Unlocked phones are often available through third-party retailers or sold directly by manufacturers. They may or may not come with a SIM card, but there’s no obligation to sign up for a specific ...

Unlocked phones are usually bought outright, and paid in full. If you like making smaller monthly phone payments, you can always try to get financing outside your carrier.

There are often very specific rules that you have to follow before you can unlock a phone. For example, the phone can't be reported stolen or missing, needs to have been paid for in full, and might ...

The top unlocked phones we've tested aren't tied to a carrier, offer you more freedom to roam, and carry less bloatware. Skip to Main Content. Menu. #PrimeDay2025; #SamsungUnpacked; ...

You may like Best unlocked phones in 2025; Best phone carriers of 2025; Verizon wants to keep your phone locked for 6 months — here's why; Almost every phone bought through a carrier is locked ...

Unlocked phones and prepaid plans are often synonymous with one another, but some carriers will allow you to bring over an unlocked phone and sign-up for non-prepaid service.

For years, unlocked phones were almost exclusively GSM. But recently, more smartphones are universal, like the iPhone X, Google Pixel 2 and Moto G6.

Smartphone reviews often ignore an increasingly important feature: the ability to switch from one cellular carrier to another. Here's why that capability matters. The decline of long-term cellular ...

In this edition of her advice column, CNET's Marguerite Reardon explains the differences between locked and unlocked phones and helps a reader figure out how to get an unlocked device. She also ...

An unlocked brother to the HTC Touch series phones, the HTC Touch Cruise ($550.00, unlocked; as of 4/9/2009) has an eye-catching design and a gorgeous touch interface.

What It Means to Have an Unlocked Phone. Most cell phones and smartphones are tied, or locked, to a certain cellular carrier, such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, or Sprint.