Apple begins selling unlocked, SIM-free iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus in the U.S.

Chance Miller | Oct 13 2016 - 4:24 pm PT

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 went on sale nearly a month ago from carriers and on installment plans, but customers interested in purchasing a SIM-free model were forced to wait. That wait is now over, though, as Apple has started selling the SIM-free iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on its online store.

Now, when you go to the iPhone purchase page, you’ll see a new option in addition to the existing Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and iPhone Upgrade Program. Customers can now choose to purchase an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus without a SIM card at full retail price.

As Apple notes on its webpage, purchasing a SIM-free iPhone means that there’s no contract commitment or carrier financing. Instead, customers can go to the carrier of their choice and pick up a nano-SIM card, assuming that the iPhone supports the wireless bands of the carrier.

Apple notes of the following network compatibility on its website:

AT&T and T-Mobile

The iPhone for AT&T and T-Mobile does not support CDMA and will not work on Sprint or Verizon Wireless. It will use 3G cellular technology for voice services and either 3G or 4G LTE cellular technology for data services. However, the iPhone for AT&T and T-Mobile can roam internationally on many GSM carriers around the world.

Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and SIM-free

If Sprint or Verizon Wireless is your wireless carrier, your iPhone will work on AT&T and T-Mobile once activated. The SIM-free iPhone will work with any carrier. An iPhone activated on Sprint or Verizon Wireless, and the SIM-free iPhone, also have the ability to roam internationally on GSM networks.

International Roaming

All iPhone models are world phones, so you can use them almost anywhere. Which means you can roam internationally on GSM networks in over 200 countries around the world, whether you are a GSM or CDMA network customer. Availability of LTE data varies in some countries and depends on carrier support for certain LTE radio frequencies. For details on LTE network support, please see www.apple.com/iphone/LTE.

As far as availability goes, the iPhone 7 has faster shipping times than the Plus model does, though the Jet Black variant is still hard to come by in either size.

Pricing for the variants is below: