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!

  • yo_scottie_ohOPEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Gotcha, and then is the protocol to just sell it back at the end of the trip?

    • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
      4·
      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
      2·
      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.