How to buy a fully unlocked iPhone 6/6+ Model 1586/1524 in the U.S.?

http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

According to Apple's list (link above) you will probably want to pick up a Sprint or US Cellular model. HOWEVER, as I mentioned above I know that the Verizon iPhones come unlocked from the factory (assuming it will be the same for iPhone 6 and 6+). I DO NOT KNOW if the Sprint and US Cellular models come unlocked. But I am sure some quick internet research will lead you to the answer.

I think your goal would be to get a Sprint or US Cellular version. Also I believe a law was just recently passed that allows someone to have a phone unlocked by the carrier no questions asked. So even if the Sprint and US Cellular iPhones are locked you can have them unlocked.

Update:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-signs-bill-unlocking-cellphones/

Under Sprint in the URL iPhone: Wireless carrier support and features you posted it has a (5) footnote that reads:

"If account requirements are met, the carrier can unlock certain models of iPhone so that they can work internationally, but they'll still be restricted to that carrier in the United States and won't work on any other U.S. carriers. Contact your carrier for more details."

The way I read this looks like you'd be able to use a sim card for other carriers internationally but be tied to Sprint when back in the USA if they unlocked it.

Like you I'd like to buy one phone and if I move or my carrier begins to provide bad service I would be able to change providers. I don't like to be locked to a provider based on my device and I don't want to have to buy two devices.

Thanks for your informative posting Kevin. One question, you seem to suggest that the A1524/A1586 will work in the US on GSM carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile etc) once it is unlocked from Sprint, is that correct? And second, if so, are you saying it will work on those networks but not necessarily LTE because this chart (http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/) from Apple seems to suggest that those US GSM carriers won't support those model numbers over LTE in the US? Any help with this, I am in the same situation. Thanks!

Peter: Thank you for these your warnings and insights. They are all very helpful. Just to add onto the international notes about warranties, I’ve been talking to a few people who have bought iPhones in countries other than where they live in the past and they’ve generally had great experience with Apple servicing them - but also noting the same caveat you mentioned: if Apple’s geniuses need to replace the phone, they need to have the exact same model in stock because they will only do like-for-like swap-outs (so if a swap is required and they don't stock it, you may need to get to the country you purchased it from to get it serviced). In my case, this might only be a problem if I’d buy from Sprint (since Sprint’s model A1524 has a few extra older CDMA channels when compared to the model A1524 that Apple sells). Because Sprint has been so difficult to work with (over 10 hours on the phone in total so far, dozens of transfers, several dropped calls, but on the bright side an international team that has been quite helpful and promised to fully unlock the phone once anyone at Sprint can sell it to me), I think I’ve decided to buy an A1524 from the Apple store in New York on 5th Avenue. I’ve now heard from a couple people who have been able to get an unlocked A1524 there even though Apple says US Apple online won’t be selling them for another 2 months. If I can’t get them there or wait the 2 months, I may buy one unlocked from the London Regent Street store. But in either case, I will be getting the A1524 that my local Apple store should stock for any future repair issues.

Don: Good advice too. Thank you. Note that if you want the more worldly version of the iPhone 6 Plus (more bands and countries support), you need to ask for model A1524. I think Apple UK may also carry one of the model A1522’s too. I will be in queue right behind you too if I’m unable to get one unlocked in the US.

Mikezmac and PoohBearZa: Yes. The official line from Apple is that their unlocked ones will come out in the US 3 months after the initial release date (but see note above if you’re in more of a rush than that). Apple’s unlocked ones are already out and being sold in countries that require phone manufacturers to also sell full price unlocked ones (like the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.). They are slightly more expensive in those countries than in the US and you’ll need to ask questions (or if you’re in a store, look at the box) to ensure it’s the model you want. Buying online makes that a bit trickier because Apple’s website doesn’t let you specify the model number you want exactly (between the two A1522's and A1524 for example) but the folks on their 0800 number did seem to be able to fill that request when I’m ready to buy. My guess is that Apple is continuing this 3-month pause to respect the relationship they have with the networks to let them have a chance to sell some before Apple jumps more fully into the sales game. I can’t imagine anyone would want to put themselves through working with any of the US networks to buy an unlocked phone if Apple were also selling them. I hope if there is no other reason for this pause, they think about skipping it as they do in the rest of the world for future unlocked phone sales, especially now that Federal US law requires networks to unlock their phone when customer’s contract periods are over (like in the case when they buy the phone for full price).

