Dave Shea explains the painful choices facing Canadians who’d like a better phone. I am in exactly the same boat, except for I’m near the end of my service contract with Telus and when it lapses I am so out of there. By the way, if you get a GSM phone they’ll try to sell you one that’s locked so that when you’re in Europe you can’t put in that SIM card you bought in a grubby Brussels storefront; but I have it from reliable sources that most retailers will unlock it for a few bucks in cash money under the counter. Especially if you make it clear that the alternative is you walk out.