I have noticed that when you buy an iphone 13 SIM-free is $30 more expensive than buying it with a phone carrier. This has not happened in the past and does not make any sense. Also, this only applies to iPhone 13 and 13 mini but not 13 Pro.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Various cellular carriers have long offered purchase price subsidies, in exchange for a cellular plan contract.
You pay less up front for a locked phone, but you pay more over time, having fewer plan choices, and having a phone locked to a specific carrier; the cost of the subsidy is embedded in the monthly payments over the duration of the cellular plan.
Some carriers won't ever unlock a locked phone. Even when you complete the contract. Some others will.
For phones that are pre-populated with a SIM or eSIM for particular carrier but that do not offer a purchase subsidy, I'd expect the phone to be unlocked, but you'll want to confirm that with the carrier.
If you pay full price from Apple and with no carrier subsidy, then you will get an unlocked iPhone.
The carrier might charge for porting an existing number to the phone, as some do.
But the phone will be carrier-unlocked.
iPhone 13 is often pre-populating the eSIM with the carrier, which is a change from years past when the use of a carrier SIM was more common
Because cellular carriers offer a "discount" with a phone locked to their service.
That is sure what they said but it’s not an actual discount, it’s the original price. So if I paid full with a carrier would it be unlocked?
Excellent, well stated. Covers all the bases. Learned something new today. Thanks for jumping in.
A carrier will typically not sell you an unlocked phone. It would defeat the purpose of them selling them to you. AFAIK, you can only get unlocked phones directly from the Apple Store in the U.S.
Why is iPhone 13 more expensive if unlocked than with a carrier?
