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Apple Now Selling Unlocked GSM iPhones in the U.S.

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Apple has begun selling unlocked GSM iPhone 5 models in the United States, some two months after it originally went on sale. This is similar to the delay that preceded sales of the unlocked iPhone 4S last year.

Screen Shot 2012 11 29 at 8 26 11 PM
The launch follows the drop of the iPhone 5's estimated shipping times to one week just a few days ago. The unlocked GSM models are available for $649/$749/$849 for the 16/32/64 GB models and also have an estimated ship time of one week. In the U.S., the unlocked models will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile.

The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a wireless contract commitment. You can activate and use iPhone on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States. The unlocked iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.

If you don’t want a multiyear service contract, or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It does not come with a micro-SIM card for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, or a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5, so you’ll need to get one from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

Top Rated Comments

N
nfl46
174 months ago
Cheaper than expected.
Haven't they always been these prices?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iphone495
174 months ago
This is why I love MACRUMORS. Two confirmed rumors in ONE WEEK!!!:D
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
E
eim23x
174 months ago
Is there a possibility of an official unlocked Verizon model?
This would be really popular for LTE seeking travelers, but I guess it won't really be any competition to the gsm model. ::sigh::

Anybody with a good guess with other phones in the same situation?

Verizon iPhone 5 are unlocked from day 1. When you are in the Apple store
tell them to sell you a Verizon iPhone 5 same price as the unlocked model.

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As usual, Apple is ripping people off in other countries. Here in Germany, an unlocked iPhone is 679 Euros. An unlocked iPhone in the US is 649 Dollars. 649 Dollars is 500 Euros, 19 % (our sales tax) of 500 Euros is 95 Euros. The iPhone should really cost around 600 Euros here! Having different GSM bands can't make a difference of 179 Euros pre-tax!


Its not Apple ripping you off. Its Germany with their damn tax.
That all over Europe and Middle East.
where i live its 17% Tax and then remember the import fees that
local import takes.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OriginalMacRat Avatar
OriginalMacRat
174 months ago
$650 for a 16gb phone?

How much koolaid does one have to drink to justify spending THAT much cash on ANY phone?!

You'll find that the unlocked price of the Samsung Galaxy SIII is $699.

You might also want to look up the unlocked price on the HTC One models.

This is what phones actually cost.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
Deanobear
174 months ago
well you can get an iPhone in US for about $100 carrier locked. The one advertised in this article is the unlocked one which is same price as Aussie.

What I can't understand is that UNLOCKED iPhones aren't available from day 1 in the US :confused:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menge Avatar
Menge
174 months ago
Cheaper than expected.
Same price as it's always been. I don't know why it would be more expensive.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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