

Dear eyoungren,

Thank you very much for your detailed opinion! Very, very heplful!!
I will buy a Verizon 5s as long as Sprint has no intention of changing their policy. I have heard that Sprint has not been popular for a long time here in the USA, so I think they should "go unlocked" like Verizon and other carriers! (although that may not be a reason why Sprint is unpopular)

Thank you again, eyoungren! Arigato-gozaimasu

kanimo

 

[eyoungren]

Dear eyoungren,

Thank you very much for your detailed opinion! Very, very heplful!!
I will buy a Verizon 5s as long as Sprint has no intention of changing their policy. I have heard that Sprint has not been popular for a long time here in the USA, so I think they should "go unlocked" like Verizon and other carriers! (although that may not be a reason why Sprint is unpopular)

Thank you again, eyoungren! Arigato-gozaimasu

kanimo

Well, I agree that it should come unlocked. Unfortunately, Sprint doesn't agree with us and they have the final word on it. On the other hand, there really is no carrier domestically to take a unlocked Sprint iPhone as the bands are different.

Sprint is currently involved in upgrading it's network. The network is the main reason Sprint isn't popular, despite unlimited plans. Customer service (poor) is another reason. It's going to take some time for Sprint to change perceptions - if ever.
.
どういたしまして。

(forgive me if I offend with my poor Japanese)

 

[cnotes2019]

The chances are very good. They sold a device only version with the iPhone 5. But, understand that in Sprint's case, device only means "without a contract." It does NOT mean unlocked.

It will be locked. Sprint's policy is as follows:

To unlock a Sprint iPhone you MUST be a Sprint customer with an active line for a minimum of 90 days. You must pay your bill on time each month.

If you satisfy those requirements Sprint will unlock your iPhone for INTERNATIONAL use only. Since you say you are going to Japan this may work for you, but understand that Sprint will NEVER unlock for domestic US use. They have all the IMEI numbers of the iPhones they buy from Apple blocked from being unlocked for domestic use.

Since you have only one month before you leave I highly doubt that a Sprint iPhone is going to be a solution for you.

So there's never been a sprint iPhone that's been unlocked by a third party ie similar to how iPhones get an exploit to jailbreak it some have also bundled in an unlock exploit? Thanks

 

[eyoungren]

So there's never been a sprint iPhone that's been unlocked by a third party ie similar to how iPhones get an exploit to jailbreak it some have also bundled in an unlock exploit? Thanks

To my knowledge, no. I have never heard of a legitimate third party unlock. Note that it is not necessarily a requirement to be jailbroken to unlock. Lots of people buy third party AT&T and other carrier unlocks by submitting their IMEI/ESN to someone who can insert it in to the unlock database. No jailbreak required.

Lastly, there was a very small slice of time where Sprint announced that they would provide the iPhone (4 and 4S) unlocked. They did, but about three months or so after that they issued a carrier OTA update that locked those phones.

 

[kanimo]

eyoungren-san,

どういたしまして。

(forgive me if I offend with my poor Japanese)

Your Japanese is perfect!