Guide to Buy an Unlocked Cell Phone

Guide to Buy an Unlocked Cell Phone

By Natalie Aranda

The term locked when used with mobile phones means that the phone is programmed internally to operate on a particular system. This is usually the system that sells you the phone and provides the service. There are also two kinds of cell phones. These are the GSM and the CDMA types of mobile phones.

GSM phones are very easy to unlock, and the CDMA phones are a bit harder. In either case, buying an unlocked mobile phone might make a little more sense than buying a phone and then unlocking it later. Ebay is one of the best sources for the purchase of unlocked mobile phones, but you need be a bit careful here. Some sellers on Ebay do not fully understand the concept of locked or unlocked.

Unlocked phones are also sold outside the United States and in some countries such as India; it is customary to unlock cell phones before selling them all the time. With the global Internet market, this is a viable option for the purchase of an unlocked cell phone. Once you have your unlocked cell phones in your hands, it is an easy matter to determine if it is truly unlocked. If you are considering buying a new cell phone, you may have heard about phones that are unlocked and wondered why you should be unlocked cell phones.

There are three main reasons why you want an unlocked mobile phone over one that is locked. In a lot of cell phones there is a small card called a SIM card. This card activates the phone and allows it to operate as a particular number. Your phone service simply goes where the SIM card goes. If you buy an unlocked phone, you can take the SIM card and put it in the new phone and your service will work the same.

So what are the advantages of an unlocked phone? First, if you travel overseas you will want to have an unlocked cell phone.

In some cases, you might get a free phone when you sign up for your cell phone service if you sign a contract. If you buy an unlocked phone, you can switch cell phone providers without losing your phone. You’ll just have to get a new SIM card from your provider and then your phone should work fine. An unlocked phone also comes in handy if you have more than one phone. For instance, if you have one phone that has a camera feature and one that doesn’t and your spouse needs the camera phone that you usually use, you can simply switch SIM cards. You’ll still get your calls delivered to you on your spouse’s phone. This also works if you have phones on different providers as well, such as your personal phone and business phone.

If you have a nice phone but want to upgrade, there is no reason to simply throw the phone away. You can also sell it and put the money towards your new unlocked phone.