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Budget smartphones - SIM free?

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  • 28-11-2012 10:50pm
    #1
    MrThrifty
    Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭


    Can anyone confirm if all prepay budget smartphones (i.e. in the <€200 price range) on sale in the shops here are locked to the operator networks for a set period or until you top up by a certain amount. The reason I ask is that I came across a previous thread going back half a year or so about a particular model at the time that was meant to be locked but was actually not (might have been the Huawei Ascend, can't remember now).

    I need a phone but will be leaving the country soon so need it to be sim free. If the answer to the question above is yes, is it cheaper and easier then to order a sim free phone from the likes of Amazon than buy it here and go to a repair shop to get it unlocked?


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    #2
    Alanstrainor
    Registered Users Posts: 23,157 ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    I would bank on most phones being locked.

    Even brand new ones, I just got a HTC 8x which was just released on 3 and it was locked. A lot of phones can be unlocked without having to go through networks. You can just go to one of the phone mender shops.


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    #3
    MrThrifty
    Registered Users Posts: 491 ✭✭MrThrifty


    Thanks Alans* - silly question, am coming across threads that mention eBay sites where you can purchase unlock codes for mobiles. Is it that straight-forward or do these codes only work for certain models of phones? I had thought that the phone mender guys used to connect a cable to the phone and not just enter a code.


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    #4
    Danger781
    Registered Users Posts: 5,687 ✭✭✭Danger781


    Carphone Warehouse sometimes have unlocked models, but for the most part, they are all locked. If you were to go in and ask for a particular version, ask if they have the CPW version.

    What is usually a safe bet - Special models of phones - For example, Samsung Galaxy Ace Le Fleur, The Red Version of the Galaxy S3, etc.


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