What are Unlocked Phones?
Unlocked phones give you the freedom to choose the terms of
your cell phone service. These phones are called unlocked because they're not tied down to any cell phone carrier or service provider. E.g. you don't have to sign a
contract to get your hands on them. An Important thing to keep in mind is that
you will need to either have your own sim card that you will use with an
unlocked phone or you will need purchase a prepaid sim card to use with
the unlocked phone.
Why to buy Unlocked Phone:
1) You carrier doesn't have a powerful cell phone you want.
2) You like your plan but don't want to extend/change your
contract.
3) You are traveling overseas and want to use a local sim
card when you get there, to save yourself from international roaming charges.
4) You see an awesome phone online and want to purchase and
use it because your carrier doesn't have it
5) You want a phone that cooler than your friends, or a related vain reason
5) You want a phone that cooler than your friends, or a related vain reason
The two kinds of Unlocked Phone:
1) Unlocked Cell Phones Directly From Original Equipment
Manufacturer, OEM:
These are the best type of unlocked phones to get. They have never been assigned to any cell phone carrier or service provider
(i.e. AT&T, T-Mobile, O2, Orange, etc. They come in the manufacturer's
original packaging, Their box will be labeled Nokia, Motorola, Sony or any
other manufacturer. You wont see any cell phone carrier / service provider logos on the box. These phones
don't have any customization, Internet /
MMS, picture messaging settings. They can be configured for Internet / MMS
settings with any service provider / carrier. Usually you have to go online to the manufacturer's
website to get the setting, or your service provider can help, and sometimes the seller of the phone will help you with the settings Importantly the warranties for these phones are from
the country in which they were manufactured e.g. if the phone is made in China,
the warranty will be from China. The manuals, CDs and other content is usually
also in the language of that country where the phone was made. In our example that would be China, You can get English
manual etc for the phone via the manufacturers website, or a third party site via Google.
2) Carriers, Operator or Service Provider Unlocked Phones:
These are cell phone that were originally locked to a
specific service provider e.g. AT&T Mobility, T Mobile or any other GSM
Carrier, Then they were unlocked using a code or software. They usually have a
carrier / operator customization in the menus and carrier logos on the welcome
screen when you turn the phone on as well as on the cell phone itself. They
usually can't be configured for Internet / MMS settings with any other carriers
/ service provider. If you buy a AT&T Unlocked Cell Phone most of the
time you won't be able to set up T-Mobile internet and, MMS, picture messaging
setting on it. Carrier / Operator
unlocked phones carry local warranty of the country in which the carrier with
whom they was originally locked operates. If unlocked without the permission of
the carrier the warranty usually becomes void. Again the CD's, manual and other
material with these cell phones will usually be in the language of that
country. If you've have had service with a carrier for long enough you can ask
them to give you an unlock code usually with a valid reason like you are
traveling over sea's and want to use it there with a local SIM card.
