iPhone Fold Will Be eSIM-Only, But Chinese Users May Have Other Ideas

[bigglow]

I keep getting older and I still don’t understand the purpose of foldable phones or who they’re actually meant for. This isn’t a jab at Apple or any other brand, I just genuinely don’t see the appeal of foldable devices.

I dont want to spend 2x the cost of an iPhone Max on a phone with a hinge that is likely to break after >2 years of daily open/closing.

I rather buy a separate iPhone Pro Max & iPad mini.

 

[Weaselboy]

I used to toss my SIM in a flip-phone when going on multi-day backpacking trips. Can’t do that anymore…

I am somewhat familiar with how eSIM works, but have never messed with using it to swap phones. Is it possible or practical to move your phone number back and forth between eSIM phones to go on a couple day trip like you mentioned? Or do carriers stop you from frequent swaps back and forth?

 

[ofarlig]

I am somewhat familiar with how eSIM works, but have never messed with using it to swap phones. Is it possible or practical to move your phone number back and forth between eSIM phones to go on a couple day trip like you mentioned? Or do carriers stop you from frequent swaps back and forth?

Depends on the country and phone. Between iPhones I can transfer it just through the OS, if I am moving to or from Android I have to log into my account on the carrier website.

But old flip phones don’t support eSIM so that won’t work for that person.

 

[Londo Mollari 2]

Because it requires in store visit, people in China have to be more dedicated to get eSIM. Maybe at some point the Chinese government will be more lenient, but their Confucian hold on controlling their people tells me not in very near future.

The governor of She said in conversation with Confucius: “In our village there is someone called a 'True Person.' When his father took a sheep on the sly, he reported him to the authorities.” Confucius replied: “Those who are true in my village conduct themselves differently. A father covers for his son, and a son covers for his father. And being true lies in this.”
—Analects, Arnes & Rosemont trans., Ballantine Books (13.18)

No Confucianist but don’t blame the old guy for China’s state-capitalism.

 

[The_Interloper]

Also, I'm 51 but I use Anna Kendrick in 17-inch heels as my profile picture for some reason.

She's only 11 years younger than me. I'm allowed a fantasy mid-life crisis.

 

[Radeon85]

I wish the UK 17 PM was eSIM only, annoys the hell out of me I was forced to buy a version with a smaller battery for the same price when I haven't used a physical sim in many years. All the main carriers support it here, as well as the massive majority of smaller ones piggybacking off the main carriers, so not offering an eSIM 17 PM only is a bit of a dick move by Apple.

 

[MPT1222]

I was looking forward to the foldable iPhone but if it’s esim only then it’s a hard pass

 

[MPT1222]

I feel exactly the opposite. ESIM and sim is the best combo. I wouldn’t buy an eSIM only phone at this time

I wish the UK 17 PM was eSIM only, annoys the hell out of me I was forced to buy a version with a smaller battery for the same price when I haven't used a physical sim in many years. All the main carriers support it here, as well as the massive majority of smaller ones piggybacking off the main carriers, so not offering an eSIM 17 PM only is a bit of a dick move by Apple.

 

[Shirasaki]

For security reasons alone eSIM is the future. This is one area that every tech company is pretty much in agreement on. China’s government can resist this all they want. In the end it’s not going to make a difference.

Ahem, wait and see Chinese smartphone manufacturers consistently find ways to squeeze sim slot in at their phone just as thin as Apple iPhone or other thin android devices without SIM card slot. And no, Chinese government, if anything, is definitely in that position to resist eSIM however long they like and companies must work around that. What can Apple do? Not selling iPhone in China?

 

[Shirasaki]

I get what you’re saying. But it’s actually easier for me to switch eSIM than with a physical sim. I can transfer my eSIM from AT&T to T-Mobile right now. It would take me 20 seconds and there is nothing AT&T can do about it.

Now AT&T can hit me with early termination fees yes. But they can’t stop me from transferring my eSIM. In fact they have less control with eSIM.

That’s the whole reason for third party jailbeaking of physical sims so that people could get around being locked to one carrier. A physical sim card is always locked down at the time it’s activated and cannot be switched to another phone on a different carrier until it’s unlocked either through a hack or legally so to speak through the carrier

US is different. And US is apples home market. Things are going differently definitely, even though some of those are just in details. I have seen people from Canada and many EU countries complaining how bad eSIM transfer is for them, not to mention there are still many countries in the world (besides China) still relying on SIM card and no eSIM support whatsoever. You may argue eSIM is safe and whatnot but support and resistance is there. Those force won’t go away anytime soon. An eSIM only phone will always be a tough sell until the entire world moves on with physical SIM card.

 

[milkrocket]

eSIMs are a pain to use. My provider wants $5 for each eSIM and you can't transfer them. Physical SIMs I can transfer for FREE. Makes no sense and I don't know why Apple is pushing this on us.

 

[svanstrom]

eSIMs are a pain to use. My provider wants $5 for each eSIM and you can't transfer them. Physical SIMs I can transfer for FREE. Makes no sense and I don't know why Apple is pushing this on us.

To be fair, you can't blame Apple for your provider being a dick, right?

 

[svanstrom]

Ahem, wait and see Chinese smartphone manufacturers consistently find ways to squeeze sim slot in at their phone just as thin as Apple iPhone or other thin android devices without SIM card slot. And no, Chinese government, if anything, is definitely in that position to resist eSIM however long they like and companies must work around that. What can Apple do? Not selling iPhone in China?

In the first part you're missing the point, and in the second part you're a bit outdated.

For the first part it simply isn't about that you can't make a tiny device with a physical SIM card in it, it's that that physical space could be used for something else. More specifically we in 2025 should think of that physical SIM card slot as having taken away space from the now smaller battery.

To some of us that's worth the smaller battery, but to most of us it's an avoidable waste if we just got used to handling e-SIMs instead. Not to everyone, and not in every part of the world, but to a lot of people that currently aren't given the choice to buy an iPhone without a physical SIM card slot.

When it comes to the second part China does allow phones that are e-SIM only already, and Apple is officially available on the Chinese market with an e-SIM only phone (the Air).

 

[svanstrom]

I dont want to spend 2x the cost of an iPhone Max on a phone with a hinge that is likely to break after >2 years of daily open/closing.

I rather buy a separate iPhone Pro Max & iPad mini.

I have that combination already, and would gladly replace it with a foldable phone with enough features to be a decent replacement. Heck, if the iPhone Air had had a telephoto lens I actually would have bought that one instead of the Pro Max.

 

[svish]

Definitely expecting only eSIM worldwide. Might launch a few weeks later in China after global launch. Waiting to see Apple's foldable.

 

[XdekHckr]

For security reasons alone eSIM is the future. This is one area that every tech company is pretty much in agreement on. China’s government can resist this all they want. In the end it’s not going to make a difference.

It is not true that eSIMs are more secure. Look: https://security-explorations.com/esim-security.html

 

[63W]

Click bait article! Chinese Users do NOT Have Other Ideas!

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It won't be called "iPhone Fold". That's Samsung's naming convention, why would Apple follow it?

Folding screens are going to be exclusively on the premium top-tier iPhone above the Pro given the expensive technology so the name will come from its tier, not its folding screen. It'll be iPhone Ultra.

I'm still rooting for 'iPhone Origami". For the future when Samsung's tri-fold gets outdone with an Apple octo-fold.