Best Buy Now Sells Unlocked iPhones, But Not the Latest Models - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Best Buy Now Sells Unlocked iPhones, But Not the Latest Models

by

Best Buy today announced that it now sells unlocked iPhones in the U.S., but only older models are available, including the iPhone 12, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, and third-generation iPhone SE. An unlocked iPhone can be used with a wide variety of carriers.

iPhone 13 Best Buy Feature
The unlocked iPhones are in brand new condition and are available at all Best Buy stores and on BestBuy.com starting today, a Best Buy spokesperson said in an email.

Best Buy already sold iPhones locked to AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, and availability of unlocked models will give customers more flexibility. Best Buy operates over 1,000 stores across the U.S., including in many communities that lack an Apple Store.

Best Buy is not carrying unlocked iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro models at this time.

Tag: Best Buy

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Read Full Article • 45 comments
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
Read Full Article • 87 comments

Top Rated Comments

sw1tcher Avatar
sw1tcher
41 months ago
Carrier-locked phones... such a stupid concept. No reason for this aside from carriers trying to prevent a customer from leaving for another service provider
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
41 months ago

People that buy the latest iPhone 14 models tend to go with one of the three wireless providers anyway. Still now you can get iPhone 12 or 13 models unlocked which makes this a acceptable option.
I stopped buying carrier-locked iPhones a very long time ago. I only purchase unlocked iPhones. Cellular Service works like magic simultaneously! 📶



Attachment Image
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleTO Avatar
AppleTO
41 months ago
I didn't know carriers in the US were still allowed to lock phones. It's been banned in Canada for a while.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
sw1tcher
41 months ago

Still now you can get iPhone 12 or 13 models unlocked which makes this a acceptable option.
You can find unlocked iPhone 12 and 13 for less from Apple's refurb store though.

Unlocked 128GB iPhone 13 is $729.99 at Best Buy vs unlocked 128GB iPhone 13 from Apple Refurb for $619.99.

Best Buy's selling unlocked 64GB iPhone 12 for $629.99

I see no deal with Best Buy.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iStorm
41 months ago

Yes, the big three Carriers. The catch, 2 or more years stuck with a carrier. If a deal comes along with another carrier, a hassle to move. Unlocked phone, just move. Gives one much more leverage with their current carrier, a bonus.
You aren't stuck with the carrier because your phone is locked... You're "stuck" because you'll miss out on the deal by forfeiting your remaining monthly credits if you were to leave.

I don't think many people realize how long their phones are actually locked for. T-Mobile will unlock 40 days after activation. Verizon and AT&T will unlock 60 days after activation. (Of course it needs to be paid off, but that makes sense.) It's still a bit dumb, but it's not a big deal as it once was. Pay off your phone and you can move to another carrier within a couple months. The days of being locked with a carrier for two years are long gone.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
kenny7
41 months ago

I stopped buying carrier-locked iPhones a very long time ago. I only purchase unlocked iPhones. Cellular Service works like magic simultaneously! 📶


I have Verizon and T-Mobile dual sim and the simultaneous data service is awesome. People are missing out.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments