The reason is actually quite simple. This is a common practice by mobile service provider to provide locked cell phones at a lower price than the unlocked model as the phone is being locked to being able to use only with that particular service provider network. It essentially meant that you won't be able to use the locked phone using other SIM card that belongs to another mobile service operator.
So, when you buy a locked cell phone, you are committing yourself to use only one service provider network. Not a bad thing considering the fact that you are paying a much lower price. And, before you start wondering why would people then want to pay for unlocked cell phones, let me detailed the reasons here.
The first reason is because some people travel overseas frequently and when they take into consideration the mobile cost involved, they decided that they will be better off buying an unlocked cell phone. It is quite simple: when they are in another country, the unlocked cell phone can be used with the local prepaid SIM cards they bought. If they are carrying a locked cell phone, they will probably have no choices, but, to make overseas calls which are very expensive and think of the bill that comes with it, it can be astonishing high.
Secondly, never assume that your mobile service provider will unlock your cell phone for you free when your contract with them ended. Some think that after fulfilling the contract period, their phone will be unlocked automatically but, the fact is, it is not necessary so. In some countries, mobile service providers are not obliged to unlock the phone for consumer even when the contract period ended. In order to continue using the phone, consumer will need to stick to the same mobile service provider.
Lastly, some people don’t want to go through the trouble and hassle of searching for ways and tricks on how to unlock their cell phones and that’s why, they will go for unlocked cell phones instead. Of course, there is documentation on some websites guiding people on ways to unlock cell phone, but, they are mostly for older models and it probably won’t work for your latest cell phone. Now, even if it works, you try on your own risk and in the event your phone is damaged, your mobile service provider might not provide any warranty on it.
So, consider all the facts, going for unlocked cell phone might not be a bad idea at all.
You might notice that CECT cell phones are getting more and more popular nowadays, you can see then on eBay, youtube and other online advertisements. Actually CECT cell phone is owned by QXMC Corporation, a leading domestic manufacturers of mobile handsets in China. The most typical CECT cell phones are big touch screen, Iphone alike appearance, dual SIM card supported, well equipped speakers, extremely long standby and talk time and the all-in-one features. And the main reason why CECT are getting popular, it's because of the price, it costs USD 100 something, and you can get a brand new cell phone with 1 year warranty. It shines with its price and quality.
And there are something you should know before making a purchase for CECT Cell phones. In General - The good : Most of the CECT Cell Phone has the decent features like 3.2/3.5 inch touch screen, few button control interface, surround sound system, Bluetooth, MP3/MP4 multimedia playback, 1.3 Mega pixel camera, video recording, WAP browser, MMS, 8-12 languages, dual SIM card supported (manually switch the SIM card), extremely long talking time and standby time, unlocked phone (you can use any carrier you want, not only limited to T-Mobile or AT&T) and some other features that a normal cell phone have. In General - The Bad: Most of the CECT Cell Phones are not PDA, so there is no mobile OS installed like Symbian and Windows Mobile. So you can't install software on it. And the firmware for the phone is not updatable, unlike Iphone, the firmware can be updated easily. CECT cell phones didn't come with this feature, so when you got the CECT Phone on hand, you should understand that you can't install software, applications and games on it, and the firmware is not updatable too, scalability is almost impossible.
And here we stated the Specifications for P168, the most popular cell phone from CECT for reference.
Here is the specifications for P168+ Video: MP3 / MPEG4 Playing and Video Recording Camera: Internal 2.0 M pixel camera Touch-screen technology display Operating Frequency: GSM 900/1800/1900HZ Internal 260K Color 3.0 inch QVGA Display (320 x 240 pixel). Size: 117 x 65 x 17 mm; Weight: 125g Call / Idle Mode Time: 120 mins /200 hours Camera: Internal 2.0 mega pixel camera Language: English, French, Arabic, German, Russian, Thai, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese Video: MP3 /MIDI/ MPEG4 Playing and Video Recording Audio: 64 Chord Polyphonic Ring Tones Audio Recording Capable of downloading software Messaging: SMS, MMS GPRS T-flash Memory Card Slot WAP Browser1.2.1 Touch-screen technology display Tools: Calculator, 3 games, 3 alarm clocks, messenger, Hands-free speaker USB 2.0
Both Lora Haig & Kelvin Yau are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kelvin Yau has sinced written about articles on various topics from Trucks, Mobile Phone Reviews and Iphone Reviews. More information and specifications on And Start to -. Kelvin Yau's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.