by Al Sacco

Unlocked iPhone 5 Now Available via Apple

Opinion
Nov 30, 20121 min
iPhoneMobileSmall and Medium Business

Apple is now selling unlocked versions of its iPhone 5, but they don't come cheap and aren't compatible with all major U.S. wireless networks.

Unlocked Apple iPhone 5 Pricing

Apple is now offering unlocked iPhone 5 devices via its Store.Apple.com website. Until today, the iPhone 5 was only available via wireless carriers and you had to sign a wireless contract to buy the device at a subsidized price. Now you can pay a bit more for the device and use it on whichever (compatible) network you want. Unfortunately, the unlocked devices only work on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the United States, so Verizon and/or Sprint customers are out of luck.

Here’s the official pricing, from Apple: $649 for the 16GB unlocked iPhone 5; $749 for the 32GB unlocked iPhone 5; and $849 for the unlocked 64GB iPhone 5.

Click on over to my recent iPhone 5 Pricing Madness story to see what it actually costs Apple to make the iPhone 5. (Hint: It’s a lot less than you’ll pay for an unlocked device.)

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