Apple Removes SIM Card Tray on All iPhone 14 Models in U.S.

[M.Rizk]

it's not funny, we now are being forced to pay a carrier for something we could do ourselves. Not everyone is willing to be forced to pay 40-50 bucks for literally nothing. get over yourself.

You are not being forced to do anything. You have a current phone that is working as the day you bought it. They are not enforcing any restrictions to it.

No one is forcing you to buy the new iPhone. You can buy any other phone in the market with a SIM slot to not get charged. Snap back to reality.

 

[9Benua]

Ok, so for those US based iphone users who want simcard slot, where should we buy the iPhone 14 from? Canada? Beside having simcard slot, what will be the difference with US iPhone 14? Do canada iPhone 14 have mmwave? I definitely considering a roadtrip to get 14 pro with simcard slot since I will need it if I go to Indonesia (my home country) or China (Wife's home country). I will not be happy paying 13-15% for sales tax vs no sales tax here going to DE but it is what it is.

Some also mentions about HK iPhone having 2 nano sim card slot, do they have any e-sim capability?

Btw, any singapore user here can chime in if their iPhone has any difference as well? I may consider buying from singapore too when I'll go there this december.

 

[DaveWil]

Ok, so for those US based iphone users who want simcard slot, where should we buy the iPhone 14 from? Canada? Beside having simcard slot, what will be the difference with US iPhone 14? Do canada iPhone 14 have mmwave? I definitely considering a roadtrip to get 14 pro with simcard slot since I will need it if I go to Indonesia (my home country) or China (Wife's home country). I will not be happy paying 13-15% for sales tax vs no sales tax here going to DE but it is what it is.

Some also mentions about HK iPhone having 2 nano sim card slot, do they have any e-sim capability?

China Mobile supports eSim

 

[i_bit_the_apple]

In countries like South Africa they charge a monthly fee to use a eSim, compared to a physical sim which has no fee.

The other options mentioned like GigSky etc. offer data only, no phone number. And in a lot of cases that data is really slow compared to a prepaid sim in that country, as these providers buy cheap bulk bandwidth.

This phone is not going to be great for everyone that travels. If you don't, and you have a local eSim provider then you are good.

 

[M.Rizk]

Ok, so for those US based iphone users who want simcard slot, where should we buy the iPhone 14 from? Canada? Beside having simcard slot, what will be the difference with US iPhone 14? Do canada iPhone 14 have mmwave? I definitely considering a roadtrip to get 14 pro with simcard slot since I will need it if I go to Indonesia (my home country) or China (Wife's home country). I will not be happy paying 13-15% for sales tax vs no sales tax here going to DE but it is what it is.

Some also mentions about HK iPhone having 2 nano sim card slot, do they have any e-sim capability?

Btw, any singapore user here can chime in if their iPhone has any difference as well? I may consider buying from singapore too when I'll go there this december.

No, Canada’s iPhone doesn’t have mmWave. No model does but the US one. Check http://www.apple.com/iphone/cellular

 

[i_bit_the_apple]

Here's a list of a few hundred eSIM plans you can use in China: https://esimdb.com/china

Those are data only. Slow data in most cases, and does not have a local phone number.

 

[bradl]

Very strange. The very fact that they are keeping a SIM tray in some countries means they have the space for it.

Different models/different SKUs. It doesn't mean that they are using the same model and leaving it empty. In fact, with going eSIM, they can reclaim that space for something more.

BL.

 

[PLin]

Ok, so for those US based iphone users who want simcard slot, where should we buy the iPhone 14 from? Canada? Beside having simcard slot, what will be the difference with US iPhone 14? Do canada iPhone 14 have mmwave? I definitely considering a roadtrip to get 14 pro with simcard slot since I will need it if I go to Indonesia (my home country) or China (Wife's home country). I will not be happy paying 13-15% for sales tax vs no sales tax here going to DE but it is what it is.

Some also mentions about HK iPhone having 2 nano sim card slot, do they have any e-sim capability?

Btw, any singapore user here can chime in if their iPhone has any difference as well? I may consider buying from singapore too when I'll go there this december.

Singapore's iPhone 14 models do have a physical SIM slot just like in Canada. But the Canadian model is a better bet, since the frequencies mostly match the US model except for a few that are missing.

 

[dk001]

This should be interesting. I think Apple jumped the gun.
I have no plan to try an eSIM again. Needs seasoning.
Aside my employer sent a reminder to hold off as eSIM. It is not currently recommended.
14 is off my shopping list.

 

[M.Rizk]

Different models/different SKUs. It doesn't mean that they are using the same model and leaving it empty. In fact, with going eSIM, they can reclaim that space for something more.

BL.

Now that’s the question. I want to see what they did with the space. I’d be so mad if they just stuck some plastic or something.

