iPhone 15 Models Sold Outside U.S. Still Have Physical SIM Card Tray

Apple's new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models all remain equipped with a physical SIM card tray outside of the United States, as a rumored eSIM-only expansion with the devices failed to materialize.

iPhone 15 SIM Tray
Tech specs on Apple's website confirm that all four iPhone 15 models remain compatible with nano-SIM cards in countries such as the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, Turkey, and everywhere else they are sold. In most countries, the devices also continue to support eSIM as well, allowing for dual-SIM functionality with cellular networks.

Apple removed the SIM card tray from all iPhone 14 models in the U.S. last year, forcing customers to use an eSIM, a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a physical nano-SIM card. Apple has a support document with a list of carriers that support eSIM technology around the world.

When the iPhone 14 series launched in the U.S., Apple promoted eSIMs as being more secure than a physical SIM since they cannot be removed from an iPhone that is lost or stolen. Apple added that up to eight eSIMs can be managed in the iPhone's Settings app, eliminating the need to obtain, carry, and swap physical SIM cards while traveling. iPhone 13 and newer models can have two eSIMs active at the same time.

With eSIM availability expanding, the SIM card tray might eventually be removed from iPhones sold outside of the U.S., but for now it lives another year.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Launching This Year With One Thing in Common

Wednesday January 8, 2025 6:18 am PST by
It was recently reported that new Apple TV and new HomePod mini models will launch this year, and the devices are expected to have one thing in common. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last month reported that the new Apple TV and the new HomePod mini will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. Gurman said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, so that could end up being a key upgrade...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

New iPhone SE and iPad 11 Launch Timing Allegedly Revealed by Leaker

Tuesday January 7, 2025 11:12 am PST by
A new iPhone SE and an iPad 11 might be coming very soon. In late December, a private account on X with a track record of leaking accurate iOS-related information said devices codenamed "V59" and "J481" will be released alongside iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported that "V59" is a new iPhone SE, and that "J481" is a new entry-level iPad. iOS 15.3, iOS ...
airpods pro 2 botw

Hearing a Mysterious Chime From Your AirPods Pro Case? It's a Feature

Thursday January 9, 2025 3:42 pm PST by
If you've been hearing a chiming sound from your AirPods Pro 2 case when the AirPods are charging, it's a feature that Apple added with the launch of Hearing Health last year. In a support guide, Apple says that the AirPods Pro may play a sound every so often while in the case to ensure the microphones and speakers are working as intended. From Apple: To help ensure that your AirPods...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

5 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's MacBook Pro

Wednesday January 8, 2025 6:33 am PST by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.2.1 With Bug Fixes

Monday January 6, 2025 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems. iOS 18.2.1 and iPadOS 18.2.1 come almost a month after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, iOS 18.2.1...
airpods 4 blue

Apple's Student Offer With Free AirPods Returns in These Four Countries

Thursday January 9, 2025 7:18 am PST by
Apple's annual "Back to School" or "Back to Uni" promotion has returned this week in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and South Korea. From January 8 through March 13, qualifying higher-education students and staff in these countries can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation with the purchase of any new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac, or a free Apple Pencil Pro or Apple...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal 1

iPhone 17 Pro Main Camera Sensor 'Smaller' Than iPhone 16 Pro Sensor

Friday January 10, 2025 3:14 am PST by
This year's iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a smaller main camera sensor than the one used in the Fusion camera currently found in iPhone 16 Pro models, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The Chinese leaker claims that Apple will adopt a 1/1.3" sensor for the 48MP main camera in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, down from the 1/1.28" sensor used in the iPhone 16...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
18 months ago
eSim is cool and handy but I prefer Physical Sim Card Tray iPhones. Especially for those who travel internationally. Makes it so much easier.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doboy Avatar
18 months ago
Pretty stupid to have 2x SKU's just for the SIM tray. Just make it all with the SIM tray.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canadianspeculator Avatar
18 months ago
ESim is great in theory, but I travel abroad frequently for work and on more than one occasion I've bought an Airalo or Ubigi SIM that simply doesn't work, and then I can't even get my money back. It's a bad system for those who actually need to do frequent SIM changes. I'm actually in Japan right now, and I bought an Ubigi - it wouldn't activate for three days straight, leaving me no choice but to pay for expensive roaming.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozuka Avatar
18 months ago

eSim is cool and handy but I prefer Sim Card Tray iPhones for those who travel internationally. Makes it so much easier.
Getting an e-Sim for traveling from an App seems easier to me, than buying one in a store and putting in the phone.
You can even do it before you get there and have one less thing to worry about when you arrive.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canadianspeculator Avatar
18 months ago

I'm in Japan and getting an Ubigi sim card was extremely simple; activated right away for me. And similar issues can (and have) happened with physical sim cards as well.
I'm glad you had that experience, but this is literally my 8th time having an ESim fail out on me. It's happened a ton, particularly in Asia and Africa. It's simply not a reliable experience- or maybe my 14 is the issue (doubtful)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
18 months ago
Is it just me or does eSIM in the U.S. only seem to be getting uptake with the full-price majors while most- but not all- of the relatively cheap MVNOs don't seem to be going there (or at least not very quickly)? It doesn't SEEM like a technology that would require MVNOs to spend a lot of money to support it (in fact, it seems like it could save them money for not having to make & mail SIM cards and provide support on installing them)... so I wonder why the uptake seems slow or even "no" after all this time?

Meanwhile, they all still support SIM cards. So if me, I'd want this kind of iPhone too... so I don't find myself having to choose between only a few players that mostly demand maximum profit plans in the U.S. Once I could see many value-minded MVNOs offering eSIM, this opinion would change. But before then, I'd want to keep my options as open as possible until many of them are on board.

Apparently the SIM-capable phone can do everything the SIM-less one can do and I don't read that it costs more either... so I see it as a phone with a money-saving bonus feature that can use eSIM or SIM vs. those only able to use one of them. So far eSIM in America feels like a "big 3" service provider cash grab to me.

Do I prefer an eSIM world? Yes, but let's get the value service players on board fast... instead of forcing the option that mostly the more expensive service providers can actually fulfill (in America). Since we can't do that with words posted in a bulletin board online, the action a consumer could take is to go to the trouble of getting a new phone that also has the SIM option too.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)