unlocked iphone 6 in japan

I want to buy iPhone 6 plus from Japanese store but i don't know is it unlocked or what ?

coz i think there's a diff between SIM-Free and unlocked ?

In UK store it is Unlocked iPhone but in japan store it's SIM Free ??

So i don't know 😟 i really want to buy from Japanese because i have an address there 😟 I am worried ...

Did you bought it ? Or not yet

plz tell me about your experience 🙂

Not yet, i'll be in tokyo next week and back to Brazil only on 06/10.

And you??

I'm waiting for you 🙂

SIM free is simply Japan's way to say "unlocked."

SIMフリー translates to unlocked. The iPhones you buy from a carrier will most definitely be locked, but if you buy it direct from the Apple store without signing up for a contract with a specific company and choose the SIM free option, it is most definitely unlocked. I can't say whether or not Japan sold SIM free phones in the past or not, but I know that within the next year or so, carrier phones in Japan will also be moving towards an unlock-able type environment due to new laws that are being pushed forward in government.

I Can confirm that Japan now sells unlocked iPhones 6 in Japan. It's the first time they've done it and several Chinese buyers were camped out to purchase at launch. I will be in Japan next week and will be looking to see if I can get lucky and grab one.

yay thanks for this confirmation! 🙂 Would you have any idea what stocks of the iPhone 6 Plus is like in Tokyo? i'm going to Tokyo in 3 weeks

I Checked last week and if you ordered online there would be approximately a 3-4 week wait for delivery (deliveries only in Japan). So you might get a small window of opportunity as everyone might have purchased their phones by that time. I remember for the original ipad launch you could occasionally walk into a store and wait in line for one despite the long waiting list online.

Physical apple stores in Japan are out of stock of Iphone 6 and Iphone 6 Plus??

Is that so? Can you be more specific on what's the different between SIM Free and Unlocked?

In my knowledge, unlocked phone also means SIM Free, and from your post here, sounds like SIM Free does not necessary means its unlocked?

Cause people bought the SIM Free version and use them back in their home country.

I am not sure if this will be of help, but here goes, I purchased a iPhone 6 in Tokyo on Sunday 28, SIM free (Unlocked) my UK SIM worked there and is working fine now I am back in the UK. I had to pre-book online the the day before, and collected it from the Shibuya store. At the time not all configurations were available, but this may have changed by now.

It was confirmed in the store by staff that it would work in other countries, with the caveat about 4G LTE and providers. I saved about £200.00.

Surprisingly, Ebay has published a great article explaining the difference between sim-free and unlocked phones:

http://www.ebay.com/gds/What-Are-the-Differences-Between-Unlocked-and-SIM-Free-M obiles-and-Smartphones-/10000000177589819/g.html

In particular, read this:

Network Restrictions on SIM Free Mobiles and Smartphones

Unlike unlocked phones that can be used on any network, SIM free phones may still be tied to a particular network. This is a vital point, and one that sometimes needs reiterating, as many customers believe that SIM free automatically means the phone can be used on any network. It is important to read the small print and check that using the phone is not dependent upon using a specific SIM card, even when the card is not included. Often this is not the case, though, and the phone can be used on any network and with various types of SIM card, including both contract and pay-as-you-go SIM cards. Indeed, it is becoming more common for networks to offer SIM card only contracts, in which only the SIM card and the contract is provided by the network, while the customer provides their own handset. The attraction here, possibly besides price, is that there are fewer restrictions on the way in which the phone is used. There are some instances when a SIM free phone will not be compatible with any SIM card.

Buying a Sim-free iPhone is risky at best for the following reasons:

• Your warranty on an iPhone is good only in the country of purchase, so if you are looking to purchase a sim-free phone and use it elsewhere, you will need to return it to the country of purchase for warranty replacement or repair.
• It may not work at all. Sometimes a foreign SIM may work in the device while only restricting other carriers in the same country. Sometimes it may be locked to only a single carrier. You may not know until you try it.
• With a sim-free iPhone locked to a carrier or subset of carriers, you will severely limit your ability to resell the iPhone when the time comes to do so. Though some carriers allow unlocking once you fulfill your contractual obligations, some do not. I've read Japan is one of those markets that do not.

would you happen to still have the website? i have not seen any option on the Apple online store Japan

For once and for all:

This is from the Apple Store website for Japan and I've translated the relevant parts with google translate:

SIMフリーのiPhoneについてさらに詳しく = Learn more about the iPhone SIM Free

and once you click on the above link it will expand to explain:

SIMフリーのiPhoneについて

SIMフリーのiPhoneにはiPhoneのすべての機能が搭載されていますが、ワイヤレス契約義務はありません。NTTドコモ、KDDI、ソフトバンクなどの対応する ワイヤレスネットワークの通信事業者からお好きな事業者を選び、iPhoneをアクティベートして使用することができます。SIMが利用できるかどうか、およびSIMの詳 細については、利用する通信事業者にお問い合わせください。SIMフリーのiPhone 6とiPhone 6 Plusは、一部の国では4G LTEネットワークに対応しない場合があります。詳しくは通信事業者にお問い合わせください。

複数年のサービス契約を結びたくない場合や、海外で地元の通信事業者を使いたい場合は、SIMフリーのiPhoneを選ぶことをおすすめします。SIMフリーのiPhon e 6とiPhone 6 Plusにはnano-SIMカードが付属していないため、対応する各国の通信事業者からカードを入手してください。このカードをiPhoneのスロットに差し込み、電 源を入れたら、スクリーン上の表示に従って設定してください。これでiPhoneを使い始めることができます。

Which is this:

For iPhone SIM Free

All the features of the iPhone is equipped with the iPhone SIM Free , but there is no wireless contractual obligations . You can select your favorite businesses from telecom operators of wireless network corresponding NTT DoCoMo , KDDI, such as Softbank , and use it to activate the iPhone. For more information about SIM SIM and whether it is available , please contact your wireless service provider to use . The 6 Plus iPhone and iPhone 6 of SIM free , there are times when it does not correspond to the 4G LTE network in some countries . Please contact your wireless service provider for details.

If you do not want the service signed multi-year agreements , if you want to use the communication operators of local overseas , it is recommended that you choose the iPhone SIM Free . Since the nano-SIM card is not included with the 6 Plus iPhone and iPhone 6 of SIM free , please obtain a card from the telecom operators of the corresponding countries . Is inserted into the slot of the iPhone this card , if you turn on the power , please set according to the display on the screen . You can start using the iPhone in this

The only thing that's missing is whether your country has the corresponding frequencies for use. That bit you can find out by searching the specs of the phone yourself.

Please note that the text goes so far as to say "The 6 Plus iPhone and iPhone 6 of SIM free , there are times when it does not correspond to the 4G LTE network in some countries" and that would denote that it can in fact be used outside of Japan.

With all this information I'm not sure why there's still a debate on IF the phone is unlocked or not... You can buy an unlocked iphone 6 in Japan.

I think the physical store inventory is separate from the online inventory but I can't be certain. I do know that they are no longer allowing for online reservation and in store pick up. The iphone 6 will be delivered in 7-10 days while the wait for delivery of the Plus remains at 3-4 weeks.

I suppose you can call the stores ahead of time but I'm not sure about the effiicacy of such a strategy given the language barrier and Apple Store policy about reserving phones.

I will be there in the coming days and will just try my luck at the various shops and see if they will accomodate/assist in locating a device for me while I'm there.

Best of luck!