 

[9Benua]

No, Canada’s iPhone doesn’t have mmWave. No model does but the US one. Check http://www.apple.com/iphone/cellular

Thanks for that link.

Singapore's iPhone 14 models do have a physical SIM slot just like in Canada. But the Canadian model is a better bet, since the frequencies mostly match the US model except for a few that are missing.

I see, Canada it is. Roadtrip fee + 13-15% sales tax for the cost of having a simcard slot. 😅

 

[burtx]

Absolutely ridiculous. What if an American wants to travel to Indonesia and get a local sim?!

What if an Apple exec has to travel and gets a 1 week local travel sim for data

How is this practical, when you have to travel, and the world has not converted yet?! Smh

I've used eSIMs many places and never had a problem. You can get them anywhere. Remember, it's usually the US that is behind in mobile tech.
Places I've used eSIM:
Vodafone Ukraine
T-Mobile Germany
Vodafone Czech Republic
Vodafone Fiji
US ATT

No matter what country you're in you'll find an eSIM option easily.

 

[Picho13]

For those considering the Hong Kong, Dual nano-sim model, keep in mind that it’s the only model to NOT support satellite emergency connectivity. It will not work with satellite services in the US or Canada or worldwide when it’s rolled out in the future.

So no perfect iPhone 14 model exists:

1. US models: No nano sim but offers mmWave and satellite connectivity.
2. International: Single Nano-sim but offers no mmWave support and does offer satellite connectivity.
3. Hong Kong: Dual nano-sim but no mmWave and no satellite connectivity. Also, some China/HK models don’t support eSim.

Pick your poison…

 

[rhett7660]

Mint, spectrum, cricket all support eSIM.

You can't tell that to people here... they all just want to complain without doing any homework on this...

 

[bradl]

Now that’s the question. I want to see what they did with the space. I’d be so mad if they just stuck some plastic or something.

I don't think they have done anything with it.. YET, unless they threw the technology in for handling Dynamic Island there.

What I think they will do, however, is when the countries that be get onboard with eSIM, they'll standardize down to fewer models, make that static across the board, and add in better features in that slot where the physical sim was.

BL.

 

[dampfnudel]

Outside of maybe the first couple weeks there are never shortages of iPhones. More stock available to Americans?! TF

I remember a few times when it took more than a couple of weeks to walk into an Apple Store or other US retailer and get the configuration you wanted. More like a couple of months or close to it for things to calm down. Anyway, this change should light a fire underneath the backsides of foreign carriers that have dragged their feet on moving to eSim. This year iPhones sold in the US, next year Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, etc.

 

[1984]

I know of one that won’t: China. The Chinese government forbids the use of eSIMs, which is why apple had to sell a dual-physical-sim iphone there, and will likely continue to do so for years.

I’ve been wondering about this. I’ve bought the Hong Kong version in the past which had dual physical SIMs plus eSIM capability but now it just says dual physical SIMs in the specs. Unfortunately it lacks mmWave as well as some other bands like 71.

 

[bradl]

I remember a few times when it took more than a couple of weeks to walk into an Apple Store or other US retailer and get the configuration you wanted. More like a couple of months or close to it for things to calm down. Anyway, this change should light a fire underneath the backsides of foreign carriers that have dragged their feet on moving to eSim. This year iPhones sold in the US, next year Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, etc.

This does remind me..

I find it funny about those complaining about going to eSIMs that there wasn't this problem when they were buying phones for Sprint or even Verizon at the time when they had Software SIMs in their versions of the iPhone, especially as they were locked to their CDMA only network. No issues with software-based sims then, but all of a sudden it's a problem now.

BL.

 

[Fat_Guy]

I can’t go through 17 pages but yes: Canadian iPhones will still have the tray as well as eSim. So you can buy them up here if it means that much to you. I don’t know about the warrantee so you may have to ship it back up here. But that is one option if nobody already mentioned it.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro in Canada Still Have SIM Trays, Unlike the USA | iPhone in Canada

Apple said during its special event today that its iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro smartphones in the U.S. would eliminate the SIM tray altogether for the first time, instead focusing on eSIM. The company debuted eSIM support way back in the fall of 2018 and later expanded it to dual eSIM with iPhone 13

www.iphoneincanada.ca

Satellite connectivity and 2 year free plan also is available up here.

How Emergency SOS via Satellite Works on iPhone 14 in Canada, USA [VIDEO] | iPhone in Canada

A new feature exclusive to all iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models this year is a safety feature called Emergency SOS via satellite. This feature allows those in areas without a cellular connection to communicate with satellites when they are in an emergency. Emergency SOS with satellite will...

www.iphoneincanada.ca

 

[B4U]

Google eSIM <country>. You will be surprised.

