New to this rodeo. Brought an iPhone 15 home with a sim card from T Mobile (?) only to discover that there is no physical sim card slot. Not for me. Returning the phone tomorrow. This business with the e sim card is too much - especially for travel outside the US. Somebody convince me about the wonders and convenience of having an e sim card in my phone as opposed to a physical one. Apple continues to disappoint. They seem motivated to lose customers - even formerly faithful ones.
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iPhone 15/Plus iPhone 15 no physical sim card
- Thread starter Tenashus1
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It is very easy for T-Mobile to give you an eSIM. As to foreign carriers, you may be able install an eSIM as well.
You are complaining without any trying. If you aren’t going to research before buying a phone, as well as not even attempting to set up compatible eSIM, don’t blame Apple as that is a weak excuse when you aren’t even doing the basics as a consumer.
You are complaining without any trying. If you aren’t going to research before buying a phone, as well as not even attempting to set up compatible eSIM, don’t blame Apple as that is a weak excuse when you aren’t even doing the basics as a consumer.
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To be honest with you eSIM isn’t all that bad or difficult. Also plenty of countries have an eSIM option when you get there.
I had initial concerns when deciding to finally replace upgrade my iPhone X. However, eSIM has been around long enough and progressively accepted that there’s a lot of adoption. The activation, number transfer to my iPhone 15 PM went quickly and smoothly.
In other words:
support.apple.com
And, of course, columns refining the choices
www.cnn.com
In other words:
Find wireless carriers and worldwide service providers that offer eSIM service - Apple Support
Find out which wireless carriers in your country or region support eSIM.
And, of course, columns refining the choices
Don’t overpay: Save big on international data with the 6 best eSIM services for travelers | CNN Underscored
Skip international roaming charges on your next trip abroad with a travel-friendly eSIM. These let you add a second line to your phone and save on international data.
This phone was to be for my wife. An upgrade from the 12. She will be staying with that for a while. I will also be living with my lovable, now old school, 13 mini. Always changes. There is no necessary correlation between change and progress. Sometimes simple is best. Being PUSHED to a "new" technology is not always thrilling as a customer. I believe Google's Pixel has an option both for physical and e sims. Why not Apple? Can't fight it though. Echoing the words of Henry Ford, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Written on my trusty MBP M2.
The e sim was already installed. But for some reason, the fellow gave me a sim card. Apple stuff has always been so user friendly, I thought upgrading would be a piece of cake with no additional complication. Now, I find that I would need cards to travel. Another step.
on a good note, the old physical sim slot was another possible weak point to water flood: i believe they upped the water resistance once they got rid of the silicon protected sim slot. Also, even 3rd world countries easily adopted esim by now - you just walk in and walk out with a local sim card - if the country doesn't have an esim option for tourists/locals, maybe then we should not go/be there in the first place?
Same IP68 water resistance as before. It has no effect on water resistance because nobody ejects their SIM tray under water.
With eSIM, you lose a lot of privacy because you have to register and pay by electronic payment. Can’t transfer eSIM without the blessing and fees from your carrier.
SIM tray was never a weak point. It’s only a win only for Apple as they save money on components and get additional control. Thankfully, iPhone models outside the U.S. all still have slots.
Just buy from Canada. Lots of people travel north or ask friends traveling to buy from Canada.
But then Canada doesn't have mmWave 5G built-in which occupies the old sim tray slot in US - so there is tradeoff of slow 5G versus faster one with esim only.
The 5G isn't slow by any means just because it's not mmWave which has very limited range and it would still be an improvement over a 12. The bigger concern is probably that the Canadian model is more expensive.
In the US eSIM isn't much of an issue thanks to Apple's influence and working with the carriers, but go to even Canada and there are all sorts of restrictions and charges that make using/swapping eSIMs an annoyance compared to using a physical SIM. For a traveler having more options is better.
Realistically, hardly anybody uses mmW because it can't penetrate buildings. Even Apple acknowledges this by removing mmW in the latest M4 iPad Pro in U.S. models.
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Perhaps I should have used “expansion" rather than “progress."
Anyway.. A couple of final points… There are plans that include international service:
International Plans | Traveling Abroad without Roaming Fees | T-Mobile
T-Mobile international plans are great for data and texting while traveling abroad without incurring roaming charges.
www.t-mobile.com
If you don’t want to change your primary wireless plan, there’s the option of using a separate plan and device for your roaming needs:
The 7 Best Portable and Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspots for Travel [2024]
Invest in a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for secure and reliable internet access, almost anywhere in the world. Read this guide for the best you can buy.
