Which Phones Support eSIM? The Full List

eSIM support is now the norm on mid-range and flagship phones, but it is not universal, and the exceptions are not where most people expect them. The rough rule is iPhone from the XS generation, Samsung from the Galaxy S20, Pixel from the Pixel 3. The useful detail is in the exceptions: where the phone was sold matters as much as which model it is.

How can you check in one minute whether your phone supports eSIM?

Open the keypad and dial *#06#. The screen shows your IMEI. If an EID appears underneath — a 32-digit number beginning with 89 — your phone has eSIM hardware. If no EID appears, it does not. This check works on both iPhone and Android and needs no internet connection.

A second confirmation is the Settings menu itself. On iPhone, Settings → Cellular shows an "Add eSIM" option on supported handsets. On Android, look for "Add eSIM", "Download a SIM" or "Set up an eSIM" inside the SIM section. If the hardware is absent, the option is absent too.

Both checks test the hardware. They do not test whether the phone is carrier-unlocked, which is a separate question covered at the end of this guide.

Which iPhones support eSIM?

Every iPhone from the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR onwards, released in 2018. That covers the 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 series, both SE generations from 2020 and 2022, and the iPhone Air. Nothing older than 2018 has the hardware.

Recent iPhones can store eight or more eSIM profiles at once, with two active simultaneously — useful if you travel often and want to keep old profiles rather than delete them.

The exception is regional, not generational: iPhones bought in mainland China have historically shipped without eSIM, with two physical nano-SIM trays instead. Only the most recent Pro and Air models are eSIM-capable there. Models sold in Hong Kong and Macao also use dual physical SIM on many variants.

Which Samsung Galaxy phones support eSIM?

The Galaxy S20 series from 2020 onwards, and everything after it: S21 through S25, the Note 20 line, every Z Fold and Z Flip, and a growing number of A-series mid-range models. The Galaxy S20 FE and some regional S20 variants are the common exceptions within that generation.

Samsung's regional variation is the widest of any manufacturer. The same model number can ship with eSIM in Europe and without it in parts of Asia, because operators specify what they want. The *#06# check settles it for your exact unit in seconds — more reliably than any published list, including this one.

Which Google Pixel phones support eSIM?

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a onwards, with one well-known exception: Pixel 3a units sold in parts of South East Asia shipped without eSIM. Every Pixel from the 4 onwards supports it worldwide, and recent US Pixel models have moved to eSIM only, with no physical SIM tray at all.

That last point is worth noting if you buy a phone in the United States and plan to use local SIM cards abroad: there may be nowhere to put one.

Which other Android phones support eSIM?

Broadly: Xiaomi from the 12T generation on international firmware, Motorola across the Razr foldables and the Edge line, OPPO from the Reno 6 and the Find X and Find N series, Honor across the Magic and recent number series, OnePlus from the 11 onwards, and selected Sony Xperia, Huawei, Nothing, Realme and Nokia models.

Among Huawei, support is patchy rather than generational — the P40, P50 Pro, Mate 40 Pro and Pura 70 lines have it, while some siblings in the same family do not. For every brand in this paragraph, firmware region decides the answer more than the model name does.

Why do phones bought in China or Hong Kong often lack eSIM?

Because of local regulation and operator policy rather than hardware. Phones sold in mainland China frequently have eSIM disabled in software even when the chip is physically present, and manufacturers ship dual physical SIM trays instead. This affects Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, OnePlus and Honor domestic versions as well as iPhone.

The restriction travels with the phone, not with you. A handset bought in Shenzhen and carried to Europe still has no eSIM, and no firmware update or region change switches it on. The reverse also applies: an eSIM profile from a mainland Chinese operator will not install on a phone bought elsewhere.

If you are buying a phone while travelling in Asia, this is the single most expensive thing to overlook. Ask the shop to run *#06# before you pay.

Do iPads and tablets support eSIM?

Only the cellular models. Wi-Fi-only iPads have no mobile hardware at all, so no eSIM, regardless of generation. On the Wi-Fi + Cellular side, eSIM is supported from the iPad Pro 11-inch first generation, iPad Air third generation, iPad mini fifth generation and standard iPad seventh generation onwards.

The same split applies to Android tablets: Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 and S10 series support eSIM in their 5G versions and not in the Wi-Fi ones. The naming is easy to misread when buying second-hand, because the model numbers differ by a single letter.

Is an eSIM-capable phone always ready to use a travel eSIM?

No — it also has to be carrier-unlocked. A phone still tied to the operator that sold it may reject a foreign eSIM profile even though the hardware supports eSIM perfectly well. This is common on handsets bought on instalment plans, and particularly on US carrier models.

Unlocking is done by the operator that sold the phone, usually free once the contract or instalment plan is complete. If you are unsure, the fastest test is to borrow a friend's SIM from a different network: if it connects, the phone is unlocked and a travel eSIM will install without trouble.

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