iPhone 17 eSIM: which versions have a SIM tray?

Yes, the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max support eSIM everywhere except their China mainland versions, which use two nano-SIMs; the iPhone Air and iPhone Duo are eSIM-only in every country; the iPhone 17e, 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max support eSIM in every version, China included. There is no base iPhone 18 yet. Apple's SIM type page lists where the others lose their SIM tray.

The real question is which version you hold and whether it still takes a SIM card. This page answers it for each 2025–2026 model, with the model numbers that tell versions apart. For every older iPhone, see our full iPhone eSIM model list. Everything below was checked on Apple's own pages on 28 October 2026.

Quick answer: eSIM on each new iPhone

"eSIM-only markets" below means the twelve places Apple lists: United States, US Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Guam, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. Apple's model identification page adds Puerto Rico, which uses the US models.

How many eSIMs? Apple's US, Mexican and Japanese spec pages for all eight phones read "Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs)". Two lines can be active at once, and you can keep more profiles installed but switched off. Exception: an eSIM-capable iPhone bought in China mainland can "activate and store up to two eSIMs" (Apple).

Does the iPhone 17 support eSIM?

Yes, in every version except the one sold in China mainland. What changes from country to country is whether there is also a SIM tray.

• US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Guam, US Virgin Islands and the Gulf (models A3258 and A3519): no SIM tray. The US spec page says "iPhone 17 is activated with an eSIM and does not support a physical SIM". You get two active eSIMs and storage for eight or more.
• UK, European Union and most other countries (A3520): a tray on the left side for one nano-SIM, plus eSIM. The UK spec page lists "Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)" and "Dual eSIM support", so you can run a SIM card and an eSIM, or two eSIMs.
• Hong Kong and Macao: also nano-SIM + eSIM; the Hong Kong spec page lists "nano-SIM 及 eSIM".
• China mainland (A3521): two nano-SIM cards and no eSIM. The Chinese spec page lists only "双卡 (nano‑SIM 卡)" (dual SIM, nano-SIM).

A practical consequence: an iPhone 17 bought in Toronto or Tokyo cannot take a local prepaid SIM card in London or Lisbon, but it takes any travel eSIM. One bought in London does both. Our iPhone 17 series page sums it up for the whole range.

Do the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max support eSIM?

Yes, with the same exception as the iPhone 17: not in China mainland. Apple treats the three 2025 models identically. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max US spec pages list Dual eSIM and "not compatible with physical SIM cards"; the UK, French, German and Spanish pages list "Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)".

The model numbers follow the same four-way split: A3256 / A3257 for the US, A3522 / A3525 for the other eSIM-only markets, A3523 / A3526 for the rest of the world, and A3524 / A3527 for China mainland. Apple's two nano-SIM page lists "iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max (China mainland only)" among the dual nano-SIM phones, and the Chinese 17 Pro spec page again shows only nano-SIM.

So a cheaper 17 Pro imported from China will never take a travel eSIM. A Hong Kong or Macao 17 Pro has nano-SIM and eSIM.

Does the iPhone Air support eSIM?

Yes, and only eSIM. The iPhone Air has no SIM tray in any country. Apple's model page says simply "There's no SIM tray", and every regional spec page, from the US to the UK, lists "Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs)" and "not compatible with physical SIM cards".

Model numbers: A3260 for the US, Canada, Mexico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and the Gulf; A3516 for Japan; A3517 for other countries; A3518 for China mainland. The Chinese Air does support eSIM, but with Chinese rules: activation at a China Mobile, China Telecom or China Unicom store with an ID check, and a limit of two eSIMs on the phone (Apple).

If you move to an Air from a phone with a SIM card, your carrier has to give you an eSIM first. Our guide on converting a physical SIM to eSIM covers how, and the iPhone Air page has the device summary.

Does the iPhone 17e support eSIM?

Yes, in every version, China mainland included. The iPhone 17e (introduced in 2026) has a simpler numbering than the other models: one model number, A3575, covers all thirteen no-tray places (the twelve eSIM-only markets plus Puerto Rico). A3634 is the version for other countries, with a nano-SIM tray, and A3635 is the China mainland version (Apple).

The US spec page lists two active eSIMs and storage for eight or more; the UK page lists "Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)" with Dual eSIM support. In China mainland, the 17e is one of the five iPhones that support eSIM, and Apple says it "can be activated by either an eSIM or a physical nano-SIM" (Apple). Unlike the 18 Pro, it is not on Apple's list of two nano-SIM phones: the Chinese spec page lists "nano‑SIM 卡和 eSIM", one card and eSIM.

More on the iPhone 17e page.

Do the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max support eSIM? And is there an iPhone 18?

Yes, in every version. The 2026 Pro models follow the iPhone 17 pattern outside China: no tray in the eSIM-only markets (A3472 and A3713 for the 18 Pro), nano-SIM + eSIM elsewhere (A3714). The US spec page says "iPhone 18 Pro models are activated with an eSIM and do not support a physical SIM"; the UK page lists "Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)".

The difference is China mainland. The Chinese 18 Pro (A3715) and 18 Pro Max (A3718) are the most flexible iPhones Apple sells: the Chinese spec page lists "two nano-SIM cards, or one nano-SIM card and one eSIM, or two active eSIMs". That is why these two models appear both on Apple's China eSIM list and on its two nano-SIM list.

