According to rumors, the physical SIM card will disappear in more countries with the iPhone 17. But why exactly?
No more physical SIM card for the iPhone 17
It looks like Apple is planning to remove the physical SIM card slot in more countries. It is then no longer possible to use a physical SIM card in your iPhone. You will then have to use an ’embedded SIM’, or an eSIM. This is a digital SIM card that is built into your iPhone.
As long as you continue to use the same phone, you no longer have to worry about changing your SIM card. Do you want to switch to another telecom provider? No problem! Your eSIM will automatically be adjusted to your new provider. Do you have your eye on a new phone? Then your eSIM can be moved to your new device just as easily.
In one country, iPhones no longer support physical SIM cards. This is true in America. All iPhone 14 models or newer no longer have a SIM card. But that now seems to be changing with the iPhone 17 launch.
iPhone 17 Air prototypes without SIM card slot
According to a report from The Information prototypes of the iPhone 17 Air no longer have a SIM card slot. This would therefore mean that (this version of) the iPhone 17 may not be sold in China. The use of eSIMs in smartphones is prohibited there. This could of course change in the future.
More secure than a regular SIM card
According to Apple, eSIM is more secure than a regular SIM card. Unlike physical SIM cards, an eSIM cannot simply be removed from an iPhone that has been stolen (or lost). Interesting detail: a total of eight eSIMs can be used on an iPhone.
If the SIM card slot disappears, your iPhone will also be more resistant to water and dust. Removing the physical SIM card also frees up space in the iPhone 17 Air that Apple can put to good use.
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