There’s no need to be the reincarnation of Einstein to figure out the most basic advantage you have when you use eSIM to the detriment of the old physical SIM card: you can’t lose it anymore. You don’t need to be on the lookout for the eSIM anymore, and this digital version of SIM seems to now be promoted more than ever after the release of the iPhone 14 lineup on September 7.
It was, basically, just a matter of time until we saw the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card shrunk down a lot more than it had happened already. The eSIM is a small chip that you can find built directly into the main circuit board of a phone. iPhones started to include eSIMs with older models such as XS Max or XS. Samsung also doesn’t fall short, as it’s including eSIMs for some of its recent models.
What is eSIM (the basics)
An eSIM is playing the same role as the classic SIM card, only that it’s embedded in the device itself and allows the connection to any operator that offers eSIM services. As you’ve already guessed, you can throw away the traditional SIM card if you choose to use the eSIM.
Here’s another great advantage of the eSIMs, compared to the usual SIM: at least when it comes to iPhones, you can even install eight eSIMs on such a device. You can also use two phone numbers at the same time, which is something that a lot of people need. Let’s suppose that you have a lot of items for selling on eBay or another marketplace. Customers will contact you all the time to ask you different questions about the items you wish to sell, and obviously, you also have friends, family members, and co-workers. Such a situation can become a burden too big for a single phone number.
Can any phone use eSIM?
Not all phones are compatible with eSIM. But the good news is that you won’t need to travel to wonderland to find out if yours is compatible or not. All you need to do is go to the settings menu of your smartphone and find your IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). A simple Google search, including your phone model, will solve the mystery if you don’t know exactly how to find the option. The IMEI will inform you if the phone is carrier unlocked and if it will accept digital eSIMs or not.
What are the downsides?
You know very well that old saying that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s also available here, as there are some potential downsides to the usage of eSIMs. If you’re afraid of being tracked by aliens or some other entity who is constantly interested in your life for no good reason, using an eSIM might become a problem. It’s impossible to remove the eSIM from the smartphone, which means that there’s nowhere to hide as long as you have the device with you.
Another possible disadvantage is that it becomes more difficult to switch devices. You can’t remove the eSIM and put it on another phone if one of them stops working, for instance.
eSIM can indeed be perceived as a natural progression from the classical SIM card. But even so, it doesn’t offer perfection, and perhaps such a thing doesn’t even exist in the tech world.
