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Apple to Begin Offering Unlocked, SIM-Free iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Models in the U.S. Tomorrow

Monday January 5, 2015 2:48 pm PST by Richard Padilla
Apple will begin offering unlocked, SIM-free versions of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus starting tomorrow on its online store and at its retail locations, reports 9to5Mac.

iphone_6_plus_6_side_by
Pricing will remain the same alongside the other unsubsidized iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models, with 16/64/128 GB versions of the iPhone 6 selling for $649/$749/$849 respectively, while the 16/64/128GB versions of the iPhone 6 Plus will be available for $749/$849/$949.

Notably, many of the carrier-specific iPhone 6 models sold by Apple have been unlocked since launch when purchased at full retail price, although the company has not been specifically marketing them as such. As with other unlocked devices, the unlocked versions of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will allow users to insert a nano-SIM card from a compatible GSM network for cellular voice, texting, and data connectivity. Apple launched unlocked versions of the iPhone 5s last year in November, which followed the release of carrier-specific models in September.

Tag: 9to5mac.com
[ 121 comments ]


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shenan1982
53 months ago

And why is it any different from T-Mo iPhones?


No difference whatsoever... they just have those silly agreements with carriers not to advertise a phone as unlocked for x amount of days. Only in America.
Rating: 18 Votes
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spoa94
53 months ago
I just came here to read the uninformed comments
Rating: 12 Votes
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poematik13
53 months ago
the tmobile version was unlocked since launch day.
Rating: 11 Votes
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cheesyappleuser
53 months ago
And why is it any different from T-Mo iPhones?
Rating: 10 Votes
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r3loaded
53 months ago
Meanwhile outside the US we've been able to buy unlocked iPhones from day 1!
Rating: 9 Votes
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zorinlynx
53 months ago
That guy in the forum who was always whining about this is probably going to throw a huge house party in celebration of this.
Rating: 9 Votes
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Chatter
53 months ago

I believe that the T-Mobile version is locked in the US for 2 months to T-Mobile's service.

I just told my friend to get two of those for a family member that is visiting him from overseas.

The thing is that if you take the T-Mobile version outside of the US, it will work right away.


No. This is simply false. There was NEVER a 2-month "lock".
Rating: 7 Votes
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Menel
53 months ago

I believe that the T-Mobile version is locked in the US for 2 months to T-Mobile's service.

I just told my friend to get two of those for a family member that is visiting him from overseas.

The thing is that if you take the T-Mobile version outside of the US, it will work right away.

Only if you finance.

TMo iPhone since day 1 with an AIO SIM.

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Meanwhile outside the US we've been able to buy unlocked iPhones from day 1!


We have here in the US, it was called the TMobile or Verizon full price option from Apple Store.
Rating: 3 Votes
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BruiserB
53 months ago
If you bought an ATT, T-mobile, or Verizon phone "device only" from Apple they were all immediately unlocked. The main difference now is just that Apple is allowed to call it unlocked. Also they will sell them by online order, not just in store. You could buy the Tmobile one online before, but availability was terrible so it was faster and more reliable to go to the store and buy one of the other carrier's phones. I personally use T-mobile, but bought an ATT 6+ on launch day since that was the only carrier still in stock when they got to me in line. A previous poster was right that a VZ phone is most versatile, though many have posted that ATT and T-mobile phones will work on VZ if you just swap SIMs. But VZ won't officially activate a phone from the other carriers.

And Sprint is an odd-duck. I'm pretty sure they won't accept any other carrier's phones on their network and their SIMs are somehow set up to only work with the phone they are assigned to, so you can't just swap SIMs. Also Sprint won't unlock their phones, so you can't use them on the other carriers.
Rating: 3 Votes
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barkomatic
53 months ago
In the U.S. at least, isn't the Verizon model the most versatile? As I understand it, Verizon will not activate even a SIM free iPhone since it wasn't made specifically for that carrier. However, you can take the Verizon iPhone to AT&T and T-Mobile (but not Sprint). Correct me if I'm wrong on this though.
Rating: 3 Votes

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