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