The Unlocked iPhone 5 is now available. The pricing are 16GB model at $649, with the 32 GB version pricing at $749, and the 64GB top-tier configuration costing at $849 depending on how much storage we opt for. It is the same that unlocked iPhone 4S used to cost and it is a considerable expense above and beyond the on-contract cost but we can get advantage. When we are not locked into a lengthy carrier contract, which is beneficial if we suddenly have to move and we can also then use the iPhone on T-Mobile, which is in the process of deploying a network on the 1,900 MHz spectrum that will finally let the iPhone 5 achieve top mobile broadband speeds on the U.S.’s fourth largest carrier.
Choosing unlocked device to buy will be not easy, however there are some variations that works overseas LTE support, support for U.S and Canada LTE networks on the 700 MHz , and support for Sprint and Verizon LTE networks respectively. If we are stuck in the U.S and can’t wait for an undetermined release timeframe from Apple, we can go ahead and pre-order an iPhone 5 with a 2-year contract with either AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon.
At midnight pacific time in U.S (3:00 a.m. for those on the east coast), Apple opened its online doors to hungry consumers. According to CNET, The initial batch of iPhone 5 shipments sold out within one hour. The carrier iPhone 5s start at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for 32GB and $399 if you want to use 64GB of storage. The reason for beating down the prices is because carriers subsidize the cost of the phone by betting us will pay our monthly wireless bills on time.
Source: Apple