My iPhone died while I was overseas, thankfully it has an old school SIM card so I was able to buy a new phone and just pop it in. With an eSIM I would’ve had to log in to t-mobile and provision a new phone, but how can I log in without a phone. And it would want to verify me with an sms to the phone I don’t have.
One unforeseen benefit is that my overseas iPhone 15 DOES have a SIM card slot. It’s probably missing mmWave 5G but I don’t feel any difference
One unforeseen benefit is that my overseas iPhone 15 DOES have a SIM card slot. It’s probably missing mmWave 5G but I don’t feel any difference
You can get iPhone 15 with physical sim slot from Canada or Europe. It will be more expensive but there are plenty of ebay resellers who will gladly ship it to you.
Yes eSims are getting more accepted, but it will take years till we reach equivalency for international travel. You can pay Airalo $5/gb with no local number when traveling to Italy, or you can get a 100gb physical sim with a local number for 13 euros.
It's nothing new that manufacturers are cutting corners in US versions of the products. From dishwashers and cars to soap and cereal, we are getting lesser versions than people in countries with higher living standard. But unlike a dishwasher, iPhone is easy to import. If you travel a lot, it won't take long to recoup the extra hundred or two.
A data point … while data-only plans in Japan are mostly E-sim (and widely available for purchase abroad), the only way to get a Japanese phone number is with a physical sim.
This is particularly important for Japanese residents, as it’s also the only way to use SMS with a Japanese phone number … and doing so is a practical requirement for having a bank account (and probably other “essential” services).
The irony, of course, is that people in Japan mostly use Line for personal communications … but they’re still typically stuck with a physical sim, like it or not.
Not forever, of course. But I expect Japan to be one of the last parts of the world to move to E-sims.
For exactly this reason, my wife bought an iPhone in Tokyo last time we were there: so she could get a Japanese sim. (Her American T-Mobile E-sim migrated transparently with everything else, including her Suica account.)
b&
This is particularly important for Japanese residents, as it’s also the only way to use SMS with a Japanese phone number … and doing so is a practical requirement for having a bank account (and probably other “essential” services).
The irony, of course, is that people in Japan mostly use Line for personal communications … but they’re still typically stuck with a physical sim, like it or not.
Not forever, of course. But I expect Japan to be one of the last parts of the world to move to E-sims.
For exactly this reason, my wife bought an iPhone in Tokyo last time we were there: so she could get a Japanese sim. (Her American T-Mobile E-sim migrated transparently with everything else, including her Suica account.)
b&
Depends on the carrier. In the Philippines, you can buy eSIMs on printed cards (albeit they may be hard to find as majority of folks there don't have eSIM compatible phones).
Of course, SIM registration is mandatory there so no privacy whether your buy physical SIM or eSIM.
Mind, I think Apple moving to eSIM only in the US is helping nudge carriers in other countries to improve eSIM support. Before the eSIM-only iPhone 14, there's been postpaid eSIMs in the Philippines since 2018 but no sign of prepaid eSIMs coming any time soon. Smart released prepaid eSIMs around a year after the US iPhone 14's release and Globe followed 6 months later.
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It's not the issue of insertion/ejects, it is the condition of the water seals. Water seals generally deteriorate over time.
I really question if people whining about eSims actually travel internationally. I have no problems at all buying and installing them over my phone. Last country I traveled to was Germany, and it was stupid cheap to buy them.
On my 13 Mini I use an esim in my home country, a physical sim as an emergency number, and have used another esim whilst overseas. I do recall they (Telecom) gave me a physical sim as it was in the packet, inside however was the activation code for said esim. I realize you don't have a tray but I've no issues with the two esims I use.
It depends where you’re traveling to.
If you’re visiting third world countries, eSIM support can be iffy.
I this is one thing that will drive some iPhone users to the SE line.. assuming they don't go eSIM only as well. You could see if your carrier still has some iPhone 13 phones.. those are great phones and still have physical SIM cards.
I have my trusty 13 mini and going strong! Keeps me off the Apple merry go round for a good while.
Honestly eSIMS are no different. You couldn’t take a SIM phone out of the country anyways unless your phone is paid in full. Most carriers won’t unlock a phone until it’s paid off.
eSim is not just an Apple “merry go round”. It will be the standard everywhere soon.