Are UK contract phones OEM unlocked?

Volen

Hi folks,

I want to upgrade to Pixel 8 and there are currently good deals on 24 months contracts here in the UK (Vodafone network but through buymobiles.net proxy).

Does anyone have an experience buying any Pixel phone from these proxy resellers (Carphone Warehouse, Buymobiles.net, etc) on Vodafone network? Are these phones OEM unlocked?

I am aware that Ofsted requires all phones to be sim unlocked but not sure if it applies to OEM unlock too.

Want to double check before pulling the trigger. Thanks.

treequell

I don't have experience myself personally, but from what I've heard from other users in the UK, you should be able to enable OEM unlocking fine, even on a contract phone.

Volen

treequell

Thanks, I will go ahead then.

My P7P wasn't OEM locked but I did purchase it from Amazon not mobile contract, so hopefully the contract phones will be ok too.

[deleted]

Mobile phone companies will be banned from selling ‘locked’ handsets, under a range of new rules from Ofcom that will make switching even simpler.

– https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2020/mobile-firms-banned-from-selling-locked-handsets, 27 October 2020

flighty_sloth

[deleted] It looks to me like they are talking specifically about SIM lock, does this apply to OEM unlock too?

Volen

flighty_sloth

Exactly, it doesn't specify OEM lock as it has nothing to do with sim lock. They banned locking sim as operators were charging for or refusing to provide an unlock code even after contract term.

DeletedUser28

A bit off-topic but I found a very good deal today on a Pixel 8 at Carphone Warehouse with ID Mobile as the carrier.

£696 (£23.99/month) for 2 years with a new Pixel 8 and 250 GB/month Internet
£0 upfront cost
£125 Black Friday trade-in bonus (until 20 Dec I think) for your old phone
£??? for your old phone trade in, in my case it was £95
£70 bonus if you go through Topcashback
----
£406 net payment (when trading in an old phone valued at £95) for new phone and 2 years of 250 GB Internet.

The SIM-only contract at ID Mobile with 250 GB per month costs £14/month, so the real net price for the phone alone would be £406 - 24*£14 = £70. Although of course 250 GB seems overkill.

Volen

DeletedUser28

This is a good deal, indeed.

My issue with ID Mobile is that they are using Three's network which sucks dirt in my area (and they also charge for EU roaming). I was a Three customer for over 10 years but then left it for TalkMobile which is using Vodafone's network with free EU roaming. Much happier now.

There are good deals for 8 Pro too at buymobiles.net - no upfront cost, unlimited data for £38 pm - the one I am looking for. They also accept trade-ins but my spare Galaxy S20 has a cracked screen so they won't offer much. I remember, a couple of years ago there was a promo when they were accepting any phone in any condition for a generous discount. Think these are not available anymore.

DeletedUser28

Volen

Seems that they have EU roaming now: https://www.idmobile.co.uk/help-and-advice/eu-roaming

Volen

DeletedUser28

Seems like they added it recently. Dang, its a good deal overall, such a shame Three's coverage is rubbish in my area! I also suspect they might have lower priority vs proper Three customers when it comes to download speeds. This is purely my speculation though.

Blastoidea

Volen
It has been my understanding that such prioritizing is part of any MVNO.