If you can’t bear to commit yourself to a multi-year wireless contract just to get subsidized pricing on your iPhone 3G purchase, you might want to consider buying an unlocked iPhone 3G. And you don’t even have to go to France to do so. A new UK retailer has started offering unlocked 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G handsets priced at £550 and £600, respectively.
With O2 and AT&T looking to clear out backed-up iPhone 3G stock in anticipation of new iPhone hardware launching this Summer, it was only a matter of time before a retailer started selling unlocked iPhone 3Gs. Apple has apparently loosened its draconian grip on the iPhone 3G and looks to be allowing more lenient iPhone 3G sales terms.
Available at Play.com, the unlocked 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3Gs will still cost a pretty penny. Compared to free-on-contract offers from some wireless carriers, the 8GB iPhone 3G’s £550 ($800) and the 16GB iPhone 3G’s £600 ($875) price tags are a hefty bunch. Still, for the contract-wary out there will to drop a few extra pounds to get at some of last year’s hottest hardware, Play.com might be the best bet.
[Via: ArsTechnica]