Laptops and tablets with eSIM: 2026 models

A laptop can use an eSIM only if it was built with a cellular (WWAN) modem: in 2026 that means the LTE or 5G configurations of business Windows laptops such as Microsoft Surface Pro, Lenovo ThinkPad, HP EliteBook and Dell Latitude, plus the cellular versions of tablets such as the Galaxy Tab. The Wi-Fi-only version of the same laptop has no modem and cannot use an eSIM, and no MacBook has cellular at all.

We read the manufacturers' own specification sheets and Microsoft's Windows support pages on 27 October 2026 to build the lists and steps below. iPads have their own guide: which iPads have cellular and eSIM.

Which laptops and tablets can use an eSIM?

Any laptop or tablet sold in a cellular configuration whose modem has an embedded eSIM. In practice that splits into four groups:

Our database lists each verified family on its own page: all laptops with eSIM, Surface, ThinkPad and other Windows laptops (HP, Dell, Acer, ASUS).

One rule applies everywhere: a laptop eSIM carries data only. Windows has no phone dialler for a cellular line, so you buy a data plan, not a phone plan.

Windows laptops with cellular and eSIM: the models

The table lists the families we confirmed on the manufacturer's own page on 27 October 2026. "Yes" always means the configuration with the LTE or 5G option.

Two details from the spec sheets matter when you buy. Lenovo's PSREF lists some configurations as "Wireless WAN upgradable to 4G/5G (with antenna ready)": the antennas are there, but no modem is fitted, so there is no eSIM until a WWAN card is added. Dell notes that its WWAN module is "available only on certain configurations and in certain regions", and that eSIM availability depends on "the region and specific carrier requirements".

On Samsung's Galaxy Book laptops and on consumer laptops in general, we could not confirm a current model with cellular on the makers' pages. Check the "Network" or "WWAN" line of the exact model's spec sheet before you buy.

Snapdragon X Copilot+ PCs with 5G

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips do not add cellular by themselves: the 5G modem is a separate option, and most Snapdragon X laptops ship Wi-Fi only. The Snapdragon models we confirmed with a 5G option and an eSIM are:

• Surface Pro (11th Edition) with 5G (Snapdragon X), listed by Microsoft.
• Surface Pro for Business, 12-inch, 2nd Edition (Snapdragon X2 Plus), Wi-Fi + 5G models, sold to business buyers.
• ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Snapdragon (Quectel 5G modem) and T14s Gen 7 Snapdragon (Snapdragon X61 5G modem), per Lenovo PSREF.

Microsoft's own wording for the 12-inch model is a good summary of the whole category: 5G "is available on select configurations" and "availability of eSIM, Nano SIM ... varies by market and configuration".

How to check whether your laptop has a modem and an eSIM

A spec sheet tells you what a model can do. These checks tell you what your own laptop has.

1. Look for the Cellular page. Open Start > Settings > Network & internet. If there is a Cellular entry, the laptop has a working modem. Microsoft gives this as the first requirement for an eSIM. No Cellular entry means a Wi-Fi-only laptop, a disabled modem or a missing driver.
2. Look for eSIM profiles. Open Cellular. If you see eSIM profiles, or a Use this SIM for cellular data choice offering eSIM, the modem has an eSIM.
3. Check Device Manager. Right-click Start > Device Manager > Network adapters. A WWAN or mobile broadband adapter (for example a Quectel, Fibocom, Intel 5G Solution or Snapdragon modem) confirms the hardware.
4. Check the exact configuration. On a ThinkPad, enter the machine type (the first four characters of the model number on the label) on Lenovo PSREF. On a Dell, enter the service tag on Dell Support. On an HP, look up the product number in the QuickSpecs. The WWAN line shows whether a modem was fitted at the factory.

On a work laptop, ask IT before you install anything. Microsoft notes that organisation policies can block changes to eSIM profiles, and many business laptops come with an eSIM already set up by the company.

