Apple iPhone 14 models to come in eSIM-only and nano-SIM options

Published On: January 28, 2022

Highlights

Some Apple iPhone 14 models could come with eSIM-only support.
Users might get an option to choose between physical nano-SIM or eSIM-only variants.
Majority of carriers in India support eSIM.

Apple’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series have been making headlines for a while now. A new report about the iPhone 14 series has pooped up, suggesting the series might include eSIM-only models (via iMore). Emma Mohr-McClune, a Technology Service Director at GlobalData, stated that Apple had asked the majority of US carriers to prepare for only eSIM iPhone launch this year. The analyst also believes that users will still have a choice between a physical SIM tray variant and an eSIM-only option. Apple will not immediately transition to the eSIM-only approach and would keep it as an option for now, as per the analyst.

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“We don’t believe that Apple will take the ‘big bang’ approach—getting rid of existing systems and transferring all users to eSIMs—but rather launch an eSIM-only variant of its upcoming new model—retaining the dual eSIM-plus-physical SIM slot model for the mass market and its key carrier channel,” the analyst stated in the report.

The Apple iPhone 14 eSIM-only model is likely to be available through Apple stores alongside a physical SIM alternative, as many carriers in the global market do not support eSIM technology yet. With the iPhone 15 series in 2023, Apple could go the eSIM-only route as the company looks to eventually achieve a port-less and tray-less design.

What is eSIM?

An eSIM-only phone does not support physical SIM cards and communicates via embedded SIM cards with cellular networks. This means the user will not have to install a physical nano-SIM card on their device, and carriers of the user’s choice will embed a digital SIM card on the phone.

Do Airtel, Jio, Vi support eSIM in India?

In India, the adoption of the eSIM is slow, given that there are not a lot of devices that support it. Popular carriers like Airtel, Jio, Vi do offer eSIM support. Although the eSIM technology is more futuristic, it lacks convenience, as one needs to delete the existing service to change the network, which is much easier to do with a physical SIM card. It will be interesting to see how Apple and carriers deal with eSIM-only models in India.