Wired
This year, the US version of the iPhone 14 series of mobile phones canceled the real SIM card slot and fully used the “embedded mobile phone card”, which is the so-called electronic SIM card eSIM. This move is also considered to be part of Apple’s promotion of eSIM popularization. Apple today released a new support document outlining the various options and benefits of using an eSIM when traveling abroad.
eSIM is an industry standard digital SIM supported by telecom operators around the world. eSIM is available for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and newer. iPhone 14 models purchased in the US do not have a physical SIM card tray and only support eSIM.
Apple says an eSIM is more secure than a physical SIM because it cannot be removed from a lost or stolen iPhone. Apple also says that eSIMs eliminate the need to acquire, carry and exchange physical SIMs, or wait for them to arrive in the mail.
The iPhone XS and newer can store 8 or more eSIMs, while the iPhone 13 and newer can have two eSIMs active at the same time. Purchase an eSIM from a local carrier when traveling abroad, or a prepaid data eSIM from a global service provider.
Apple said customers can activate unlocked iPhone 14 models purchased in the United States through more than 400 carriers that support eSIM in 100 markets around the world. Apple added that many global service providers also offer prepaid eSIM data plans for long-term use in countries around the world.
Travel photographer Austin Mann said in his iPhone 14 Pro camera review that he was a little concerned about the usefulness of an eSIM-only approach for U.S. iPhone users who frequently visit developing countries.
He added that he usually buys a local SIM card in the countries he travels to make it easier and cheaper to communicate with people back home. Mann said he was happy to throw away the physical SIM cards he had collected, but said he had been unable to figure out how to sign up for an eSIM line in East Africa, where he plans to travel next summer.