When you buy a phone on a contract from a carrier, it will cost you very little for many features. However then you will be locked to use that phone only on that carrier and will have to take the package which the carriers have decided on. Getting an unlocked phone solves this problem. Basically an unlocked phone is a phone in which you can use the network of any carrier provided you have a SIM card for that carrier. Unlocked means you are not bound by any contract and thus can use any carrier you want on your cell phone.

Reasons for popularity among consumers

Consumers like unlocked phones for a variety of reasons.

Packages for unlocked phones are often cheaper for the locked phones because when a carrier gives you a phone at a discount, they make up the discount through your plan. If you just get a connection and use an unlocked phone you can generally get much cheaper rates than you would ever be able to get for a locked phone. They are also great because if they want to change carriers all they have to do is change their connection. You do not have to be bound by any contract, you are free to do whatever you want

Reasons for popularity among eBay resellers

Unlocked phones are extremely popular amongst eBay resellers because these phones can be sold to anyone, anywhere without having to worry about carriers.

This means that you can sell an unlocked phone to any place, even in other countries if you want and you will not face any problems.

Generally countries like India tend to have much more unlocked phones as compared to western nations due to economic reasons.

When it comes to networks, unlocked phones can be found for all types of networks. CDMA and GSM are different varieties which are available and unlocked phones are available for both of these network types.

One thing that you should keep in mind when buying an unlocked phone is that you will not get as many features as you would have gotten with a locked phone. The reason is simple, when you buy a locked phone the carrier company gives you a large discount because it means you are locked into using their carrier. This does not happen with unlocked phones so you will not get the same features for the same price. This is the price for freedom.

Before buying an unlocked phone for yourself or your business you should ask yourself if you really need an unlocked phone or would a locked phone suffice for you. If you travel a lot then an unlocked phone will be great for you because you will be able to simply buy a sim card of the country you are in and start using their carrier. You should also make sure that you get an unlocked phone which supports the network you desire to use.

There are lots of unlocked phones available online, go check out the prices and see the prices for the same phones on carrier’s websites. You should also look into the plans available for unlocked phones.