As we reported yesterday, Apple is now selling contract-free iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in retail stores and online. Following historic pattern, the 16 GB base model iPhone 6 costs $649 with higher tiers costing $100 extra. The iPhone 6 Plus starts at $749.
Unlocked iPhones can be activated for use any carrier, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile. Apple usually launches unlocked models of their phones a couple of months after normal debut, but this year it seems slightly delayed. This may reflect continued strong demand (and hence, low supply) of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus generation. Unlocked iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ship in 3 – 5 business days. For comparison, most subsidised options ship in 1 business day.
Apple sold a record ten million phones in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus opening weekend, a remarkable achievement that Tim Cook described as being ‘way up’ year-on-year. Apple will report full-quarter iPhone sales numbers on 27th January, in its earnings call for the holiday quarter. Revenue is forecast to exceed $63.5 billion dollars.
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“The existence of contract-free iPhones is a bit of weird concept anyway, as buying a T-Mobile iPhone from the website effectively yields the same result as an unlocked device. It doesn’t come with a T-Mobile SIM by default, though.”
How I always buy my iPhones – unlocked and contract free. But everytime I’ve done this, there was a T-Mobile SIM installed in the phone – which makes me wish Apple still provided the SIM tray tool with iPhones.
I’m guessing that this is Apple’s one concession to their carriers in the US – Delay the unlocked phones?
What you bought the. Was a T-Mobile device only iPhone which is unlocked.
Also, in the article it said that these iPhones can be activated on Verizon. Has this been confirmed because when I tried to put a factory unlocked iPhone 5s on Verizon last year it was impossible. Thanks.
I had to double check myself, from Apple.com: “You can activate and use the unlocked iPhone on the supported wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or Sprint in the United States.”
Following up on Zac’s comment, while Apples website does say the statement he quoted, in small print at the bottom it also reads “An unlocked iPhone may be activated on supported GSM carrier networks. ” So the page seems to be contradictory.
You don’t get the LM SIM Ejection Tool with an iPhone in the US? Wow, that’s…weird.
According to http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/
The unlocked iphone 6/6plus A1586/A1524 does not support verizon
That’s interesting. AT&T and T-Mobile are also not on that list, but those are GSM carriers and I already tested them on both unlocked iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and both carriers are working fine on LTE network. Looks like Apple has some contradictory information on their site.
The small print on apples site indicates that they do.
“Models A1586 and A1524 also support LTE networks listed for models A1549 and A1522.”
Supported LTE Networks
Aio
Alaska Communications
AT&T
Consumer Cellular
Cricket
Family Mobile
GCI
Net 10
Straight Talk
T-Mobile
Union Wireless
Verizon
If I buy one of these and use it with Sprint, will it be stuck with sprint forever?
No,
Being that it is unlocked you can take it to any carrier provided you have the proper SIM card for them.