Recently, reports have swirled about the removal of the SIM tray from iPhones starting with the “iPhone 15” in 2023. Shortly after, MacRumors received an anonymous tip that Apple has already been in talks with major US carriers, advising them to prepare for eSIM only smartphones, set to arrive in September 2022. This information was corroborated by reliable Apple leaker @dylandkt via Twitter.
I am in agreement with recent rumors regarding the removal of the physical SIM card tray. In February, I had shared the following information below: https://t.co/zOyeJr0V1d
— Dylan (@dylandkt) December 27, 2021
Removing the physical SIM tray from a smartphone does have a couple of advantages from a manufacturing perspective. First, the mechanism to eject and insert a SIM tray would no longer need to be produced and its absence would free up some precious space on the inside. One less port would simplify production of the frame and removing the SIM tray would make a smartphone easier to keep water and dust out of the phone’s internals.
Apple iPhone 13 (2021)
With Apple’s removal of the headphone jack and the adoption of MagSafe accessories in recent years, the company would be another step closer to a port-less iPhone if it removed the physical SIM slot from future models.
The last few generations of iPhones can use an eSIM and it can be used in conjunction with the physical nanoSIM for dualSIM features. Certain Hong Kong and mainland Chinese variants of the iPhone can support dual nanoSIM cards.
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