[durex]

Ive owned roughly 6-7 different cellphones over my lifetime, all of which Ive purchased directly through my cell phone service provider. Im in the market for a new phone and have been looking around at online websites and eBay. Ive noticed many of them (esp eBay) marketing them as 'Unlocked' phones.

My question is whats the advantage / disadvantage to pruchasing an Unlocked phone? Will it typically cost more/less? Will my service provider be less likey to support it? Are warranties still honored?

Thanks in advance!!

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› See More: "Unlocked" phones?

[erwin 10-4]

sevice provider lock there phone so if your plan is over you cannot use the phone only to them. unlock phone allowed you to go to any service provider by just putting the sim of your new service provider. if you are in diff country let's say canada, all you have to do is just buy a prepaid sim to that country and your ready to go. unlock phone will take any sim card there is any where in the world. some phone came unlock like nokia 9290 and 8890. if you buy this phone this is under warranties by nokia. they don't carried by any service provider. if you gonna get unlock phone choose tri-band phone that you can use any where in the world.

[durex]

So are there any downsides to pruchasing an unlocked phone?

[Zarphor92]

I can't think of any.

[iahawk2]

i have an LG VX6100 that is locked to verizon network, would it be possible to unlock it and use it for u.s. cellular?

[Chuckman]

I have a few questions I would like to find the answers to...

I just purchased an unlocked phone (Motarola 721).

1.) Is there any way to tell what provider it had? (if was priously locked)

2.) Once I put a sim card in it for a new carrier, does the phone then become locked to that carrier.

3.) Can i use the sim card from my current carrier (Cingular) back and forth with the unlocked 721? I ask because depending on what I might be doing, I might prefer the use of one over the other. (One is flip phone and the other a full face phone)

Thank you in advance for helping me.

[Zarphor92]

I have a few questions I would like to find the answers to...

I just purchased an unlocked phone (Motarola 721).

1.) Is there any way to tell what provider it had? (if was priously locked)

2.) Once I put a sim card in it for a new carrier, does the phone then become locked to that carrier.

3.) Can i use the sim card from my current carrier (Cingular) back and forth with the unlocked 721? I ask because depending on what I might be doing, I might prefer the use of one over the other. (One is flip phone and the other a full face phone)

Thank you in advance for helping me.

1) No, there is no way the general public can check this.

2) No, it dosn't become locked to that carrier - once unlocked, it will stay unlocked for good.

3) It dosn't matter what type of phone it is. As long as it's unlocked, you can swich back and fourth as you please.

[Chuckman]

Thanks MM5K

Rep Left.

[FrostCS]

Just wanted to make some quick comments.. If you want to use a gsm phone worldwide you want a Quadband. Remember there are still parts of canada & usa that use the 850 band. (Such as cingular) Triband will consist of either 850, 1800, 1900 OR 900, 1800 and 1900. The Quad will consist of all four.

There are 0 disadvantages to owning an unlocked phone.
However, there are disadvantages to attempting to unlock your own phone, in otherwords; breaking it. hehe

iahawk2, while it could be possible, you have to be sure the same phone is available on uscellular. Or if it will fully function on that network. Sometimes things like data, or email, or messaging will still be locked to a preset carrier. Also USCellular also has to be cdma in your area.

[BlkBear]

So are there any downsides to pruchasing an unlocked phone?

The only down sides to buying an unlocked phone are, buying a phone that your carrier does not support. Example your carrier is CDMA and you buy an unlocked GSM phone.

You buy a phone that is advertised as unlocked, and getting said phone and it not being unlocked or worse, the person unlocking the phone didn't know what they were doing and screwed the phone up, beyond all repair.

Those are about the only downsides to buying an unlocked phone sight unseen. So ask as many questions as possible before you buy one over the internet (when not buying from a retailer that sells unlocked phones).

Other than that, buying a legit unlocked phone from an individual or retailer is not a problem.