We talked about how eSIMS were going to be a game changer for customers last year. And our predictions were right it seems. Apple has added eSIMs into their latest phones, and they’ve been using that technology in watches since they launched the Series 3 in September last year. But what is an eSIM? Short for”embedded SIM” (also called eUICC), an eSIM is a digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from a carrier without having to use a physical SIM card.
Why would manufacturers Switch to eSIMs?
For phone manufacturers, there are two reasons why they’d want to switch to eSIMs.
1. Better design
Physical SIM cards are mostly useless plastic and the actual working part of the SIM is that tiny metal strip. Removing that tiny bit of plastic means that phone can be a tiny bit thinner.
And as phones and devices get smaller and thinner each tiny little bit of space counts. There’s also the housing, reader, and tray that are needed with physical SIM cards. Manufacturers can eke out a bit more space as well. Plus, removing slots and openings from any device’s shell make it less likely to be compromised by water or dust.
2. Better experience for device owners
In Apple’s case, they decided to use all that extra space to add Dual SIM options to their options. This allows them to deliver a much better experience for their customers.
Here’s why eSIMs are better for consumers:
1. You’ll be able to change carriers without having to get a new SIM. You can change carriers or your plan in your phone settings. This means less time speaking with carriers, and ordering and waiting for new SIMs. Software does everything.
2. No more having to deal with cutting SIM cards, or finding adapters
3. With eSIMs and dual SIMS, you can have two plans from two different carriers. This means you can:
- Use one number for business and another number for personal calls.
- Add a local data plan when you travel outside of the country or region.
- Have separate voice, text and data plans.
With that being said, if you need a second number with a more basic plan, or want to buy talk, text or data separately you should take a look at some of our plans. They start at only $4/month.
image sources: Apple, GSM Arena
