Which iPhones Support eSIM? The Full List, by Model and Region
eSIM starts at the iPhone XR. US models from the iPhone 14 have no SIM tray at all, and the iPhone 13 onward can run two eSIMs at once.
Short answer
Which iPhones support eSIM: every iPhone from the iPhone XR and iPhone XS onward. Anything older — iPhone X, iPhone 8, and the first two iPhone SE generations — is nano-SIM only and cannot use one. US models of the iPhone 14 and later are eSIM-only, with no SIM tray at all, and iPhone 13 and later can run two eSIMs at once.
If you are about to buy a travel data plan, this is the only question that matters. The answer is simpler than most articles make it: eSIM arrived with the 2018 iPhones, and every model since has it. The complications are regional rather than generational — where you bought the phone changes what it has.
There is a lot of wrong information about this online, including confident claims that the iPhone XR or iPhone 11 lack eSIM. They do not. Everything below is taken from Apple’s own support documentation, last updated in July 2026.
Note: model availability is set by purchase region, not by where you are now. A phone bought outside the US keeps its SIM tray when you travel to the US, and a US phone does not gain one when you leave.
The short version
| Your iPhone | eSIM? | SIM tray? |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 14 and later (bought in the US) | Yes | No tray at all |
| iPhone 14 and later (bought elsewhere) | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone SE (3rd generation) | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 11, 12, 13 (all variants) | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone XR, XS, XS Max | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone X, 8, 7 and older | No | Yes |
| iPhone SE (2nd generation or earlier) | No | Yes |
Which iPhones have no SIM tray at all?
This catches people out when they buy abroad or sell a phone on. Apple removed the physical tray entirely from US models, starting with the iPhone 14:
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max — US models only
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max — US models only
- iPhone 16e, 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max — US models only
- iPhone 17e, 17, Air, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max — US, US Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Guam, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman
Note how the list grows with the iPhone 17 generation. Apple has extended eSIM-only well beyond the US, and that trend is worth assuming will continue.
If you own one of these, a local prepaid SIM bought at an airport kiosk is simply not an option. You need a carrier that issues eSIM, which in practice means arranging data before you land or using a travel eSIM provider.
Which iPhones can run two eSIMs at once?
Apple states that iPhone 13 models and later support Dual SIM with two eSIMs, on top of the physical-SIM-plus-eSIM combination that has worked since the iPhone XR.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. On an iPhone 12 or older, adding a travel eSIM means the physical SIM occupies your second slot, so you keep your home number only if it lives on that tray. On an iPhone 13 or later you can hold two eSIMs active and leave the tray empty entirely.
One limit applies to every model: your iPhone uses one cellular data network at a time. Two numbers can both receive calls and messages, but data runs on whichever line you designate.
| Generation | Physical SIM + eSIM | Two eSIMs at once |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone XR through iPhone 12 | Yes | No |
| iPhone 13 and later | Yes | Yes |
What changes in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao?
Two exceptions matter, and both are easy to trip over when buying a phone abroad:
- Mainland China — as of Apple’s July 2026 documentation, only the iPhone 17e and iPhone Air support eSIM there. Every other model sold in mainland China uses physical SIMs.
- Hong Kong and Macao — certain models ship with Dual SIM using two nano-SIM cards instead of an eSIM.
A phone bought in either market may behave differently from the same model number bought elsewhere, so check the specific handset rather than the model name if you are buying secondhand.
How to check your own iPhone in about ten seconds
Rather than matching model numbers, ask the phone:
- Open Settings.
- Tap General, then About.
- Scroll to the bottom and look for an EID entry.
- If an EID is listed, your iPhone has eSIM hardware.
- To confirm it is usable, go to Settings → Cellular and look for Add eSIM or Add Cellular Plan.
An EID is the identifier for the embedded SIM chip, so its presence is a direct answer. If there is no EID line, the phone is nano-SIM only.
Two things that stop a compatible iPhone working
Hardware support is necessary but not sufficient. Both of these are worth checking before you pay for a travel plan:
- Carrier lock. To run plans from two different carriers, your iPhone must be unlocked, or both plans must come from the same carrier. A locked phone with eSIM hardware will still refuse a second carrier’s plan.
- Carrier support. The carrier issuing the plan has to support eSIM. Most large carriers do; smaller resellers vary.
If your phone is on an enterprise or corporate plan, the administrator may have restricted this, so check with them rather than assuming the hardware is at fault.
Frequently asked questions
In short
eSIM support starts at the iPhone XR and XS. Every iPhone released since has it, so if your phone is from 2018 or later the answer is almost certainly yes — check for an EID under Settings → General → About if you want to be certain in ten seconds.
The details that actually affect a trip are regional: US models from the iPhone 14 onward have no SIM tray at all, the iPhone 17 generation extends that to eleven more countries, and mainland China remains a genuine exception. Check where the handset was bought, not just which model it is.
Travelled recently and found something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will check it against Apple’s documentation and update the page.