2018 iPhones Said to Feature Both Embedded Apple SIM and Traditional SIM Card Tray

At least one of Apple's widely rumored trio of new iPhones expected to be unveiled this September will feature dual-SIM, dual-standby, according to Chinese news publication 21st Century Business Herald via LoveiOS.

apple sim iphone
A translated version of the article claims the functionality will be enabled by an embedded Apple SIM in the iPhones, in addition to a traditional SIM card placed into the usual tray. In China, where Apple SIM is not available, the report claims Apple will offer an iPhone with two physical SIM card trays.

Apple introduced its Apple SIM in 2014 to provide cellular iPad users with a convenient way to switch between carriers and use short-term data plans as needed, useful for those who travel between countries frequently. It works with select carriers in more than 180 countries and regions around the world.

Initially, the Apple SIM was only available as a physical card that needed to be inserted into the tray when needed, but it is now embedded inside the latest iPad Pro models. Apple still sells physical Apple SIMs at its retail stores in many countries for use with the lower-cost 9.7-inch iPad and other models.

The report doesn't specify which of the 2018 iPhones will have an embedded Apple SIM, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said the 6.1-inch "budget iPhone X" and 6.5-inch "iPhone X Plus," but oddly not the second-generation 5.8-inch iPhone X, will support dual-SIM, dual-standby.

Kuo has also said Apple may release two 6.1-inch iPhone models, and in light of today's report, this could be referring to a nearly-worldwide variant with an embedded Apple SIM and a Chinese variant with dual SIM card trays.

All in all, it should be easier to switch between carriers and data plans on future iPhones, providing users with more flexibility.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

Ds6778 Avatar
86 months ago
We all know it’ll lock to the first carrier you choose. Carriers manage to screw up things I didn’t know they could.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
86 months ago
Here in Germany dual sim are somewhat common for saving money, but not because of travel.

For some bizarre reason data that comes with phone plans is very expensive, yet “tablet plans” offer LTE data much much cheaper. So people actually use one SIM for data and another for calling.

This is so stupid. We have to have hardware solutions to problems caused by lack of competition ...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mi7chy Avatar
86 months ago
eSIM takes away control from the phone owner and gives too much to the carrier. For that reason I'd never touch a phone with eSIM only.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bornee35 Avatar
86 months ago
They should scale the number of SIM cards with the camera lenses for the hell of it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
profets Avatar
86 months ago
Interesting, I guess like the iPad Pro that has the embedded SIM and physical SIM.

I figure eventually once eSIM catches on with carriers that Apple would love to go eSIM only, and remove another port/opening on the device.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theengineerbox Avatar
86 months ago
Thiz is great. My gf can use official phone number abd the party fameles can use the other number. Perfecto
What are you trying to say?
Hard to know when spelling isn't strong here
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)