For the 18 Pro Max, Apple's model page lists A3473 for the US and, in a garbled line, A3716 for the other eSIM-only markets; A3717 is the version for other countries.

iPhone 18: on 28 October 2026 there is no base iPhone 18. Apple's model list has no such entry, and apple.com/iphone-18 simply redirects to the iPhone overview page. Our iPhone 18 series page covers the two Pro models.

Does the iPhone Duo support eSIM?

Yes, and only eSIM, everywhere. Apple's 2026 foldable (5.4-inch outer display, 7.6-inch inner display) has "no SIM tray" in any version (Apple). Its spec page lists "Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs)" and "iPhone Duo is activated with an eSIM and does not support a physical SIM".

Model numbers: A3447 (US and Puerto Rico), A3719 (Canada, Japan, Mexico, Guam, US Virgin Islands and the Gulf), A3720 (other countries) and A3721 (China mainland). The Chinese Duo supports eSIM, with the same carrier-store activation and two-eSIM limit as the Air. Details on the iPhone Duo page.

China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao versions

Apple's rule is one sentence: "In China mainland, only iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air support eSIM" (Apple). Apple's China eSIM page gives the exact models: A3715, A3718, A3721, A3635 and A3518.

Three rules apply to Chinese eSIM iPhones:

• They store at most two eSIMs. If both slots are used, you must delete one to add a travel eSIM abroad, and reinstalling the deleted Chinese line means another visit to your carrier's store.
• Abroad, they can install a local or travel eSIM with location services on; eSIMs from non-Chinese carriers "can't be installed while located in China mainland".
• The reverse is also true: "Other iPhone models, including those purchased outside of China mainland, are unable to install an eSIM profile from carriers in China mainland." A UK or US iPhone cannot take a China Mobile eSIM, though Apple notes that worldwide providers sell data eSIMs for visitors.

Hong Kong and Macao are simpler: Apple's two nano-SIM page sends owners of every model on this page bought there to its eSIM guide, and the Hong Kong spec pages list nano-SIM + eSIM (Air and Duo: eSIM only). They behave like the international versions.

How to tell which version you have

An "iPhone 17 Pro" can be eSIM-only, nano-SIM + eSIM or dual nano-SIM. Three checks:

1. Model number on the phone. Open Settings > General > About. Next to Model Number you see a part number; tap it once to see the model number starting with A (Apple). Compare it with the table at the top of this page.
2. The tray. On the 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e, 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, a version with a tray has it on the left side. No tray on these models means an eSIM-only version (or an Air or Duo). If the phone will not switch on, the model number is engraved in the SIM slot on tray models, or inside the USB-C connector on models without a tray, on the side facing the display.
3. The box. Apple says the back of the retail packaging carries the tech specs for your model (Apple).

On the same About screen, check Carrier Lock: "No SIM Restrictions" means the iPhone can take another carrier's eSIM (Apple). If a carrier name shows, only that carrier can unlock it; see do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM?. The EID, also on that screen, confirms the eSIM chip.

What eSIM-only means for travel and for switching from Android

Travelling. An eSIM-only iPhone works abroad like any other: an unlocked one can be activated "with carriers from all over the world", and Apple advises checking the phone's cellular bands for the country (Apple). What you lose is the airport SIM card: with no tray, you need a carrier or travel provider that sells eSIM.

With iOS 26 and later, the iPhone can offer to "Turn On Travel eSIM" when you land, with a choice of "Travel eSIM Only" or "Travel eSIM and Current eSIM". If you keep both, the travel eSIM carries the data, but your home line may still incur roaming charges. You can also choose the data line yourself in Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data (UK: Mobile Data > Mobile Data). Our guides on keeping your number while travelling and running two eSIMs at once go further.

Coming from Android. With iOS 26 and later, some carriers let you move an eSIM from an Android phone (Android 16 or later) directly to an iPhone (Apple). Apple names, among others, AT&T, Cricket, T-Mobile, Verizon and Xfinity Mobile in the US, Bell and Telus in Canada, and EE in the UK. The steps:

1. Put both phones side by side, on Wi-Fi, with Bluetooth on.
2. On the iPhone, open Settings and tap Set Up Cellular > Transfer from Android. If a line is already installed, tap Cellular > Add eSIM > Transfer from Android. In the UK the labels read Set Up Mobile and Mobile.
3. Scan the QR code shown on the iPhone with the Android camera, select the number and tap Transfer.
4. If you cannot scan, on Android go to Settings > Google services > All services > Pair with iPhone or iPad > Transfer eSIM and enter the codes shown on the iPhone.
5. The Android SIM is then deactivated. Make a test call.

If your carrier is not on Apple's list, it will transfer the number by eSIM Carrier Activation or a QR code instead. The reverse trip is in our guide to moving an eSIM from iPhone to Android and back, and first-time setup in how to activate an eSIM on iPhone.

How we checked

On 28 October 2026 we read Apple's own pages: Learn which SIM your iPhone uses, Identify your iPhone model, Using eSIM in China mainland, Dual SIM with two nano-SIM cards, Set up eSIM, eSIM while travelling, Transfer your eSIM from Android and Find the model number, plus the tech specs of all eight phones in their US, UK, French, German, Spanish, Mexican, Japanese, Hong Kong and Chinese editions. The apple.com iPhone pages confirmed which models are on sale.

We report only what Apple writes. Where its lists differ (Puerto Rico appears on the model page but not on the SIM page; the 18 Pro Max model numbers are garbled), we say so. For non-Apple phones, see our compatible devices list and the iPhone overview.