IPhone – When would the US apple store provide Unlocked iPhone 5S

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The iPhone 5S won't be released where I live until maybe a month or two. I would like to get my hands on one from the US (better prices than UK) but I want it to be unlocked.

Apparently only the iPhone 5C is available unlocked from the US online Apple Store. I was wondering when would the 5S be sold unlocked as well ?

Best Answer

Here is what we know:

  1. The iPhone 5c is for sale unlocked in the US at launch.
  2. The iPhone 5s is not for sale unlocked in the US at launch. It is unlocked at launch in many countries including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, etc...
  3. The last phone launch had no 5c / 5s comparison (unless you want to ignore the 5c and assume the 5s is handled identically to the 5 at launch.)
  4. The iPhone 5 launch was September 21, 2012 and as of Thursday, November 29, 2012, you still could not buy a full price unlocked iPhone 5.

I would recommend you get confirmation that T-Mobile will unlock their contract-free but locked phone after a fixed amount of time or money, and get that in writing before you buy a US phone that isn't unlocked if you really need an unlocked iPhone.

In informal discussions today, I was told that two months of service needs to be maintained before you can ask for an unlock, but I didn't get it in writing and can't find any mention of it on T-Mobile's web site. Realize that any mobile carrier has limited devices and won't really want to sign up someone that will increase their churn rate and not be a "paying subscriber" when it comes time for them to report their quarterly subscriber counts.

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