Headphone jack redux: Apple ditches physical SIM tray for eSIMs in all US iPhone 14 models
Apple announced the iPhone 14 lineup today, which includes the iPhone 14/14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max. While this year's iPhones introduce innovative features, such as the Dynamic Island in the Pro models, Apple is once again on a nerfing spree. First it was the headphone jack, and now it is the physical SIM tray.
Yes, you read that right. All iPhone 14 models sold in the US will not feature a physical SIM tray and will support only eSIMs. Multiple eSIMs can be activated on a single device.
An eSIM replaces a physical SIM card. Your carrier will provide SIM information via a text or a QR code, which can be scanned into the phone's Settings app to setup the eSIM. While eSIMs are easy to setup, are secure, and negate having to use physical SIMs, not all carriers in all countries support them just yet. Hence, only iPhone 14s sold in the US stand to lose out on a physical SIM tray. All international variants will feature support for both physical nano-SIM and eSIMs.
In the US, carriers that support eSIMs include AT&T, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, Boost Mobile, H2O Wireless, Straight Talk, C Spire, and others. In India, only Reliance Jio supports eSIM carrier activation while Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vi (formerly, Vodafone India) support text or QR code-based activation.
Apple's move to ditch the physical SIM tray is not without qualms, however. The problem arises when a US iPhone 14 roams in countries that require a physical SIM card, such as China or Indonesia. Many travelers prefer using the physical SIM tray for an international SIM and eSIMs for local calling.
Carriers can also potentially take undue advantage of this and charge for frequent eSIM swaps. Businesses who have servicing agreements with international carriers for their employees might also find Apple's decision a bit troubling.
That being said, it is also possible that Apple's move might give impetus to the industry at large to transition to eSIMs. It is no secret that the Cupertino-giant's clout will influence carriers worldwide to ditch physical SIMs eventually.
More information about eSIM on iPhone can be found here along with a list of supported carriers by country.
Source(s)
Apple via MacRumors
