iPhone 6 Plus: Apple ‘iPad Air Killer’ Is Now Available Unlocked And SIM Free

The iPhone 6 Plus has sold by the millions since it was released last September. The demand was so hot that many were not able to get an iPhone 6 Plus until early December. In the United States, iPhone 6 Plus users had to choose a carrier. That’s not the case anymore.

According to Ars Technica, January 6 was the first day one could buy an iPhone 6 Plus unlocked and carrier free, although people were always able to purchase the device without a contract.

“It’s been possible for some time to buy a contract-free iPhone at the full unsubsidized price, but those phones would still be locked to a specific carrier. You could always roll the dice and try to get a SIM from Straight Talk or another MVNO working, but it wasn’t guaranteed to work.”

The unlocked version of the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $649 for the 16GB version. However, many have complained that 16GB for the huge iPhone phablet just isn’t enough memory. It’s unfortunate that the iPhone still doesn’t have a microSD slot, but that could change with future iPhones.

The iPhone 6 Plus has received excellent reviews with some giving the huge-sized iPhone a perfect 5-star rating. Sean Hollister from Gizmodo pretty much summarizes how the critics felt about the iPhone 6 Plus.

“At a glorious 5.5 inches diagonal, Apple’s giant new handset has practically everything a modern Android lover adores: a giant 1080p screen, a crazy-fast processor, an impressive camera, a battery that doesn’t quit, and yes: a landscape keyboard. If you’re already an Apple iPhone owner lusting after a Samsung Galaxy Note-sized screen, there’s little question that you should buy an iPhone 6 Plus.”

The main problem with the major success of the iPhone 6 Plus is the fact that it has replaced the need to have an iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini. Forbes contributor Trefis Team notes the decline of the iPad over the past year.

“Sales of the device declined year-over-year for the first three quarters of 2014 and, as of Q3 2014, Apple’s global market share fell to 23 percent down from about 29 percent a year ago…We believe that iPad sales could come under further pressure going into 2015, with the introduction of Apple’s first phablet device, the iPhone 6 Plus, which is likely to cannibalize sales of Apple’s popular iPad Mini models.”

Many other tech writers and industry analysts have pointed out that the iPhone 6 Plus has already hurt the iPad. Even though the iPad Air 2 has received excellent reviews, it hasn’t made a huge dent on the marketplace. Do you think this is all because of the iPhone 6 Plus? Tell us in the comments section.

[Photo Credits: Daryl Deino]