Unlocked phones soar in the US

[samcraig]

I would bet that part of the reason is that there's less of an incentive to buy a locked phone given subsidies, etc

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Unlocked-Smartphone-Shipments-Soar-US/1013769

 

[JaySoul]

In the UK, I've only bought unlocked phones for the past 4 years. Just so handy, less bloat and you can switch networks without hassle, plus higher resale value.

 

[jamezr]

Huawei profits are supposed to be 30% in 2015
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35940389

 

[AppleRobert]

Gotta watch what one buys, buyer beware trying to get LTE on some of these smartphones.

 

[gotluck]

good! hopefully more oems will support unclocked models on us carriers with wifi calling + volte. I really wish I could buy the euro Galaxy S7 without worrying about bands and the above, I would give up samsung pay if everything else was peachy

right now the list is pretty short, iphone + nexus + moto x pure is it I believe.

proudly unlocked since switching from iphone 4 that I bought on att contract to GS4 GPE in 2013!

carriers are dumb pipes not software companies!

 

[jamezr]

Gotta watch what one buys, buyer beware trying to get LTE on some of these smartphones.

That is the big thing to watch for. Making sure it has the bands you need for your carrier.

 

[lowendlinux]

Unlocked is popular in Europe it adds lots of flexibility it nice to see it coming to the US. I'll have to go back soonish and I thought I'd be unique bringing my phone to Ting.

 

[jamezr]

XDA is coming up with their own.phone called LabPhone! It has some really top high end specs!

http://www.xda-developers.com/intro...gn=Feed:+xda-developers/ShsH+(xda-developers)

 

[epicrayban]

XDA is coming up with their own.phone called LabPhone! It has some really top high end specs!

http://www.xda-developers.com/introducing-the-xda-labphone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+xda-developers/ShsH+(xda-developers)

April fools?

 

[jamezr]

April fools?

LOL...spoiler!

 

[epicrayban]

LOL...spoiler!

Oops. Sorry. lol.

 

[Lloydbm41]

good! hopefully more oems will support unclocked models on us carriers with wifi calling + volte. I really wish I could buy the euro Galaxy S7 without worrying about bands and the above, I would give up samsung pay if everything else was peachy

right now the list is pretty short, iphone + nexus + moto x pure is it I believe.

proudly unlocked since switching from iphone 4 that I bought on att contract to GS4 GPE in 2013!

carriers are dumb pipes not software companies!

Another reason I am with T-Mobile. You can unlock any phone you get from them after 30 days.

 

[maxsix]

Gotta watch what one buys, buyer beware trying to get LTE on some of these smartphones.

This concern is extremely rare. While it was an issue in 2008, the great majority of today's smartphones are functional across carriers.

 

[aneftp]

This concern is extremely rare. While it was an issue in 2008, the great majority of today's smartphones are functional across carriers.

With exception of the iPhone (iPhone 6/6s), nexus 6/6p/nexus 5/moto x pure essentially can be used on all the carrier LTE bands.

But that's it.

All the other major Samsung Galaxy s6/7, lg G4/5, note 4/5 DO NOT have 100% compatible LTE bands.

A Verizon galaxy note 5 is hspa plus compatible with att/T-Mobile. But lacks some of the LTE bands required by att/Verizon.

 

[maxsix]

With exception of the iPhone (iPhone 6/6s), nexus 6/6p/nexus 5/moto x pure essentially can be used on all the carrier LTE bands.

But that's it.

All the other major Samsung Galaxy s6/7, lg G4/5, note 4/5 DO NOT have 100% compatible LTE bands.

You seem to be stuck in the past, operating off old erroneous information.

Amazon alone offers well over Seven Thousand Android models. Here's the latest information for you.


"Unlocked Cell Phones at Amazon . com - Looking for new cellphones from Samsung, LG, Blackberry, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, Kyocera, ASUS, ZTE, Blu, Sony, without being tied to a carrier? Amazon’s Unlocked Cell Phones store is your one-stop shop. You can choose a smartphone from brands like Samsung, Apple, Amazon Fire, LG, Blackberry, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, Kyocera, ASUS, ZTE, Blu, Sony, Pantech, and Casio at a great price. So whether you're looking to upgrade to a Moto G, an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s, Nexus 5x, Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S6, you can find your new phone at Amazon. Even if you're still sporting a classic iPhone 4, iPhone 5, or Samsung Galaxy S5, find your phone here.


http://www.amazon.com/unlocked-cell-phones/b?node=2407749011

 

[aneftp]

You seem to be stuck in the past, operating off old erroneous information.

Amazon alone offers well over Seven Thousand Android models. Here's the latest information for you.


"Unlocked Cell Phones at Amazon . com - Looking for new cellphones from Samsung, LG, Blackberry, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, Kyocera, ASUS, ZTE, Blu, Sony, without being tied to a carrier? Amazon’s Unlocked Cell Phones store is your one-stop shop. You can choose a smartphone from brands like Samsung, Apple, Amazon Fire, LG, Blackberry, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, Kyocera, ASUS, ZTE, Blu, Sony, Pantech, and Casio at a great price. So whether you're looking to upgrade to a Moto G, an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s, Nexus 5x, Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S6, you can find your new phone at Amazon. Even if you're still sporting a classic iPhone 4, iPhone 5, or Samsung Galaxy S5, find your phone here.


http://www.amazon.com/unlocked-cell-phones/b?node=2407749011

I am not stuck in the past.

What's offered and what people actually buy in the USA is a completely different ball game.

All the Kyocera ASUS pantech blu and even Sony phones offered for sale in the USA. Doesn't matter at this point cause their sales figure numbers are tiny compared to what iPhones total sales numbers.

 

[aneftp]

The article is so misleading. It claims only 1.8 million "unlocked" iPhones shipped in 2015 for 12% market share.

And it claims blu shipped 5 million unlocked phones in 2015 for a market share of 52%.

Well. Problem they forgot is Verizon ALONE activated between 2-6 MILLLION iPhones in EACH Quarter. Just google Verizon financials reports. And all Verizon iPhones are Unlocked cause of FCC agreement.

I just have to laugh. If Verizon is activating close to 10 million unlocked iPhones in just 2015. How can they claim apple shipped 1.8 million unlocked phones.

 

[ozaz]

The article is so misleading. It claims only 1.8 million "unlocked" iPhones shipped in 2015 for 12% market share.

And it claims blu shipped 5 million unlocked phones in 2015 for a market share of 52%.

Well. Problem they forgot is Verizon ALONE activated between 2-6 MILLLION iPhones in EACH Quarter. Just google Verizon financials reports. And all Verizon iPhones are Unlocked cause of FCC agreement.

I just have to laugh. If Verizon is activating close to 10 million unlocked iPhones in just 2015. How can they claim apple shipped 1.8 million unlocked phones.

The report is probably refering to phones that are unlocked *and* where the cost of not tied into a carrier contract