How to Buy a Phone Without a Carrier
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The company I work at is rolling out a communications app that people can install on their personal cellphones. Not everyone has a smartphone or wants to install work applications on their personal phone however, so we're looking into the option of just buying a cheap phone for these people strictly for work use.
Is there an easy way to buy phones without a sim card or contract? We pretty much just need a smartphone form factor device with a good mic, speakers and a wifi connection. No cellular connection or data plan needed or wanted. Operating system doesn't matter, our app runs on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, etc. I'm probably not using the right terms for this because googling "cellphone with no contract or data plan" isn't turning up any places I can buy one.
I've been in a similar situation for both product testing and users who needed a small phone/tablet to access a simple web app. This is the phone we went with...
http://www.amazon.com/AT-Nokia-Lumia-635-Contract/dp/B00LBFFSNM $46.24
I'll also confirm it can be upgraded to run Windows Phone 10 (beta) if you're into that.
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14 Replies
why don't you look at a 7" tablet instead of a phone?
Sure. I buy phones "unlocked" all the time. The problem you'll face is that you'll have to pay full face price of the phone. Any phone at Walmart should do what you're asking for here. Mind you the cheaper you go, the performance of the phone will drop.
In the UK you look for an unlocked sim free phone.They have an upfront cost, cos you not taking out a contract with a phone provider.
If you are buying them new, you are buying them contract free. Depending on how many you need, that will get pricey.
iPhones can be bought direct from Apple and Android phones can be bought directly from Google.
Just remember doing it that way, you are paying full price. A basic iPhone 5C, SIM free (contract free), is $450. A contract free Nexus 6 will cost you around $650.
Chris
Any phone can "operate" without phone service. It's not like you can't power it on. Everything will work except for phone service. It's basically a PDA. But you might get alerts that there's no SIM detected if it has a SIM slot. You can get blank SIMs for free/cheap just to shut up the device, but it may notify you that it can't activate on a carrier. The suggestions about buying an "unlocked" phone are sort of accurate, but you don't need a carrier unlocked phone since you won't be using phone service. "Unlocked" is often confused with "full price, off contact". They often come together, but you can have one without the other. You can buy a carrier locked phone for full price and not buy into a contract. You can also buy an unlocked phone and subsidize the purchase by buying into a contract, but that is less likely.
Anyway, you *don't necessarily need a new phone. You can just buy second hand phones off eBay. Gazelle does this as their business. People sell Gazelle their phones for fast easy money, and Gazelle just flips them on eBay. Most likely it's iPhones because they have more resale value, but if you just need cheap phones, eBay would be your best bet.
Clarification that you do not need a carrier unlocked phone when you will not be using phone service at all. Unlocked has nothing to do with contract.
Selfstudy is an IT service provider.
You have to buy Unlocked phones. Be prepared for sticker shock. I don't remember seeing any phones with out the radios in them. That is what adds the cost to the device. For example Galaxy Tab 4 Wifi only 169 with phone carrier radio 299.00.
Do you need to make voice calls? If not your cheapest solution ins a 7 inch or smaller tablet. You may be able to make voice call depending on your current phone system. It may support a call management app with that feature.
Check this article out.
http://www.androidcentral.com/ask-ac-can-i-use-my-phone-just-wifi-without-carrier
Also an iPhone, going to assume Android is the same, will work fine without a SIM. You can put the phone in Airplane Mode, and turn on WiFi. You will never be bothered about inserting a SIM. I do this with a couple old iPhone's at home. One is used for an iPod and the other has a bunch of kids apps on it that my daughter plays with.
I did buy some used like new iPhone's on eBay once for our company. We needed them for credit card readers to use with Square. Again, put them in Airplane mode and turned on WiFi and they work just fine. I did not pay much for them and they looked new.
Chris
I've been in a similar situation for both product testing and users who needed a small phone/tablet to access a simple web app. This is the phone we went with...
http://www.amazon.com/AT-Nokia-Lumia-635-Contract/dp/B00LBFFSNM $46.24
I'll also confirm it can be upgraded to run Windows Phone 10 (beta) if you're into that.
ranhalt wrote:
Clarification that you do not need a carrier unlocked phone when you will not be using phone service at all. Unlocked has nothing to do with contract.
Correct, OP doesn't need an unlocked phone. But if OP buys direct from a carrier and pays full price for the phone, the phone will be unlocked. They are only locked when you are doing a contract. And after your contract is up the carrier will unlock the phone. If paying full price direct from Apple or Google, the phone will also come unlocked.
Thanks, looks like small tablets are closer to what I'm looking for.
No you don't. No you don't. No you don't. Stop confusing "unlocked" with "no phone service".Theborgman77 wrote:
You have to buy Unlocked phones.
granted its limit 2 but here is a different solution in line with what I said earlier with the tablets: http://www.woot.com/offers/asus-memo-pad-7-8gb-android-tablet-6?ref=cnt_wp_4_12
GeoApps is an IT service provider.
Republic Wireless https://republicwireless.com/ has a $5/month WiFi-only cell-phone plan and offers the Moto G (1st Gen.) for less than $150. You can upgrade to Unlimited talk / text over WiFi + Cell + Unlimited data over WiFi for $10/month.
They used to offer referral credits but don't do that any more. I've been happy with my RW phone (a 1st-gen Moto X). They use the Sprint network, so if you have decent Sprint coverage OR you're using WiFi only you'll be fine.
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How to Buy a Phone Without a Carrier
Source: https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/976943-wifi-only-phones-with-no-carrier-or-contract