I want my next phone to be “unlocked” so I can use it w/ any carrier - Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Mint, etc. I’m based in the US, but if I travel internationally, it would be nice to be able to just pop in a local SIM card and continue using my phone like normal.

What gives me pause is, I see used phones listed as “US Version,” and reviewers claiming the phone was not unlocked (for example, this Pixel 7a on Amazon).

Questions:

  1. What am I missing here? Do these reviewers just not know what they’re doing, or are they buying from shady resellers?
  2. Does “US Version” imply I would not be able to use the phone internationally by just popping in a local SIM card?

Thank you!

  • seaQueue@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Look up the exact model of the phone then check GSMArena or a similar site to see which bands it supports - then check to see which bands your carrier requires.

    Also, in the US I usually recommend eBay or swappa for phones - their buyer protections are robust and it’s almost trivial to return the phone if there’s an issue that isn’t disclosed in the sale listing. Buying used/refurbed things on Amazon is a crapshoot in my experience.

    • cRazi_man@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Is this thing with unsupported bands ever an issue outside USA? It isn’t a problem I’ve ever encountered in using any phone abroad or heard people of any other could try talk about.

  • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    The US is fucking weird. I’d honestly suggest you just buy a ready-out-of-box phone from the EU. EU laws make the device a whole lot more functional than what you’ll get in the US.

    If you travel to the EU it’s easiest just to buy it in person over here - there are plenty of retailers that’ll just sell you a new phone in box same day.

      • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        You certainly can if you’d like, you won’t get a full refund of the value you spent. I ended up just buying my phone in the EU and bringing it back to Canada with me. An EU phone can run a US or Canadian SIM without issue - the problem only happens in the other direction.

        So, like, my suggestion is just buy your phone in the EU then it’ll work everywhere with any SIM.

      • PetteriPano@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Plenty of options for dual SIM phones here, too.

        Which makes it even more convenient to just pop in a local SIM while traveling.

  • edric@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    I’m not an expert but my guess is this is more of a signal band issue rather a carrier-lock issue if it’s truly unlocked. Some phones only support specific bands that won’t work with certain carriers. That’s just my guess though.

    • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Granted, people can’t tell if a phone is unlocked when they’re stealing it so having an unlocked phone doesn’t make it more likely you’d be targeted for theft.