Locked vs Unlocked Phone
Unlocking is a word that has become quite popular among mobile phone owners these days. Most people are on the lookout for a particular smartphone in the market as they do not want to buy its locked version from the carrier that is selling it. This is because of the perceived benefits that accrue to the user when he finds an unlocked phone in the market. The two phones look identical, and there is not an iota of a difference as far as hardware of the two phones is concerned. However, there are still differences in the functionality of the two phones that will be talked about in this article to let readers know why there is such a craze for the unlocked phones.
Locked Phone
You must have seen advertisements of latest smartphones made by Apple, Samsung, Sony, and other electronic giants available on a particular service provider’s platform at rates that seem to be too attractive and low to believe. Yes, one can get an iPhone or a similar smartphone made by a reputable company on the platform of a carrier like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile at incredibly low prices. This is because the user has to use the services of that carrier only and the phone has been programmed to not work on the SIM card of any other carrier. The carrier sells the phone on an 18 moths or 24 months contract during which the user has to pay a rental, as well as high call rates, in addition to paying a hefty fee, in the name of roaming. All this is done to recover the balance manufacturing cost of the device from the user and also in lieu of the entire features being made available at a very low down payment. Locked phones do not work on the SIM card of another carrier other than the carrier that sells them to the buyers.
Unlocked Phone
The phrase unlocked phone refers to a phone that has been freed from the clutches of the carrier that sells the phone in the first place. It takes only a few steps in the form of software to unlock a phone and do away with all the restrictions imposed upon it by the manufacturer and the carrier. There is an unlocking code that has to be fed into the phone, to make a few changes in the operating system of the gadget. Normally, this code is made available by the carrier after the expiry of the contract, but these days, consumers are themselves getting their phones unlocked with the help of hackers who are making available software in exchange for a small amount of fee.
As soon as a locked phone is unlocked, it can be operated using the SIM card of the carrier of the choice of the owner of the phone.
What is the difference between Locked and Unlocked Phone?
• There is no hardware difference between locked and unlocked phones.
• Locked phones are available at very low prices, whereas unlocked phones are hard to find and sell at higher rates.
• Locked phone works only on the SIM of the carrier that sells the phone, whereas unlocked phone can work on any SIM of the choice of the buyer.
• Unlocked phone can be used internationally but not the locked one.