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iPhone 17 Pro Leak Reveals SIM Card Tray Might Live Another Year in Some Countries

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iPhone 17 Pro models may still have a SIM card tray in at least some countries, based on images shared today by a hit-or-miss leaker known as Majin Bu and on Naver.

iPhone-17-Pro-on-Desk-Centered-1.jpg

The Information previously reported that Apple was planning to remove the physical SIM card tray from iPhones in more countries this year. The report did not mention any specific countries where it would be removed, but China might not be one of them.

In the U.S., all iPhone 14 through iPhone 16 models do not have a SIM card tray, and instead rely entirely on digital eSIM technology. Apple has yet to release any iPhone models without a SIM card tray in any other countries.

At a minimum, the all-new iPhone 17 Air is expected to lack a SIM card tray in most if not all countries, due to its ultra-thin design.

When the iPhone 14 series launched in 2022, Apple promoted eSIMs as being more secure than a physical SIM, as they cannot be removed from an iPhone that is lost or stolen. In addition, at least eight eSIMs can be managed on an iPhone at once, eliminating the need to obtain, carry, and swap physical SIM cards while traveling.

Apple has a support document with a list of carriers around that world that support eSIMs.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro Leak Reveals SIM Card Tray Might Live Another Year in Some Countries
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/15/alleged-iphone-17-pro-sim-card-tray/
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WU27f1xcCs said:
Please get rid of it, it’s time. Smooth iPhone please 😤
Click to expand...

Not having a SIM sucks...

I used to take out my sim, until October when I bought my 16, and put in a flip-phone when I went backpacking or off-grid for several days, which I do several times per year. Can't do that anymore.

Now I leave it at home and take a pre-paid and my inReach.
 
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We haven’t heard much about the easier eSIM switching with ios26. Anybody testing it out?
 
WU27f1xcCs said:
Please get rid of it, it’s time. Smooth iPhone please 😤
Click to expand...
As long as some carriers don’t use the full potential, physical sim is still the way to go.
For example Hrvatski Telekom ( the same Telekom as in the US) doesn’t support the transfer of eSims to a new iphone without going to the store.
The builtin ios transfer is not working. They have to print out a new QR code which for some reason not even is possible by email. Ridiculous
 
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The whole ecosystem behind eSIM still hasn't improved. From eSIM transfer, reactivation with Carriers etc. And Apple isn't pushing it enough either.

As of today eSIM is only good on paper. And unless they someone improve the situation I much rather have a nano sim slot ready.
 
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eSIMs work great but man oh man does iOS struggle mightily with keeping text messaging straight amongst multiple sims plus AppleID-account based messages. Unlike in the phone "app", in Messages there's no clear indication of which method is being used for a given person, no clear way to choose it, and it will at times flip randomly back and forth for no reason at all. Many times it'll even drop all the way back to green bubbles when communicating with someone else in your contacts with an iPhone! As usual the hardware teams do their job but anything that's not the dead center mainstream use case is going to be spottily supported by the software.
 
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WU27f1xcCs said:
Please get rid of it, it’s time. Smooth iPhone please 😤
Click to expand...
To remove it was AAPL catering to carrier interests not customer interests. The carriers want the customers paying as much as $30 per day for a little bit of data and calling and texts when traveling internationally. With a SIM card, have to focus on all customers who travel as many countries do NOT have eSIM at all. Or some have it but it’s 20x more difficult than a physical SIM. Could eSIM be better, sure. But when China doesn’t allow it, how does Apple abandon it completely? First time I was eSIM only realized I couldn’t get an eSIM in Malaysia, so have to travel with a Nothing Phone that has a SIM card when traveling to countries where I may not be able to use an eSIM. Better to include both until the whole world is ready. ESIM is great in most of the developed world but in other countries it can be a nightmare. For example, traveling to countries in Africa or Asia can buy a SIM card that’s unlimited local calls, texts and unlimited data for 30 or 60 days for just $10. Try paying AT&T $10 for just one day. You won’t get local calls and far less data.
 
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MrRom92 said:
Why do they still have a SIM? Seems very technologically backwards and out of date, it’s not the 1990’s anymore
Click to expand...

Why? Because eSim still isn't fleshed out, and it's another way for carriers to keep people keepp control over phones and service.

I know they are working on it (supposedly), but you can't transfer from iOS to Android, or vice versa. Plenty of carriers haven't figured out how to transfer at all.
 
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My kid’s Canadian iPhone 16e still has a SIM tray. If they keep the SIM tray for Canada for the 17 series too, I’ll be happy as I’ll be buying a 17 Pro Max this year.

eSIMs have their advantages, but they are still quite problematic in many areas. Having a SIM tray allows for the dual SIM combinations of either eSIM+SIM or eSIM+eSIM. Plus, transferring lines between phones is much easier with physical SIM cards obviously.
 
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Nothing exciting to see here.

Waiting for next years model... Hopefully compelling enough to upgrade from my 13 Pro Max
 
russell_314 said:
The SIM slot is like the headphone jack. It’s outdated and needs to go.

The best way to do this is like ripping off a Band-Aid. Yank that sucker off. Some people might scream or cry but after that brief moment things will get better.
Click to expand...
Unlike the headphone jack, not having a SIM tray makes your phone literally unusable if your carrier doesn't have proper eSIM support, or you travel to a place that doesn't.
 
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WarmWinterHat said:
Not having a SIM sucks...

I used to take out my sim, until October when I bought my 16, and put in a flip-phone when I went backpacking or off-grid for several days, which I do several times per year. Can't do that anymore.

Now I leave it at home and take a pre-paid and my inReach.
Click to expand...
Same, I would swap SIMs on new iPhones...no problems at all avoiding the moronic "activation fees."

Anyway, I really do wish to finally upgrade this year, 13 Pro Max to 17 PM...and if I stay with my very inexpensive 6, 7 year old Verizon plan, fine...but I will have drop $40 for activation (price went up...again)

Sounds petty, "40 bucks ..after dropping $$$ on a new phone" - It's the principal, I don't feel I owe greedy Verizon an extra dime for something that is switched by a computer system and usually not very well on day one of an iPhone launch.

I will be getting am unlocked iPhone this time however, hope to find an inexpensive plan somewhere else...if that's possible.

*First world problems.
 
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This will never fully happen in the foreseeable future. China, for example, doesnt have eSims at all.
 
joeblow7777 said:
Unlike the headphone jack, not having a SIM tray makes your phone literally unusable if your carrier doesn't have proper eSIM support, or you travel to a place that doesn't.
Click to expand...
Well part of the SIM slot going away is upgrading the technology at the carrier level. Apple knows not all countries have caught up so they are looking at each country and figuring out what their infrastructure can support. Of course you can’t remove the slot in countries without the capability. That’s like removing the headphone jack but you can’t buy Bluetooth headphones
 
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