Update: December 5 2017
On December 4 2017, Apple officially started selling the SIM-Free unlocked iPhone X.
See my video
On September 12, 2017 Apple announced their new iPhone X (iPhone Ten). While the iPhone X isn’t available for pre-order until October 27, Apple does have pricing and details available on apple.com. However unlike the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus Apple isn’t showing the option for a SIM-Free iPhone X yet. With iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple has this year offered the SIM-free phones as soon as pre-orders started on September 15. Perhaps as in previous years we’ll have to wait several weeks or months even before having the option to order the SIM free model. I will update this article when the SIM-free iPhone X is available.
The SIM-free iPhone X if and when it is released is unlocked and can used with any wireless carrier, it’s compatible with the AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. There are no contracts, you’ll pay the full retail price for the SIM-free iPhone X which is either $999 or $1149 depending on if you choose 64GB or 256GB of storage. The SIM-Free iPhone X will also be compatible with numerous prepaid wireless networks including but not limited to Straight Talk, Net 10 Wireless, Total Wireless, Tracfone, Cricket, MetroPCS, Simple Mobile, AT&T Prepaid, Verizon Prepaid, and others.
The SIM-free iPhone X will be compatible with both the CDMA network technologies used by Verizon and Sprint as well as the LTE technology used by AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.
The SIM-free iPhone X is model A1865. The SIM-free iPhone X should be the same model that Apple sell to Sprint and Verizon customers. AT&T and T-Mobile customers receive the iPhone X Model A1901. That model is identical to the A1865 except they do not support the CDMA network technologies uses by Verizon and Sprint. If you are really interested in the technical details, the A1885 supports TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A) and CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900, 2100 MHz) radio technologies while the A1901 does not.
I bought my iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, and iPhone 7 Plus SIM-free and appreciated the options to use those iPhones on my choice of cellular networks.
Now what if you want to buy and unlocked iPhone X but don’t want to buy it from Apple? Your best option is to buy the full price Verizon model. That phone is also unlocked. If you want to use it with the Sprint network or a prepaid wireless company that uses the Verizon network you will still need to check the serial number of your phone to make sure it is eligible to be activated on their network. Your best option to buy the full priced Verizon model other than Apple is Best Buy. Just make sure you understand the return policy in case you have a problem activating the phone. Most Verizon stores and resellers will not sell you the full price phone if you are not activating a new phone line or transferring an existing one. Verizon like all the other carriers are only interested in selling phones to their customers, not people looking to use the phone’s with other wireless providers. Best Buy in my experience does sell full price carrier model phone without activation.
Using iPhone X Outside the USA
Now that iPhone X SIM-free option is available, this is your best option for buying a phone in the US and using in another country. With the SIM-free option, you’ll be getting the A!865 model which is compatible with GSM, CDMA, and LTE. CDMA isn’t widely used outside the United States so the A1901 GSM / LTE model should also work in countries that use GSM / LTE. Now although these either of these phones should be compatible in your country, you should check apple.com to see if the carrier you want to use in your country supports the iPhone X. See https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/
What about you? Are you going to buy the SIM-Free iPhone X? Leave a reply below and share.
Hi there, nice article very useful.
I have a question for you, i have my family back in USA, and i currently live in India. I want to order the iphone x sim free version, but like you said they dont have it available on apples website.
my family comes down to india end of december, if i ask them to pay in full to verizon 1000$ for the iphone x, can i activate iphone X with any gsm network of india ?
or i will have to get it activated that in USA first ?
Please advice.
Buying the iPhone X in the US to Use in Another Country
Thanks alot for the help.. 🙂
I have a question if i buy iphone x with full payment Which is unlocked and with At&t sim
will it work in india
I haven’t tried it but it should.
Hello , I am from Costa Rica and I want to pre-order the iPhone X , can I buy the Verizon model and use normally in my country ?
Thanks for help me
should work. Read through the comments here and on the youtube video about the issues ordering it online though.
I use Cricket Wireless and would like to get a iphone X. As the sim-free model does not appear to be available for pre-order would one of the others work with Cricket? Based on your article you are saying to get the Verizon model. I would have thought AT&T since Cricket is a subsidiary of AT&T.
The Verizon model is unlocked and compatible with all four major networks in the US. The ATT model will only work with the att and tmobile networks. It is compatible with Cricket. Not sure if the ATT model can initially be activate with a Cricket SIM. probably. The biggest issue is that you may not be able to complete the process to order the att, verizon, t-mobile or sprint model directly from apple.com without entering you carrier account information. That is the biggest issue. Walk through the steps to order a carrier iPhone 8 and you’ll see what I mean.
Thanks, Bob. Any yes, I see what you mean about ordering online and needing carrier account info. Guess I’ll need to wait.
If you have the option to pick up the phone in the store, you can check morning at the store. They will sell you the full price phone without and account. One commenter said apple support said the SIM free model would be available at preorder or on ship day, but we will need to wait and see if that happens.
Hello,
If I have understood you, the iphone X models that are sold “with Verizon” are like free sim?
I am living in the US till December when i will be back to Spain and i would like to know if a verizon at&t or whatever carrier iphone x will work in Spain with a Movistar sim
Thanks a lot
Javier
The Verizon model is the same model as the SIM free phone and the Verizon phones are known to be unlocked. The full price AT&T and T-Mobile phones may be unlocked too. If you look closely at apple.com it says they are too. I assume that Movistar is a GSM only network either iPhone X model should be fine as long as it is unlocked.
Hi there, nice article very useful.
I have a question for you, i have my family back in USA, and i currently live in India. I want to order the iphone x sim free version, but like you said they dont have it available on apples website.
my family comes down to india 1st week of december, if i ask them to pay in full to verizon 1000$ for the iphone x, will that work in india ?
or i will have to activate that in USA first ?
Please advice me
I don’t know any reason why that wouldn’t work. The phone is SIM unlocked and as far a I can tell should be compatible win India.
Hello, I’m from India and I’m planning to Pre order the iPhone X from USA on the launch date. I use an iPhone 7 model A1778 in India and it is the same model that comes with iPhone 7 AT&T and T-Mobile sims. Do you think I can order the iPhone X with either AT&T or T-Mobile and use it in India?
I’d think so. The SIM-Free model supports both the GSM and CDMA techonolgies used in the US. Here Verizon and Sprint still use CDMA technology. I don’t think CDMA is used in India