iPhone 5 Release Date: Unlocked iPhone 4S Now Available
The unlocked version of the iPhone 4S is now available in 22 countries around the world.
The unlocked iPhone 4S officially went on sale on Oct. 28 in, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The unlocked iPhone allows users to power the smartphone without a network contract. This is especially beneficial for using the iPhone internationally, industry experts note.
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The unlocked iPhone however is extremely expensive without a contract. The unlocked iPhone 4S sells for €659 in Italy, tech website, Intomobile said. That equates to $923 U.S. dollars.
Intomobile suggests that foreigners traveling to the U.S. should have no problem powering their iPhone 4S's without a contract. Networks such as T-Mobile are known for powering unlocked iPhones despite not carrying the smartphones on contract.
The contract carriers of the iPhone 4S are AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.
While Sprint has confirmed it will power the unlocked iPhone 4S, Verizon has not. AT&T's globally compatible GSM network allows U.S. residents to power unlocked iPhones internationally.
Sprint and Verizon run on the CDMA network that is not readily compatible with international networks; however the iPhone 4S contains dual antennae that allow the phone to switch between GSM and CDMA networks depending on the carrier.
The iPhone 4S is the first iPhone to debut with both GSM and CDMA compatibility.
According to Apple, the unlocked iPhone 4S will be available in the U.S. in November, starting at $649.
