Help sim free or locked - difference z5 compact

[999bobby999]

I'm after a sim free sony z5 compact in UK.

I've seen the best price from legit companies is £429.00

o2, will do it for £360 but it will be locked to o2 network...

research says to me ~20 quid to get unlocked.. so still saving £50!

will the device have o2 mods to the android OS, or just a few apps that i can delete?

would i have to root device to flash to normal sony os?

basically shall i spend an extra £50 to get a nice clean unlocked phone?

 

[El Presidente]

Spend the extra to get a nice, clean unlocked phone.

If you're in to rooting, most network locked Sony devices have a bootloader which you can't unlock.

Alternatively if you just want an unbranded device, get the O2 version and flash an unbranded ftf file using Flashtool.

 

[Hadron]

Can you get the same O2 deal through Carphonewarehouse? They sell unlocked, unbranded phones on a contract, so you may be able to make a saving and still have a clean phone.