Does my phone support eSIM?
Look for an EID in your settings. It is the eSIM chip's own serial number, so a phone that shows one has an eSIM and a phone that does not, does not. That is quicker than any list and it is true of the phone in your hand rather than of a model somebody typed up months ago.
01The ten-second check
Find your EID
- iPhone
- Settings, then General, then About. Scroll for EID. If there is a row called EID, the phone has an eSIM.
- Android
- Settings, then About phone, or Settings, then Network and internet. Look for EID, sometimes under a SIM or SIM manager screen. Some makers hide it behind a dial code, *#06#, which lists the IMEI and the EID together.
No EID means no eSIM, and no setting will add one. It is a chip, so it is either in the phone or it is not.
02If you would rather not look
Where each line starts
We publish the model each family starts at rather than a searchable list of several hundred devices. A cutoff covers dozens of phones in one line and changes once a year, where a list is wrong the week after it is written, and wrong in the direction that costs you a failed install.
Apple
- iPhone: from iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. US models from the iPhone 14 onwards have no SIM tray at all and are eSIM only.
- iPad: from iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch (3rd generation).
- Pixel: from Pixel 3.
Samsung
- Galaxy S: from Galaxy S20.
- Galaxy Z Fold and Flip: from the first Fold and Flip.
- Galaxy Note: from Note 20.
Motorola
- razr and edge: from razr 2019 and edge (2022).
OnePlus
- OnePlus: from OnePlus 11.
Huawei
- P and Mate: from P40 and Mate 40 Pro.
Oppo
- Find X and Reno: from Find X3 Pro and Reno 5A.
Not here does not mean not supported. Plenty of handsets take an eSIM without appearing on anybody's list, which is what the check above is for.
03What stops a supported phone
Two things that beat the hardware
These matter more than the cutoffs, because they defeat a phone that appears on every compatibility list including this one.
A carrier lock
A handset still tied to the network that sold it, usually one being paid off on contract, will refuse a third-party eSIM even though the hardware supports one. Only that carrier can unlock it. The install fails in a way that looks like a broken QR code rather than a lock, which is why it is worth checking first.
Phones sold in mainland China
Hardware variants sold in mainland China commonly ship with eSIM support removed. That is a difference in the phone rather than a setting, so there is nothing to switch on. A model that supports eSIM everywhere else may not in that market.
04Questions
How do I know if my phone supports eSIM?
Look for an EID, which is the eSIM chip's own serial number. On an iPhone it is in Settings, General, About. On Android it is usually Settings, About phone, or Network and internet, and on many handsets dialling *#06# shows the IMEI and the EID together. If an EID is listed, the phone has an eSIM. This beats any compatibility list, because it is true of the phone in your hand rather than of a model somebody typed up months ago.
Which iPhones support eSIM?
The iPhone XS, XS Max and XR onwards, so every iPhone released since 2018. US models from the iPhone 14 onwards have no SIM tray at all and run entirely on eSIMs. An iPhone still locked to the carrier that sold it will refuse a third-party eSIM whatever the model, which catches more people than the model cutoff does.
Which Android phones support eSIM?
Pixel 3 onwards, Galaxy S20 onwards, every Galaxy Fold and Flip, Note 20 onwards, and a growing list from Motorola, OnePlus, Huawei and Oppo. Android is too fragmented for a model list to stay honest, which is why the EID check above is the better answer: it works on a handset nobody has written about.
My phone supports eSIM but the install failed. Why?
Almost always a carrier lock. A handset still tied to the network that sold it refuses a third-party eSIM even though the hardware supports one, and it fails in a way that looks like a broken QR code rather than a lock. Only that carrier can unlock it. The other cause is a phone bought in mainland China, where the hardware commonly ships with the feature removed.
Can I use an eSIM and my normal SIM at the same time?
Yes, and that is the usual way to travel with one. Nearly every eSIM-capable phone runs one physical SIM and one eSIM together, and you choose per line which handles calls, texts and data. Turn data roaming off on your own line so it cannot bill you, leave the line itself on, and let the eSIM carry the internet.
Still not sure?
The cheapest way to settle it is a small plan on a short window. If the profile will not install we refund it, because a plan that never reached your phone is not something to argue about.
What an eSIM actually isGet data for your trip
Pick a destination and a plan, and install it before you fly while you still have wifi.