SIM-Free iPhone X Now Available From Apple Online Store in the United States - MacRumors
Skip to Content

SIM-Free iPhone X Now Available From Apple Online Store in the United States

by

Starting today, Apple is offering a SIM-free version of the iPhone X from its online store in the United States, allowing customers to buy an unlocked iPhone without choosing a carrier.

SIM-free versions of the iPhone X in all capacities list the same ~one week delivery estimate available for other iPhone X devices. SIM-free iPhone X models ordered today will arrive on December 12.

applesimfree

SIM-free iPhone X models will work with any carrier and have full support for both CDMA and GSM networks, much like the Sprint and Verizon versions of the new smartphone. iPhone X models from AT&T and T-Mobile do not support CDMA networks and are not compatible with Sprint or Verizon.

Since iPhone X pre-orders kicked off on October 27, Apple has only allowed customers to buy an iPhone X with an AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon SIM, though models purchased in full are listed as unlocked. At launch, Apple was requiring carrier pre-activation to make an iPhone X purchase, but that requirement was lifted in mid-November.

It's been possible to get the equivalent of a SIM-free unlocked iPhone X ordering a Verizon model and paying full price, but now there is an official SIM-free version.

Now that SIM-free iPhone X models are available, Apple is will also soon allow its employees to purchase the iPhone X through the internal employee site at a discount.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Gurman: iPhone Ultra Wows Early Testers, Except for Its Camera

Sunday August 23, 2026 11:19 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra is winning over the few people who have had hands-on time with the device, though the camera setup may leave some users wanting, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says people who have used the device – which is reportedly referred to internally as the iPhone Ultra – like how it fits in your...
Read Full Article • 218 comments
iPhone 18 Pro Dark Cherry Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: When Will Apple Event Be Announced?

Monday August 24, 2026 6:45 am PDT by
It is now late August, meaning that Apple's annual iPhone event is just around the corner. Below, we take a look at when the event might be held this year. This September, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and an all-new foldable iPhone that will reportedly be named the iPhone Ultra. The regular iPhone 18, a lower-end iPhone 18e, and the iPhone Air 2 are not...
Read Full Article • 18 comments
apple magic keyboard with glyphs 2026 refresh

Apple Quietly Refreshes Magic Keyboards

Tuesday August 25, 2026 7:22 am PDT by
Apple today quietly introduced updated Magic Keyboard models with revised U.S. English key labeling. On the new keyboards, the tab, caps lock, shift, return, and delete keycaps are labeled with glyphs rather than edge text. On the full-size models with a numeric keypad, the change goes further, with the home, page up, page down, end, clear, and enter keys also swapping their text labels for...
Read Full Article • 113 comments

Top Rated Comments

JPack Avatar
JPack
114 months ago
What was the reason for NOT allowing SIM free iphones? Could buy them from day one in Canada.
SIM-free = Qualcomm only

Apple probably had volume commitments to Intel. Most consumers would prefer not to get the crippled Intel version if they had a choice.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
citysnaps
114 months ago
Excellent. That's what I was waiting for!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
JPack
114 months ago
Question. Can you purchase an unlocked iphone X and activate it WITHOUT signing up to a carrier? I travel internationally a lot, and have a travel blog. I want to use the iphone X as my travel camera. I'd like to use wifi only...but then occassionally pop in a sim when i am overseas. It may sound odd, but i don't want to join any carrier service.

Another question...i also have a grandfathered unlimited ATT data plan for my iPad. Can i pop out that sim and put it into an iphone X? Just wondering.
Yes.

The rest of the world does this. They purchase a SIM-free unlocked phone and use it with whatever carrier and whenever they like. No commitments.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J
jcshas
114 months ago
Isn't this essentially the same as buying the Verizon iPhone X, without a contract? I did and activated mine on AT&T.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
thadoggfather
114 months ago
I simply bought the T-Mobile version on launch day, it's basically like the SIM free iPhone.
You can make it sim free , just remove the included sim and you’re free !

:P
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
Rigby
114 months ago
So if you plan to use AT&T as a carrier, do you think you are better off sticking with the GSM version? Sounds like CDMA will work, but if GSM is the better network, I can't understand why people would forgoe a better network just for a chipset.
Attempting to clarify this a bit:

- When people talk about GSM today, they really mean 3GPP standards; GSM was the 2G 3GPP standard, today only 3G and LTE/4G are relevant (AT&T has in fact decomissioned GSM a while ago)

- AT&T has used 3GPP standards from the beginnning, from GSM over 3G to LTE/4G. Verizon originally used a different standard (often called CDMA, although that is really a more general term), but they are now migrating their networks to 3GPP standards as well (LTE/4G and in a few years 5G). They are in the process of decomissioning their CDMA network.

- The modem chips used in the current Verizon iPhones support a superset of the functionality of the ones in AT&T phones. Verizon phones support both 3GPP and CDMA networks, while AT&T phones only support 3GPP. So, you can use the Verizon version everywhere were you can use the AT&T version, plus on CDMA networks. In that regard it is a superior phone. But soon that advantage will be irrelevant since CDMA is becoming less and less important (at least in the US).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments