Nokia Lumia from Japan and foreign simcards

Hi all,

I'd like some advice please.
I have a softbank iPhone 5 which I use in Japan everyday. These cannot be unlocked and I don't want to use roaming so I'm looking for a fairly cheap smartphone that can be used with foreign simcards when I go abroad, for example to the UK.

It doesn't have to be a great phone. My iPhone 5 is good enough. Just decent enough and compatible with any SIM card.

I'm considering buying a SIM-free Nokia lumia 520 from amazon. Should I wait till I get to the uk and buy one there, or will one I buy here in Japan function in exactly the same way (ie work with foreign SIM cards)?

Thanks for your help and advice

J

If you buy your phone on amazon (as it's probably the only place in japan where you can buy a windows phone) there shouldn't be any problem.
You can still unlock your iPhone technically even if they officially forbid it and all, with the right tools unsimlocking a phone isn't so hard.
I was actually in the opposite situation because I brought my windows phone and like every company said it wouldn't work and it ended up with "shut up and take my money and give the sim card" and it worked just fine.