If you happen to swap between networks or use multiple devices which may cause you to switch between SIM cards, then there’s great news for you! Apple is now offering a SIM-free version of the iPhone X from its online store in the United States. You can now purchase Apple’s latest flagship phone without having to choose a network carrier upon purchase.
The unlocked version of the phone was previously only being sold through Verizon or Best Buy. However, Best Buy charged a $100 premium on full purchases of the iPhone X (i.e. you pay the entire sum in one payment instead of opting for an installment plan).
This meant that unless people bought the phone using their installment plan, they would have to pay $100 extra to get the phone which would raise the total sum to an enormous $1099 or $1299. It was clear that Best Buy was trying to get people to opt for their monthly installment plans for the phone.
However, this resulted in a lot of backlash from the customers which ultimately led to the product being entirely pulled from Best Buy. The iPhone X is still available on Best Buy if you’re looking for an installment plan, however, it’s not available as a one-time payment purchase.
There weren’t many options available for customers to choose from to purchase the new iPhone, in fact when pre-orders for the phone initially started in late October, Apple only allowed customers to buy the iPhone X with an AT&T, Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile SIM.
Apple also initially required carrier pre-activation for making purchases. Although this requirement was lifted in mid-November, the introduction of the SIM-free phone is great news for many customers who might have considered not buying the phone due to these network constraints.
The SIM-free iPhones will work with any network carrier and has full support for GSM and CDMA networks which work with either AT&T and T-Mobile or Verizon and Sprint.iPhone X models from AT&T and T-Mobile however, will not support CDMA networks nor will they be compatible with Sprint and Verizon.
The phone is listed under the SIM-free section on Apple’s website which lets you purchase the unlocked phone that you can take it to any carrier or use it with a prepaid SIM card.
Although it’s been possible before to purchase an iPhone through Verizon which is as good as the SIM-free iPhone, however, you needed a Verizon account to make the purchase.
Many would not prefer to set up a Verizon account just to purchase an iPhone and now they won’t need to because now there’s an official SIM-free version which is available separately on Apple’s website.
The first batch of SIM-free iPhones will be delivered by 12th December. If you ordered one as soon as it was announced, then expect to receive one soon. The estimated delivery time for iPhone X orders has now gone down to 1 week from the initial 5-6-week time window from when pre-orders went live.
So, it won’t be long before you get your hands on a SIM-free iPhone X if you choose to buy one now. The SIM-free version, like the other variants of the iPhone X starts at $999 for the regular 64 GB version and $1199 for the 256 GB version. Apple will also allow its employees to purchase the iPhone X through the internal employee site at a discount.
The SIM-free iPhone X is great news for those who travel internationally often as you are not tied down to just one network carrier which would make things hard for people who need to travel a lot. If you’re looking for the most hassle-free version of the iPhone X, then the SIM-free version is the one for you.
For travelers, it’s a great thing to have an iPhone X with sim free option. Thanks for sharing this great info. It’s so helpful for me.