Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to remove the physical SIM tray from iPhones in more countries next year, The Information reported today in a report about the ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air.” However, the report does not mention specific countries.
In the U.S., all iPhone 14 through iPhone 16 models do not have a SIM tray and instead rely entirely on digital eSIM technology. Apple has yet to release a single SIM-less iPhone outside the US, but it looks like the change will finally roll out internationally, starting with the iPhone 17 lineup next September.
Indeed, the report says that all current “iPhone 17 Air” prototypes lack a SIM tray. The report says that it’s unclear whether the device will be sold in China, as the country has not approved the use of eSIMs in smartphones. Of course, that could change.
When the iPhone 14 series was released in 2022, Apple promoted eSIMs as more secure than a physical SIM card, as they can’t be removed from an iPhone that’s lost or stolen. Additionally, the iPhone can manage at least eight eSIM cards at once, eliminating the need to purchase, carry, and change physical SIM cards when traveling.
Apple has a support document listing carriers around the world that support eSIM.
Related review: iPhone 17Tag: Information[ 132 comments ]
