Apple could expand iPhones without a physical SIM card tray internationally
Apple could introduce eSIM-only iPhones without a physical SIM card tray to more countries, starting with the iPhone 17 lineup in 2025.
This tidbit was revealed in a new report by The Information focusing on Apple’s rumored ultra-thin iPhone model, allegedly coming in 2025 and nicknamed by the press “iPhone 17 Air.” All iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models Apple sells in the United States exclusively use eSIM and lack a physical SIM card tray, but all the units sold elsewhere have one (Apple’s support page lists wireless carriers around the world that support eSIMs).
With eSIM, there’s no plastic card and metal pins to malfunction as your carrier identity and other network details are stored securely in a chip. You can quickly move eSIMs between iPhones via Bluetooth, add a new eSIM by scanning a QR code and have up to eSIMs stored on the handset (only two can be active at the same time).
iPhone 17 should bring eSIM-only models to more countries
The information report claims that none of Apple’s iPhone 17 Air prototypes have a physical card tray. The publication speculates that Apple may not be able to offer this device in China, where the government prohibits smartphones with eSIM.
According to the rumor mill, the iPhone 17 Air should be just 5mm thick. Thinness should be its biggest selling point, but other rumored specs point to a mid-range device hardware-wise. For instance, the phone may only have a single speaker at the bottom, and the battery should be smaller due to limited space.
The rumored device should also mark Apple’s first iPhone to use its runored in-house cellular modem, which is said to be slower than Qualcomm’s modems used in existing iPhones and without ultra-fast mmWave 5G support.
The device should run Apple’s unreleased A19 chip with 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence and be equipped with a 6.6-inch display, Face ID, Dynamic Island, a 48-megapixel rear camera and a 24-megapixel front camera.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/11/25/apple-iphone-esim-new-countries-rumor/
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