Still does not change the fact that I simply cannot swap as I go.
With a physical SIM, I can pop that sucker into the phone while still in the air.

 

[B-Mc-C]

Swapping physical sims are easy. Just put it in and go

Swapping eSIMS, gotta call the carrier, sometimes pay a fee, then go through several verification steps, then you can use the eSIM.

The majority of the world still uses physical sims, and prefer physical sims. For most eSIMs makes things more complicated.

Also I wanna touch on this bit: "archaic USB ports." Bro...the majority of machines still use USB-A, and has since 2016 when Apple went full USB-C on the Macbook. Hell their desktop Macs still have USB-A ports!

Nope. I have 3 eSIMs on my iPhone. If I turn on the inactive one, it asks me which of my other two lines I’d like to turn off. The switch happens instantly. Also moved both of my physical SIMs to eSIMs right in the iPhone settings app, no call to the carrier was necessary, and certainly no fees. Signing up for the third eSIM was a download of the T-Mobile app, giving them my name and email address, boom, eSIM installed with a 90 day free trial, in probably less than 30 seconds from start to finish. Once you learn how these really work, you will never want to go back.

 

[B-Mc-C]

Wow, you have no self-respect. This is the same apologism that willing victims always use to excuse their own weakness and laziness. And you're making the same dumb, invalid comparisons that tools made when Apple deleted the headphone jacks from their most popular music players. You're even regurgitating the ridiculous "waste of space" excuse. Regular SIMs are tiny; then Apple went to the "mini" ones and then the "micro" ones... a tiresome game of progressively screwing the consumer with nearly-proprietary junk that's indefensible from any practical standpoint.

The "E-SIM" is just the end stage of another consumer rip-off and crippling of an entire category of product. When willing victims like you eagerly lap up the abuse corporations trowel out, you don't just screw yourself; you abet the likes of Apple and Google in taking the market BACKWARD and screwing everybody.

Pathetic.


Why? I just got back from overseas, where I merely walked into a store and bought a SIM for my iPhone. Why should you have to carry a second phone and not have all your other data on it?

I rejoiced when the headphone jack was removed. Most of us had moved onto wireless headphones years ago by then. 🤣 Of course you were one of the ones who was triggered by that move, too.

 

[dsut4392]

Exactly. So many jump on here on bang on about the global eSIM provides. They are great, but really not practical for many travel situations.... e.g. need a local number to actually talk to people, high data usage etc.

I just went to the UK for 3 weeks. Bought a 15 pound EE pre-paid sim card. Unlimited talk, text and 25GB of data. Only option was to use a physical SIM.

Not to mention registering for services etc that require a local voice number to activate because they send the code by SMS. Found that out the hard way in Malaysia trying to register for Grab (local Uber equivalent). And again in Japan trying to set up WhatsApp.

Even for those countries that do have carriers that support pre-paid eSIM, what are the chances that those will be the carriers offering cheap plans, that are easy to buy from the 7-11 at the airport or tobacconist opposite your suburban hotel? Because buying a plan from a Japanese or Malaysian carrier website is pretty hard when you don't speak the language.

 

[M.Rizk]

I can’t go through 17 pages but yes: Canadian iPhones will still have the tray as well as eSim. So you can buy them up here if it means that much to you. I don’t know about the warrantee so you may have to ship it back up here. But that is one option if nobody already mentioned it.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro in Canada Still Have SIM Trays, Unlike the USA | iPhone in Canada

Apple said during its special event today that its iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro smartphones in the U.S. would eliminate the SIM tray altogether for the first time, instead focusing on eSIM. The company debuted eSIM support way back in the fall of 2018 and later expanded it to dual eSIM with iPhone 13

www.iphoneincanada.ca

Satellite connectivity and 2 year free plan also is available up here.

How Emergency SOS via Satellite Works on iPhone 14 in Canada, USA [VIDEO] | iPhone in Canada

A new feature exclusive to all iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models this year is a safety feature called Emergency SOS via satellite. This feature allows those in areas without a cellular connection to communicate with satellites when they are in an emergency. Emergency SOS with satellite will...

www.iphoneincanada.ca

Warranty isn’t an issue. Apple always honor the warranty on their devices regardless the place of purchase. mmWave is missing though.

 

[dampfnudel]

This does remind me..

I find it funny about those complaining about going to eSIMs that there wasn't this problem when they were buying phones for Sprint or even Verizon at the time when they had Software SIMs in their versions of the iPhone, especially as they were locked to their CDMA only network. No issues with software-based sims then, but all of a sudden it's a problem now.

BL.

Those people now have a much different perspective on how useful SIM cards can be. They’ll discover that with eSims eventually as more carriers optimize/simplify the experience.