Other Will the iPhone 17 Pro Max sold outside of the U.S. come with a physical SIM card slot?

[Barbareren]

Hi. Does anyone know? If it's eSIM only that's a hard pass for me, and I suspect the same will apply to many others as eSIM isn't as common or well-implemented in other countries. Here in Mexico we need a special contract and pay extra for the 'privilege' of using eSIM. Also you need to visit a physical store to register it, and when you change phones you also need to go through that process again. I find it ridiculously cumbersome compared to simply swapping cards.

 

[JPack]

Almost certainly yes.

Apple doesn't have the same pull with carriers outside the U.S. which means carriers don't need to cede control.

 

[RA1N1]

100% will have a SIM slot, anything outside the US.

 

[RRC]

Yes, it's only the US market that will come without a physical SIM tray.

 

[jason.coles]

Apple quietly removed the SIM card slot on the most recent iPads in the UK and last year prior to the iPhone 16 launch a number of the carriers panicked expecting Apple to remove the Sim slot and the quickly spun up ESIM portals however it didn’t happen. I believe this year the sim slot will be resigned to history for the UK anyways.

 

[RA1N1]

Apple quietly removed the SIM card slot on the most recent iPads in the UK and last year prior to the iPhone 16 launch a number of the carriers panicked expecting Apple to remove the Sim slot and the quickly spun up ESIM portals however it didn’t happen. I believe this year the sim slot will be resigned to history for the UK anyways.

You have to understand, not all Sim providers in the UK offer esim option, and some who do offer it, you have to go through a few processes to convert from a normal sim to esim, not a simple process, so I don't see this happening in the UK for a good while at least.

Giffgaff, for example, you have to buy s sim first, then request them to convert it to esim, and Three, if your number is sim and want to convert it to esim, you have to change your contract and send you a sim, then activate it and ask them to switch it to esim.

The same with iPad, you'll need a physical sim first (depending on the carrier, only EE has iPad (data only) plans) and do this whole process.

 

[jason.coles]

At the very least I suspect the iPhone Air will have no sim slot for any country and will be an eSIM only product due to its ultra thin design. Apple may do this to test the waters but lets waits and see.

O2 & Vodafone also offer data only plans, so that’s 3 of the biggest carriers.

Data-only SIM deals for iPad and tablets | Vodafone UK

Discover our best Data-only SIM deals with ultrafast 5G and unlimited data. Great-value SIM plans for iPad devices and tablets, perfect for browsing on the go.

www.vodafone.co.uk

SIM Only Deals | Compare our Best SIM Only Contracts

Shop pay monthly SIM deals at O2, and enjoy unlimited minutes & texts, speedy 5G, O2 Priority perks, O2 WiFi hotspots, and more.

www.o2.co.uk

 

[The Game 161]

Certainly sounds like it will

 

[RA1N1]

At the very least I suspect the iPhone Air will have no sim slot for any country and will be an eSIM only product due to its ultra thin design. Apple may do this to test the waters but lets waits and see.

O2 & Vodafone also offer data only plans, so that’s 3 of the biggest carriers.

Data-only SIM deals for iPad and tablets | Vodafone UK

Discover our best Data-only SIM deals with ultrafast 5G and unlimited data. Great-value SIM plans for iPad devices and tablets, perfect for browsing on the go.

www.vodafone.co.uk

SIM Only Deals | Compare our Best SIM Only Contracts

Shop pay monthly SIM deals at O2, and enjoy unlimited minutes & texts, speedy 5G, O2 Priority perks, O2 WiFi hotspots, and more.

www.o2.co.uk

As @jason.coles pointed out, Voda and O2 have data plans, but I doubt we will have eSim only phones; but time will tell, I suppose.

 

[jason.coles]

So... iPhone Air is E-Sim only Globally however iPhone 17 & 17 Pro/Pro Max retain the sim slot in the UK. However due to this we now have a slightly smaller battery than the USA E-Sim Pro models which sucks.

It seems Apple are dipping their toes into the water as far as E-Sim is concerned with gradual introduction, it does however seem E-Sim is the future and physical SIM cards are going to be heading off into the sunset in the not so distant future but for now if you are buying an iPhone 17 you can use a physical sim in the UK.

 

[thebellnd]

At the very least I suspect the iPhone Air will have no sim slot for any country and will be an eSIM only product due to its ultra thin design. Apple may do this to test the waters but lets waits and see.

O2 & Vodafone also offer data only plans, so that’s 3 of the biggest carriers.

Data-only SIM deals for iPad and tablets | Vodafone UK

Discover our best Data-only SIM deals with ultrafast 5G and unlimited data. Great-value SIM plans for iPad devices and tablets, perfect for browsing on the go.

www.vodafone.co.uk

SIM Only Deals | Compare our Best SIM Only Contracts

Shop pay monthly SIM deals at O2, and enjoy unlimited minutes & texts, speedy 5G, O2 Priority perks, O2 WiFi hotspots, and more.

www.o2.co.uk

Yes Apple said it was esim only worldwide during the pre-recorded presentation.

 

[JulianL]

I just looked at the iPhone 17 Pro Max specs on the Apple UK web site. It says that it still has a physical SIM slot so unless it’s a copy and paste error on Apple’s part then it looks as if the UK models are keeping the physical SIM slot for at least one more year - except for the iPhone Air of course.

 

[Barbareren]

So it is only the Pro and the Pro Max models which will come with a physical SIM card slot. I understand that e-SIM will probably be the future, but for all of us living, and/or traveling, in countries outside of the U.S. please give us some time to adopt. 🙏