Ha ha Apple is so smart, this should be the true reason why iphone 14 in US does not increase price. They can now force you to use big carriers only and big carriers to increase prices with whatever deals with Apple lol xd.
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Other After three years, I won't buy an iPhone 14 due to the SIM tray...
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I am using the same plan here in the Philippines. It really is unlimited for 999 Pesos on Smart.. OP is getting hosed.
Except you can buy temporary eSIMs for travel. And with further adoption they will become even cheaper than current throwaway sims, because they don't require anything physical, can be activated with an app and you can easily compare prices online beforehand, which leads to competition.
No they don't. For their prepaid plan they make you visit a brick and mortar store, in person with your device. And not just "any" AT&T store. It has to be a corporate owned store. Couldn't be easier or more convenient...
European ones have sim tray so you will probably be able to just order from European apple store. I’ll bet they will have an option on the USA site before long too
I went ahead and bought the 14 without sim tray. I have an Iphone XR that I use when traveling.
I didn't see an answer for this, but I currently have an iPhone 13 in the US with AT&T Prepaid and a physical sim. I don't plan on switching to an e-sim until I have to, but I do have a trip planned for Europe next year. My original plan was to purchase an inexpensive physical SIM card once I got there, but now that I'm reading about Airalo and their esims that looks like it could be a decent option.
My question is once I switch over to the local esim when I'm in Europe will I still be able to use iMessage that is linked with my phone number to message people back home in the states? I am aware that the Airalo plans are data only and there is not local phone number associated with them.
My question is once I switch over to the local esim when I'm in Europe will I still be able to use iMessage that is linked with my phone number to message people back home in the states? I am aware that the Airalo plans are data only and there is not local phone number associated with them.
Order a phone from the Apple Store in Canada. Have it shipped to someone in Canada. Then have them re-ship it to you.
Or, if you're close enough, just go to Canada and buy one.
They don‘t have the same 5G bands supports that the US models have so that might cause poor performance in some areas… The US version also has more 5G bands.
iPhone - Supported 5G and LTE networks
See the countries and regions that have certified 5G and LTE networks on iPhone including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, China mainland, and more.
www.apple.com
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iPhones sold in other markets don‘t have the same or as much 5G bands supported so that might cause poor performance in some areas in the US…
iPhone - Supported 5G and LTE networks
See the countries and regions that have certified 5G and LTE networks on iPhone including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, China mainland, and more.
www.apple.com
They may have the same hardware but iPhones sold in other markets don‘t have the same or as much 5G bands supported so that might cause poor performance in some areas in the US.
iPhone - Supported 5G and LTE networks
See the countries and regions that have certified 5G and LTE networks on iPhone including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, China mainland, and more.
www.apple.com
But without a SIM tray opening, there is less chance for water to enter your device 😉 Especially through the SIM tray 😉 which is now non-existent 😉
Now that Apple is abandoning physical SIM cards, they'll start to become less prevalent. Carriers will start to adopt e-SIMs to ensure they don't lose the iPhone market, and other phone manufacturers will follow Apple's lead in eliminating the physical tray. We've seen this movie before.
The net result is likely to be that certain types of use are more challenging for a time, then become normalized in a year or two once smaller players catch up. But it certainly means that there is more opportunity for activation fees and the like. My advice for anyone who needs a physical SIM is to buy an iPhone 13/13 Pro or a newer Canadian/European iPhone, and prepare to hold onto that until things shake out. We'll have a new normal by at least the iPhone 16.
The net result is likely to be that certain types of use are more challenging for a time, then become normalized in a year or two once smaller players catch up. But it certainly means that there is more opportunity for activation fees and the like. My advice for anyone who needs a physical SIM is to buy an iPhone 13/13 Pro or a newer Canadian/European iPhone, and prepare to hold onto that until things shake out. We'll have a new normal by at least the iPhone 16.
Finally got my employer to move the line on a physical SIM to an eSIM. That only took 11 days. If the 14 had a physical SIM slot, it would have taken 30 seconds - and I would have all the benefits of a physical SIM card.
eSIM only sucks.
eSIM only sucks.
That's exactly why they did it. They don't want you to take Sim card out. Somehow they are interested if you pay roaming, or whatever. My wife won't buy Iphone 14 because of it, she'll chose the model with regular SIM. Just as me. When they'll realize people prefer having regular SIM Card they'll make these features at least optional.
Why would Apple be interested if you have to pay roaming fees to your carrier? Please explain.
I agree Apple should not have removed the SIM card tray but I bet Android phones will follow along and switch to eSIM only in short order.
It will be a painful transition but I expect soon enough you'll be able to buy a prepaid eSIM QR code card just like you buy a physical SIM today.
In the meantime there are providers like Airalo, Gigsky, and Truphone to name a few that provide eSIMS for about anywhere you might go.
Another good resource is esimdb.com
So yes I do wish Apple hadn't done it but there are ways to make things work and I expect things will continue to get easier with eSIM and travel as time goes on.
It will be a painful transition but I expect soon enough you'll be able to buy a prepaid eSIM QR code card just like you buy a physical SIM today.
In the meantime there are providers like Airalo, Gigsky, and Truphone to name a few that provide eSIMS for about anywhere you might go.
Another good resource is esimdb.com
So yes I do wish Apple hadn't done it but there are ways to make things work and I expect things will continue to get easier with eSIM and travel as time goes on.
No sim tray just like the old days of cdma where carrier had to activate the sim. Physical sims are convenient esims are not.
There are always some kickbacks from Mfr to the Carrier, and, although they wouldn't specify it directly I'm pretty sure they help each other to make money