The physical SIM card could disappear in the iPhone 17 Air due to a size factor since it would be the thinnest in its history, although it will not be so easy to implement it worldwide
There was a news report this week that sparked an interesting observation according to a new position Apple could take regarding physical SIM cards. Knowing that the iPhone 17 Air aims to be the thinnest in iPhone history, Cupertino engineers would have problems to implement said card tray. The simplest thing would be to do without it so that it becomes the first iPhone in the world compatible only with eSIM.
The path to eSIM at Apple has already proven itself
With curiosity, eSIM first came to an Apple Watch and not the iPhone. The Apple Watch Series 3 was the first device in Apple history with a virtual SIM card. In 2018, the iPhone XS and iPhone XR added eSIM support with a traditional SIM tray.
Only China is the country that cannot use this technology due to legislation that prohibits it. because it is not possible to identify the owner of an eSIM. It is for this same reason that the iPhone in this territory is sold with a dual SIM tray.
The iPhone SIM card has its days numbered, eSIM is the future
From iPhone 13, it is possible to have a second eSIM and avoid having a physical SIM. Until 2022, With the iPhone 14, Apple made the radical decision to remove the SIM card drawer in the United States. The reason is more than obvious, the main operators in the North American country already support eSIM, in addition to the fact that other virtual mobile operators have emerged. Another important reason is that iPhones in the US have mmWave which improves on 5G in terms of higher frequency.
A good number of countries benefit from eSIM but the picture is not the same for everyone
If Apple decides that the iPhone 17 Air will not have a SIM tray, it is likely that it will not be sold in all countries in which the iPhone has an official presence.
There are quite a few countries where iPhone 16 (and earlier) are sold with eSIM compatibility but The SIM tray is retained because there are other countries that do not have a way to include a virtual SIM. In this link you can discover the operators according to the countries which offer the eSIM service.
Movistar and O2 now allow you to quickly change your SIM to an eSIM from the iPhone
With the iPhone 17 Airif launched without SIM tray, Old methods of launching an iPhone globally could resume. Previously They were launched in the form of a “wave”a number of countries received it, such as the United States, being on the first release date, the following week another “wave” and so on consecutively. For the next launch, this would be conditional on the availability of the eSIM in every country in the world if Apple offers it or to be direct in limiting the availability in terms of sales as rumor has it today.
What decision will Apple make? Concerning the SIM drawer of the iPhone 17 Air?
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