Apple is now selling an unlocked version of its iPhone X that isn’t tethered to a specific carrier like Verizon or AT&T.
The consumer technology giant updated its online store on Monday with these unlocked iPhone X models that don’t come preinstalled with a specific carrier’s SIM card that helps with authentication and connecting with a carrier’s wireless network.
As tech publication 9to5Mac notes, unlocked iPhones can be useful for people who do a lot of international travel or who like to frequently switch carrier networks. When people buy iPhones with specific carrier plans, they are often locked into multi-year deals that make it costly to use competing services.
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However, buying an iPhone X with a carrier plan often comes with discounts or incentives, like the ability to trade an older for the newer version. The unlocked iPhone X with 64 GB of storage costs $1,000, which people will have to pay all at once as opposed to monthly installments like they would when buying a carrier-specific iPhone.
Unlocked iPhone Xs bought online can ship to customers as soon as Dec. 12. People can also order the unlocked iPhone X smartphones and pick them up from an Apple Store, which also sell an unlocked version of the device.
Apple (AAPL), which debuted the iPhone X on Nov. 3, pitched it as the company’s most sophisticated iPhone. Among some of its features is the ability to use image recognition of a user’s face to access the iPhone instead of a passcode.
