Is there a place to buy new rooted/unlocked smartphones?

Factual Questions
1

I know you can buy them used where some individual bought the phone, rooted it and is then selling on Ebay or something.

Is there any way to get it new in the box with just the OS installed, rooted and with none of the carriers junk added to it? Why won’t the manufacturer just sell you a phone? In my case I went to the Samsung website, browsed “shop” and it directs you to T-Mobile or ATT or Verizon stores near you.

My current phone is a HTC G2. After owning it for over a year I finally worked up the courage to follow the instructions at XDA Developers that required a bunch of Linux command line stuff to root it. I was nervous as hell that I was gonna end up bricking my phone.

I’m looking to get a Galaxy S3, not on contract so I’ll be paying retail and I dont wanna take a chance on a phone that expensive following instructions at some hacker site just to get access to what I feel i’ve paid for. Is my only option to root it myself or deal with the carriers junk and restrictions?

2

The Apple store (at least in Canada) sells unlocked iPhones, but you pay full price for them. Then, you have to find a service provider with a data plan if you expect to get real use out of them - and I don’t know if the service providers give you any discount just because you are not paying off a major discount on the phone spread over 3 years.

3

I’ve already got a provider. And i’m willing to pay full price for the phone. I just wanna have my new phone be unlocked.

The way it is now, it feels like I just bought a computer from Dell and they say, “no, you can’t remove our junkware and do a clean install of windows. Also , you wont get any Microsoft updates after SP2. Gotta buy a new computer to get SP3”.

4

Have you tried Amazon.com? I just checked and it looks like you can buy an unlocked Galaxy S III there.

5

International model.

6

Google will sell you an unlocked Nexus 4: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_16gb

If that works for your carrier, or you’re out of contract and want to switch.

7

Some manufacturers provide the facility to unlock your phone (HTC does, I don’t know about Samsung).

Si

8

What kind of facility? My current is HTC. I had to download an app to give temp root, then boot into command mode and type a bunch of Linux commands. I searched and searched for “G2+root” and never found anything like a simple procedure from the manufacturer.

9

Here, but it only applies to recent phones (since 09/2011). Your G2 may not qualify. Also, operator restrictions may apply.

Si

10

It’s just that the unlocked iPhone will cost you, IIRC, let’s say $679; and a locked one through, say, ROgers, $279. That’s $400 over 36 months before they unlock the phone you’ve paid for. (then there’s a $50 unlock fee from Rogers… can you say “Highway Robbery”, boys and girls?) SO $400/36 or about $12/month. yet if you sign up with them, I don’t think (haven’t checked lately) that you get a $12 discount on their monthly plan for BYOP.

Do US providers offer a BYOP discount?