1a) Can I buy an unlocked phone, put my existing SIM in it and away I go?
OR
1b) Do I need a new SIM from my carrier?
3a) Would an unlocked phone come without bloatware?
OR
3b) What apps come with an unlocked phone?
yes
That’s between you and the carrier. For instance, if you pay as you go, there would be no contract at all.
Hmm.. I assume you would get Google apps like their Store (for example), but if you wanted you could wipe the phone and install firmware without them. Besides that there is always camera, voice recorder, messaging, notepad, and similar basic stuff.
For me,
1a - I just swapped the SIM (once I had to cut it down to a smaller size)
2 - most carriers have a BYOD (bring your own device option). Pre-paid plans always work without a contract.
3 - this will depend on the phone. My iPhones from Apple never have bloatware.
1 - Just put your old SIM into the new phone and you’re good to go, with one possible caveat: There are three sizes of SIMs, and if your phone requires a nano SIM when you have a micro SIM, you’ll need a new one of the correct size from your carrier (or, as jasg notes, you could cut a larger SIM to a smaller size if you know exactly the right amount to cut off). This depends on the specific phone and applies whether or not the phone is unlocked.
2 - As mentioned above, all major carriers allow BYOD, and offer plans without a contract.
3 - Bloatware is primarily added by the manufacturer, so how much you get depends on the specific phone. Carriers may add some of their own apps if you buy the phone from them, but most bloat comes factory-installed. The specific pre-installed apps will also vary depending on the manufacturer.
Not all unlocked phones work on all carriers. Make sure that phone supports your carriers. For example, Sprint and ATT phones aren’t always interchangeable because they use different frequencies. Not all phones support all frequencies.
One way to get an unlocked phone is to buy it straight from the manufacturer. Like buy a plain Samsung phone. It is unlocked because it’s not locked to a carrier.
A second way to get an unlocked phone is to buy a previously-locked phone that has since been unlocked. The providers typically have some term that the phone is locked to them, after which the owner can ask for it to be unlocked. The phone itself would be the same with everything installed, but it could be taken to a different provider. So you could put a TMobile sim in your unlocked ATT phone.
Were you going to get a brand-new phone that is unlocked? Or get a previously used phone that has since been unlocked?
New phone. Moto G7
I just bought an unlocked Motorola phone with no crapware. It works as soon as you drop in your new SIM card. I had to trim my SIM card a little to fit in the new phone but my old SIM card was perforated so all I had to do was tear off the excess. I think all the recent SIM cards are pre-perforated this way.
My phone came with: Phone; Messages (for texts); Chrome; Google Photos; Google Maps; Duo (which I think is from Google for recording video - I haven’t used it), Calendar; Play Store; Docs, Sheets, and Slides (Microsoft Office substitutes for your phone); Drive (for cloud storage); Youtube; Calculator, and Motorola Notifications (okay, maybe that’s crapware but I haven’t used it).
When I got my wife a new phone recently, the guy at the store just whipped out what looked like a two-hole punch from the outside, and proceeded to stick her old SIM card into it.
Apparently it was a punch in the right size and shape to turn a micro SIM into a nano SIM (assuming it was oriented correctly. So even if you do need a different size, you could probably ask the guys at your local phone store to punch yours for you
As far as network compatibility goes, AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM (along with the rest of the world), while Sprint, Verizon and US Cellular are CDMA.
So basically within those two groups, phones should be broadly compatible.
If the phone is from another carrier, be sure that the wi-fi from the carrier you’re using is on is supported. I have two AT&T unlocked Samsung J3s that use use with T-Mobile. Everything else works fine, but T-Mobile wi-fi, 3G & 4G won’t work on it This is documented in the Amazon reviews.
WiFi is universal. I assume you are talking about mobile data. Any unlocked phone should list in the specs whether it’s GSM or CDMA. AT&T & T-Mobile uses GSM, Sprint and Verizon use CDMA.
You also want to check the 4G (LTE) channels. Look up which LTE channels your mobile network uses (e.g. on this site) and make sure the phone supports at least a few of them.
Yes, I’m referring to T-Mobile 3G & 4G mobile internet. I can connect to regular wi-fi fine, but when I activate T-Mobile wi-fi (I’m on a prepaid plan without it), it doesn’t work on my J3s, but will if I put the SIM in one of my other phones. I’m also stuck with some AT&T software that’s built into the firmware.
Also, T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S. use GSM 1900. Europe and other countries use GSM 900 and 1800, so be sure your unlocked phone is tri-band (dual band is almost always 900/1800) or 1900.
I just remembered there are some (rare) Quad-GSM Band phones which allows use in GSM 850/1900 and GSM 900/1800 areas.
The Moto G7 was a good option last month. It’s now a trumped by the Pixel 3a, which costs $400 but there are several deals ongoing where you get a $100 gift card to the store in question. It is possible to sell these gift cards for slightly less than the face value, making the net cost about $320 - for a phone that is far superior to the Moto G7. Superior screen, superior camera, superior software, faster processor.
I thought it worth a mention that when your contract comes to an end, that is when you finish paying for the phone, so you should probably get it unlocked and look round for the best service.