You might have seen some pretty amazing online deals on unlocked phones, where you can purchase them for a fraction of what they normally cost, but is purchasing an unlocked cell phone a good idea?
When you buy an unlocked cell phone, you will have to keep a few facts in mind: even though you can easily switch between providers when your phone is unlocked, you might not be able to utilize all the features that the network carriers offer with their locked cell phones. This is particularly true about GPS, MMS, 3G networking and video capabilities - they might or might not work. An unlocked cell phone is also almost always more expensive: the carriers are in fierce competition with one another and they offer phones, locked to their particular network at greatly discounted prices and in many cases even for free. This allows you to own the latest model on the market, without having to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars upfront; if you want a new cell phone, it might be cheaper to end your contract and sing for a new one, while paying some penalties rather than buying an unlocked cell phone.
Even though the legislation in some countries in EU and Asia forces the network providers to sell only unlocked cell phones, or at least make the transition between carriers hassle-free process, this is not the situation in the United States. The carriers in the US are under no obligation to either give you or sell you the code that unlocks your phone; however, some of them do under different circumstances, usually when your contract with them ends or you have been their customer for three months or longer.
Another factor to consider when buying an unlocked cell phone is the technology that it uses; there are two types of network technologies in the US at present: GSM and CDMA. A CDMA phone is either unlocked or locked and you cannot change its state, while the GSM phones can be unlocked either by obtaining the code from the provider or with the use of specialized software. Even when the phone employs the same technology as the provider that you intend to use, you might still encounter some problems; GSM phones use different frequencies, which is why you should always find out what frequency an unlocked cell phone works with before buying one. The so-called World cell phones work with all frequencies and ultimately with all GSM providers, regardless if they are in Europe, Latin America or the US.
Of course, owning an unlocked cell phone has its advantages as well - it is generally easier to sell, which increases the value of your handset, it makes the transition from one network carrier to another pretty straightforward and can save you quite a bit of money if you travel overseas often - instead of using roaming services, you can easily purchase a prepaid SIM card from one of the local providers and make phone call at cheaper rates.
The Communication Blog
When you buy an unlocked cell phone, you will have to keep a few facts in mind: even though you can easily switch between providers when your phone is unlocked, you might not be able to utilize all the features that the network carriers offer with their locked cell phones. This is particularly true about GPS, MMS, 3G networking and video capabilities - they might or might not work. An unlocked cell phone is also almost always more expensive: the carriers are in fierce competition with one another and they offer phones, locked to their particular network at greatly discounted prices and in many cases even for free. This allows you to own the latest model on the market, without having to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars upfront; if you want a new cell phone, it might be cheaper to end your contract and sing for a new one, while paying some penalties rather than buying an unlocked cell phone.
Even though the legislation in some countries in EU and Asia forces the network providers to sell only unlocked cell phones, or at least make the transition between carriers hassle-free process, this is not the situation in the United States. The carriers in the US are under no obligation to either give you or sell you the code that unlocks your phone; however, some of them do under different circumstances, usually when your contract with them ends or you have been their customer for three months or longer.
Another factor to consider when buying an unlocked cell phone is the technology that it uses; there are two types of network technologies in the US at present: GSM and CDMA. A CDMA phone is either unlocked or locked and you cannot change its state, while the GSM phones can be unlocked either by obtaining the code from the provider or with the use of specialized software. Even when the phone employs the same technology as the provider that you intend to use, you might still encounter some problems; GSM phones use different frequencies, which is why you should always find out what frequency an unlocked cell phone works with before buying one. The so-called World cell phones work with all frequencies and ultimately with all GSM providers, regardless if they are in Europe, Latin America or the US.
Of course, owning an unlocked cell phone has its advantages as well - it is generally easier to sell, which increases the value of your handset, it makes the transition from one network carrier to another pretty straightforward and can save you quite a bit of money if you travel overseas often - instead of using roaming services, you can easily purchase a prepaid SIM card from one of the local providers and make phone call at cheaper rates.
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