This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The iPhone 17 is here, and among all the exciting changes, there's one that is a head scratcher. There are two different variants for each model (apart from the Air), and they offer a totally different experience when you set them up.
Normally, you get that little metal pin out of the retail box (or let’s be honest, a paperclip, because it's the first thing we lose), poke the side of your device, and hope your fingernails stay intact while prying out that tiny tray.
Inside is a tiny plastic card with a shiny gold pattern that looks like a treasure found in an old Egyptian tomb.
Well, the SIM card is not that old, but Apple thinks it's a relic of the past. Why, then, is there a need for two variants, one including a physical SIM and one without it? Good question! There are a couple of reasons, and also some pros and cons to each design.
Following the microSD card route
The microSD card is a dying breed | Image by PhoneArena
I know this might be a painful topic for some of you, but the physical SIM slot is bound to face the same fate as the microSD card slot. People still lament the lack of the former in flagship phones, but what they don't realize is that cloud-based storage, along with faster and bigger internal memory in modern smartphones, made the microSD card obsolete.
The same applies to the physical SIM card. It's a plastic piece stuck inside a super high-tech device, and it's supposed to unlock the connectivity of your phone. Just like those prepaid phone cards we used to stick in street phones back in the day. So old school.
Why does the physical SIM iPhone 17 exist then?
The last iPhone series with a physical SIM slot? | Image by PhoneArena
Let's not send the physical SIM off to tech heaven yet. There are considerations and concerns that are in play. First, carriers around the world are in vastly different states when it comes to eSIM adoption.
You might get around the USA and Canada rocking an eSIM phone, but landing in Lima, Peru, on that dream vacation could easily turn into a nightmare. Picture the employee in the shop trying to poke your iPhone and find a slot that just doesn't exist, and the empty stare when you tell the poor guy that the phone is eSIM only.
According to GSMA, the global eSIM adoption rate was around 3% in 2024. This number is a lot bigger in the US (around 30%), and it poses a problem if you like to travel a lot. That said, the future is SIM-less, so to speak. GSMA predicts that by 2030, 88% of all phones will be eSIM. What are the pros and cons then?
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Pros and cons of going eSIM only
The iPhone Air doesn't have enough space for a physical SIM | Image by PhoneArena
There are a lot of pros to going eSIM, some of them might depend on your carrier, though. First of all, it's much easier to activate; you just scan a QR code. There's no need to go to physical stores, buy cards, or look for paperclips (the SIM ejector tool has been long lost for sure at this point).
Second, eSIM can store multiple profiles and numbers; you can easily switch between work, personal, travel, etc.
Another benefit is that eSIM saves physical space that phone manufacturers can use for other things. In the case of the iPhone 17 series, it's bigger batteries or a super-thin design in the iPhone Air.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there are still many disadvantages to eSIM. For starters, not all carriers support eSIM, especially in developing regions. And when they do, the procedures can be just as complicated as swapping a physical SIM.
Switching phones is definitely harder with eSIM. You need to deactivate the service on one phone before activating it on another, and this requires carrier assistance most of the time.
With a physical SIM, you can keep as many phones as you like and just swap the card to use the one you feel like at any time. No internet connectivity required; nothing to download.
eSIM and the portless dream
Are we on the path leading to portless phones?
eSIM is the future, and we'll get there eventually, but what's even more interesting is that Apple might be pushing toward an old dream—the portless iPhone. The company is famous for removing stuff—but in this case it might be for the best. More room for cameras, bigger batteries, and thinner and sleeker phones altogether.
The portless iPhone might be a pipeline dream (some regulations need to change to make it possible), but the days of the physical SIM seem to be numbered. The iPhone 17’s dual-SIM experiment feels like probing the ground.
The SIM card is bound to join floppy disks, VHS, DVDs, microSD cards, and Snake on Nokia in the great museum of tech nostalgia. And while it might be a bit sad, it's the way forward.
What do you think about it? Do you prefer a physical SIM between your fingers when you swap phones, or are you okay with QR codes and digital credentials?
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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