A Subscriber Identity Module, also known as a SIM card, is a ubiquitous piece of technology that we probably know thanks to our smartphones. The idea behind it is that this removable chip stores and manages information related to cellular networks and user identity. This identity is usually tied to the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) number that is contained within the SIM card. Furthermore, some additional security features inside the SIM itself are relevant to both the carrier and the end user.
An eSIM (embedded SIM) on the other hand is an industry-standard digital SIM that allows you to have all of the benefits of a SIM card without the need to have a physical SIM present. There are numerous benefits to using eSIM as opposed to a SIM card, convenience being the biggest one. On some phones, you can have multiple eSIMs active, easily (digitally) swap your eSIMs on the go, and have multiple carriers for various use cases. In addition, all of the same identification and security features that are present in the SIM are also available with eSIMs.
Benefits and drawbacks of eSIMs
Let’s get the only disadvantage out of the way first, namely, limited availability. At the moment, only newer, premium phones support eSIMs which usually cost much more than the average phone user is ready to pay for a phone. Luckily, this disadvantage may not be true for much longer, as the adoption of eSIMs is on the rise.
In terms of the benefits, as we said there are numerous, but here are our biggest ones:
- Easy to activate and practical - unlike a physical SIM, with an eSIM you don’t need to open a slot, poke your nano/micro SIM from the plastic, and ensure you placed it correctly on the SIM tray before pushing it back into your phone. Now imagine juggling multiple SIM cards and having to do this process a couple of times a day. eSIMs are usually added to the phone by scanning a QR code that contains all of the data, and the card is activated automatically. Some phones allow you to use up to 8 eSIMs, increasing your phone’s practicality and versatility.
- Great for travelers - if you ever decide to travel outside your country of residence and plan to use your physical carrier’ SIM for internet, be prepared to pay exorbitant prices and deal with spotty connection and flaky availability. With eSIMs, you can get better rates, and best of all simply scan a QR code, install a new network profile, and delete it when you leave the country. If you think you will buy a SIM inside the country and simply plug it into your phone, make sure you check whether the country requires you to register with their carrier using your passport to get the SIM working. Some European countries have this requirement, yes, Hungary, we’re looking at you.
- Security - eSIMs are not removable, at least in a conventional way, from your phone, which makes them a great option to track your phone if it gets stolen. A SIM card can be easily removed and the chance of tracking the thief is significantly reduced. In addition, the fact that an eSIM cannot be physically removed reduces the chance of suffering a SIM swap attack.
Finally, eSIMs require an active internet connection to be fully activated which might be a disadvantage for some, depending on the circumstances in which you are purchasing and activating the card.
Which phones support eSIMs?
There is another consideration that you need to make before looking up whether your phone supports eSIMs. Namely, your phone needs to be unlocked from carrier restrictions to use eSIM. There are mobile phones, bought through carriers on a contract that are tied to that specific mobile operator and can only use data plans from that network. If your phone is advertised as unlocked that means you will be able to connect to any network regardless of the provider.
Besides this consideration, you also need to check whether your phone supports eSIMs. It is difficult to create an exhaustive list of phones that support eSIM, but the general rule is that more expensive and newer phones support eSIMs. For example, iPhones from model 11 onwards all support eSIMs. If you’re in the Android camp and more specifically Samsung, you will be looking at phones from the S20 series onwards. There are of course a lot of other producers, and your best bet is to either look at the product sheet or simply use your favorite search engine to look up specific information for your model. Furthermore, you can go into your phone settings and check the “About Phone” section or the SIM status screen to see any mention of an eSIM or Embedded SIM.
Finally, eSIM adoption is increasing rapidly which means you will probably see eSIMs on low to mid-range phones. Similarly, soon we may do away with SIM cards altogether and solely use eSIMs, but such technological changes are harder to predict long-term.
How to activate an eSIM on your phone
Usually, the eSIMs are provided via a QR code from a carrier you purchased the eSIM from, which you can then scan with your iOS or Android device to configure it automatically. Some providers require you to download their app to activate an eSIM. Either way, you will need an active internet connection to properly activate your eSIM for the first time.
On an iPhone (a model that supports eSIM) for example, you can scan the QR code with the camera app and you will get a notification “Cellular plan detected” tap it and finish the process. If you’re using iOS 17.4 or later you can touch and hold the QR code tap on “Add eSIM” and finalize the process by choosing the option “Add cellular plan”. You can of course perform this process manually, by going into settings and under “Cellular” or “Mobile data” add the cellular plan yourself by entering the details of the eSIM manually.
Android works similarly. Again, you will need a phone that supports eSIM and have an active internet connection. From the settings menu go to “Connections” and “SIM card manager” there you have the option to “Add eSIM”. From here you simply scan the QR code using your camera and the plan will be added and activated. If you do not wish to scan the QR code for any reason, you can always manually enter the activation code for the eSIM plan that you received from the carrier to finalize the process.
Conclusion
While checking whether your phone supports eSIM is a search engine away, you also have the option to check the phone’s settings and see whether there is an “Add eSIM” option. Most newer, and premium phones do support eSIMs, so if you have the latest phone, eSIM is surely supported on it. Hopefully, soon we will all be using only eSIMs since the technology does have some practical advantages over the traditional SIM, and all phone manufacturers will include it as a standard feature. But until then, we encourage you to give it a try and see how practical it can be and potentially save some money on carrier costs.
Are eSIMs cheaper than SIM cards?
Yes, more often than not you can get an eSIM card much cheaper than what carriers charge for a SIM card. This extends to the offering where you can get dozens of gigabytes of data transfer via an eSIM as compared to a SIM card for a fraction of the price a typical carrier would charge.
Are there roaming charges with an eSIM?
Roaming basically allows you to connect to another carrier’s network and use your cellular service, incurring additional charges (usually exorbitant charges). Some carriers do offer roaming-free eSIM cards meaning that for example, you need one eSIM card to use the internet, SMS, and calls across the entire EU without incurring additional charges. There are similar offers for the US, Asia, and even the Middle East.