Hope that helps 🙂 and hope you're all having a great weekend!

PS - I'm not sure if I'm seeing things or not but I think there are a few errors on this chart that Apple referred me to http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/ in comparing the models of these phones. It's definitely getting better in the past week since they initially referred me to it but AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon appear in the top of the list (for models A1549 and A1522) but don't appear in the second list (for models A1586 and A1524). This should be impossible (as should really any network being listed on the top list and not the second list) because if I understand the specs on the bands correctly, the A1549 is a subset of the A1586 and the A1522 is a subset of the A1524. I brought this up with Apple and they were confused too (but you'll note that the second list is growing in length quite quickly so I'm guessing it will soon include all the items from the first list). The other small error in that chart is that it mentions an "A1586 (GSM)" and a "A1586 (CDMA)" but I think Apple only has one iPhone named the model "A1586" (unlike the two other models it has - the "A1549 (GSM)" and the "A1549 (CDMA)", and same problem with the three models of iPhone 6 Pluses - the "A1522 (GSM)", "A1522 (CDMA)", and the "A1524". Otherwise, this is a very helpful chart because it's Apple's official support list and up the the minute on which networks support which new iPhones for LTE.

Hi again iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Unlocked phone fans 🙂

I have very good news to report! I bought the Sprint version of the iPhone 6 Plus in Wisconsin and have done a fair amount of testing on it already, and it is one amazing device that works exactly as I was hoping. If you buy it for full price from Apple (so without a Sprint contract), it is completely unlocked - domestically and internationally. In fact - it's even better than what Sprint or AT&T call "unlocked" because it never was locked. It is the exact same configuration Apple will be selling via their website as an unlocked model A1586 or A1524 in a month or so. It works on both AT&T and T Mobile even though it's not on their LTE list (http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/). I was using my 3 SIM from the UK which registers on either of these network. My model A1524 could also see Sprint, US Cellular, and several other networks. I know it would work on Sprint's network but didn't have other SIMs to try it on others but I'm pretty sure it would do just fine on them too. I didn't get 4G speeds while there (got a lot of 3G and a little Edge and GPRS when I was some remote Wisconsin areas). I was in Chicago so either I didn't pass through any 4G areas or I'm guessing this may be because AT&T and T Mobile have chosen not to add the A1524 to their LTE list yet, so it might not yet benefit from these modern speeds until they do. The phone is perfectly capable of running at 4G speeds in LTE when they do. LTE is still rolling out though so lack of 4G coverage may also have explained me not seeing 4G yet there as I did in Amsterdam and London, and I still hold out hope that AT&T and T Mobile will roll out 4G where I go or add this phone to their LTE list someday. Either way, it worked just fine in 3G most everywhere I went.

If you travel outside the US at all or if you work on a couple different networks while in the US, I'd recommend you consider getting the world version of the iPhone 6 (that's the Model A1586 for the iPhone 6 or the Model A1524 for the iPhone 6 Plus) and not the slightly more limited AT&T, T Mobile, or Verizon versions of these phones (Models "A1549 (GSM)", "A1549 (CDMA)" for iPhone 6's or the Models "A1522 (GSM)" or "A1522 (CDMA)"). Calling these phones by carrier names instead of their model numbers can make it a bit confusing sometimes but when you review this chart (http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/) you'll notice that the A1586 and A1524 are supersets of the other phones in terms of which bands they have. Since they are exactly the same price, and I'm already using these additional bands, I opted to go for the the more capable version phone. The only downside in the US is that carriers selling the less capable phone with their logo on it, may block some of the functionality of the world phone version. I very much doubt they will continue to do that for very long (if they even are at all now). I don't know if I should have gotten any 4G speeds on my visit through Chicago or not but was quite happy to see my A1524 iPhone otherwise worked perfectly on both the AT&T and T Mobile networks even though it's not the version of the phone they sell.

