there is no superhero in China either, you can't get an unlock. The method of using a small card will occupies emergency communicaiton channel, and deemed as a bad idea.
Just buy an official unlocked one for a few hundreds more, and be simple.
Yes, I did get fooled last time when I was back.
Samsung has much less quality. Its charger will go back in a year or two, yet the iPhone seems can go forever ... well, at least the 4s which Jobs oversaw.
Yes, I have both samsung and iphone to compare.