buying an iPhone and SIM card question

1skinnycow wrote:

And, do I just transfer my current SIM card into the new phone and it works (after rebooting)?

That depends. If you're switching from a phone that doesn't support 5G to one that does and you want to be able to access 5G, you will need a new SIM, even if you're staying with the same carrier.

1skinnycow wrote:

When I buy an iphone from Apple, should I buy the one aligned to my carrier or a sim free one?

That will be a decision that you will need to make and it should be based on your cellular requirements. Typically purchasing an iPhone with cellular service would "lock" you into using that service until your contract with them expires. This is usually two years. Getting an "unlocked" phone would allow you to pick & choose which provider you want to go with and what types of cellular voice/data plans they offer.

And, do I just transfer my current SIM card into the new phone and it works (after rebooting)?

With an unlocked phone, most likely the answer would be yes ... of course, the type of SIM card (physically) will matter as all newer iPhones use a microSIM.

Note that if you’re buying it outright from Apple directly (paying in full at purchase) it doesn’t really matter. All iPhones directly sold by Apple and paid for in full at the time of purchase will arrive carrier SIM unlocked, whether set up already for your account or without a SIM.

I always purchase the AT&T model outright but don’t provide my account information. So my iPhone always arrives with a blank AT&T SIM, which I can keep as a spare. I just put my previous device microSIM in and the device automatically updates my device with my AT&T account. My device is unlocked as well since I paid in full, so I could switch carriers whenever I like.