Updated | Apple iPhone 15 Pro to ditch physical SIM card slot according to rumor

Update December 28: Well-known tipster Dylan has lent weight to this rumor by stating belief that Apple is working on an iPhone that will not have a physical SIM card tray, with an eSIM option currently being tested.

Original story:

A somewhat large pinch-of-salt level rumor has emerged on a Brazilian website called Blog do iPhone. Apparently, sources have revealed a small but important detail in regard to a 2023 iPhone release, with the site dubbing it as the "iPhone 15 Pro" model. It seems Apple could ditch the physical SIM card slot, leaving the 2023 Pro iPhones to rely solely on embedded SIM (eSIM) technology for network subscriber telecommunications.

According to the report, the information has been sourced from an “insider” working for a British company that has been involved in turning a future iPhone into a purely eSIM-capable device. Apple has offered eSIM support in its phones for some time now, with the iPhone XS from 2018 having dual SIM capability that offered the option of using an eSIM with a physical nano-SIM, while the iPhone 13 can work with two eSIMs. However, the 2021 iPhone still retains a slot for the SIM card tray.

It has been argued that Apple could produce this solution but only release it in limited markets where eSIM support is popular. Further rumors have claimed that the iPhone 15 range could also do away with the Lightning port, meaning at least one model could end up being the long-awaited portless iPhone. It was frequently suggested that the iPhone 13 range could feature a model without any ports, but it seems the reality needs a couple more years of work on it before it’s worth the risk for Apple.

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