The only thing you need to do to get a fully unlocked iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is go to an Apple store, pick out the phone you like (and again, I'd encourage you to consider most strongly the A1586 or A1524 i.e. "Sprint" version of your favorite memory, screen size, and color), and buy it for FULL PRICE (without a network contract). You'll also note when doing it this way is that even though it can be a bit of a shock to pay up to $949 for a 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus, you can save loads of money over the life of the phone because you'll not be paying the "Apple subsidy" in your monthly phone bill for 2 years. This subsidy can often total nearly double the full price of the phone. Europeans have been aware of this saving for a long time because their governments won't allow phone providers and networks to sell only bundled phone and network packages. By unbundling, the consumer can easily understand how much they are paying to the phone manufacturer and how much to the network. Until now, this information has been successfully blocked in the US by large networks who don't want consumers to understand that in fear they'll be commoditized and compared. Another thing an unlocked phone gets you is that you can freely and easily switch networks any time you like, again helping you get better prices from your network provider.

Note that even though apple is pointing out that the T Mobile version is "Contract Free", which it seems to be, ANY and ALL of the iPhones that Apple sells in their stores are "contract free" if you pay FULL PRICE for them. This is true at any Apple store in the US, in the UK, and I suspect anywhere else in the world. But until they make this option available on Apple's online store in about a month, you'll need to go into a retail store to get one (so yes wyfei123, that does mean Apple is already selling these same completely unlocked phones now in their retail stores that they'll soon be selling online too for full price). It's far less difficult than you may have heard to find iPhones in Apple stores. I bought 2 in different stores in Wisconsin and had no trouble finding them - it only took about 4 calls. New inventory seemed to be coming in daily so a call over at opening time to the business team got me one each time. They'll gladly hold it for you for the day.

Vitas09 and scorpiongal: I would check back with your Apple store, find out at what time of day their inventory tends to be replenished, and call then. I tried going to a carrier to get one and (1) the carriers are not at all helpful when they realize you don't want their contract, (2) I spent over 10 hours on the phone with Sprint with several people telling me that what I wanted to do (buy a full price phone without a contract) should be easy do but then mysteriously got cut off in transfer about a dozen times or on hold for more than a half hour at a time, and (3) at the end of the day, buying from a carrier would be risky technically too if you really do want the phone to be fully unlocked. Sprint locks the phone then needs to send it for 2 unlocks (domestic and international) and their international team was very upfront about the many issues they are having in unlocking the domestic side. If you simply buy it from Apple for the same full price, it will never have been locked to any network in the first place.

Hope that helps,

Kevin Q.

I know that the Verizon iPhone 5 and 5s came unlocked from the factory. You could buy one at a Verizon store at full price and immediately throw in a AT&T sim inside and there would be no issue. As a matter of fact I personally know someone who did just that and took it to Europe and put in some SIM card over there and no issue.

I would assume the Verizon 6 and 6 Plus would be the same.

You may be right about needing an account, however I do not know myself. Many people have Verizon, let a buddy of yours buy it and you give him/her the cash. And yes the person I know walked right into the Verizon store and bought an iphone 5 full price without signing new contract. He was month to month with Verizon at the time. He then canceled the line with Verizon and took the phone to Europe.

as far as the TD bands go, that's some older legacy stuff that apple included for a rather small population of potential iphone users around the world.

Sorry I can't help you more but based on what i know the Verizon one seems to be the best option for you.

The phones released in the US are intended to be used primarily in the US. If they don't fit your needs, then buy one intended for use in the region where you'll be using it.

There is no "international version" that will work on all LTE networks world wide. It just doesn't exist.

There is nothing anyone here can do about it.

There are websites you can purchase unlocked international phones from (not sure of site name). Lot's of online phone reviewers use those sites to get the international version of a phone for them to review and then post on youtube or wherever else. That's how they get to review the Exynos processor version of a Galaxy phone when that version isn't sold in the US.

Look into these sites.