Apple Allegedly Ditching SIM Card Slot for iPhone 14

Last Updated on December 28, 2021 by Anu Joy

Back in 2018, Apple first announced the eSIM for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. These iPhones also had the traditional SIM card slot along with eSIM, to mimic a dual-SIM functionality. If rumours are to be believed, Apple might be doing away with the SIM card slot entirely, replacing it with two eSIMs.

Apple eSIM rumours

The rumours first started with Brazilian website BlogDoiPhone claiming that the iPhone 15 Pro could be the first iPhone model to eliminate the physical SIM card slot.

The website claimed:

Apple has long been experimenting with ways to no longer need the SIM card (known in Brazil as the “carrier chip“), implementing eSIM technology.

But according to internal sources of BlogDoIphone, from 2023 the Pro version of the iPhone may already start coming without any input to the physical SIM, working only with 2 eSIM slots.

(Machine translated from Portuguese)

MacRumors added legitimacy to the rumour by reporting that a reliable tipster had informed it that “Apple has advised major U.S. carriers to prepare for the launch of eSIM-only smartphones by September 2022”, which is earlier than the first-reported date of 2023. Going by the timelines, we can infer that iPhone 14 models could be the first to ditch physical SIM card slots for eSIMs.

A trusted tipster has now corroborated Apple’s plan to remove the SIM card tray, pointing to his own leak made back in February.

eSIM: What it is and How it Works

An eSIM is a digital SIM that will let you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without the need of a physical nano-SIM. It can also let you add, delete and configure multiple phones—right from your iPhone’s settings. It sounds really convenient to use, however, it has one catch—your carrier will need to support eSIM technology. So, you can expect Apple to release SIM-free iPhones in countries where a significant number of carriers support eSIM.

With the eventual launch of eSIM-only iPhones, Casey Neistat will have to find another way to show his commitment to his wife.

Apple has been progressing towards the use of eSIMs with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, the first iPhone models to support dual eSIMs. These iPhone models in the US do not come with a nano-SIM card in the box. Instead, users need to first connect their iPhone to a Wi-Fi network to activate the eSIM. In a bid to do away with physical slots, Apple is also expected to do away with the Lightning port in the future.