How to add an eSIM on Windows 11, step by step

These steps follow Microsoft's page Use an eSIM to get a cellular data connection on your Windows PC (Windows 11 tab). Before you start, buy the plan and keep the activation code or QR code your operator sends. Stay on Wi-Fi during the download.

1. Open Start > Settings > Network & internet > Cellular.
2. Open eSIM profiles. Under Add an eSIM profile from your mobile operator, select Add profile.
3. Choose how to add it:
   • Search for available profiles, if your operator has already linked a profile to your laptop's EID (common with business plans), or
   • Let me enter an activation code I have from my mobile operator, then Next. Scan the QR code with the laptop's camera or type the code.
4. If the operator gave you a confirmation code, enter it, then select Download. Windows installs the profile. It can take a minute.
5. Back in eSIM profiles, select the new profile and choose Use. Windows warns: "This will use cellular data from your data plan and may incur charges." Select Yes.
6. If Use this SIM for cellular data appears (laptops with both a SIM slot and an eSIM), set it to eSIM. On a Surface Pro (5th Gen) with LTE Advanced, the eSIM is SIM2.
7. Abroad, open Data roaming options on the same page and allow roaming for a travel eSIM. For your home SIM, "Don't roam" avoids roaming charges, as Microsoft explains.

On newer Windows versions (Microsoft says "later than 2602"), some operators also let you download the profile from their website and confirm it in Settings. On Surface, Microsoft also mentions the Mobile Plans app for buying a plan on the device the first time (Windows 11 required).

To switch between two profiles, stop using the current one and select Use on the other. Windows keeps several profiles but uses one at a time. Delete a profile only once its plan has ended: Windows asks for confirmation, and a deleted profile usually cannot be downloaded again without a new code. Our guide on getting a deleted eSIM back explains what to ask your provider.

When the eSIM does not install or connect

Match the symptom to the fix, in this order.

Who to contact: the eSIM seller for codes, plans and APNs; the laptop maker (Microsoft, Lenovo, HP, Dell) for drivers and hardware; your IT team for a company laptop. Our no-service guide and travel eSIM fixes cover network problems abroad.

Which carriers and travel eSIMs work on a laptop?

Any data-only eSIM that comes as an activation code or QR code can in principle be installed on Windows. Whether the seller supports it is a separate question, so check before you pay.

• Travel eSIMs. Airalo's compatible devices list ("as of September 2026") includes Windows 10 and 11 laptops from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft Surface. It says the laptop must be LTE-ready, that Windows 10 needs version 1703 or later, and that AT&T-locked Surface devices won't support eSIMs. Its list is "not exhaustive", so a recent ThinkPad or EliteBook can work even if it is not named.
• Your own carrier. In the US (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) and the UK (EE, Vodafone, O2, Three), laptops go on a data-only or connected-device line, not on a phone plan. Ask whether they issue an eSIM for laptops and whether your model is approved. Many business plans are pushed straight to the laptop by IT.
• Locked laptops. A laptop bought from a carrier may only accept that carrier's eSIM, as Airalo notes for AT&T Surface devices.

For trips, the logic is the same as on a phone: compare the data allowance with how you work. A laptop syncing files and running video calls uses far more data than a phone, so prefer large or unlimited plans. Our Europe travel eSIM guide compares the main options.

Android tablets with eSIM

On Android tablets, eSIM follows the same rule as on laptops: only the cellular version has it.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab. Recent Galaxy Tab S models sold as 5G take an eSIM, some with regional limits. Model numbers, regions and setup steps are in our Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Tab guide and on the Galaxy Tab device page.
• Google Pixel Tablet, OnePlus Pad, Xiaomi / Redmi Pad, Lenovo Tab. Google's, OnePlus's and Xiaomi's spec pages did not load for us on 27 October 2026, so we cannot list their SIM support here. Many of these tablets are sold Wi-Fi only, and cellular versions (with "5G" or "LTE" in the name) are sold only in some markets. Check the "SIM" or "Network" line of the exact model before buying an eSIM for it.

On Android the eSIM is added from the SIM settings, as on a phone. Our step-by-step Android eSIM activation guide covers it.

MacBook and Chromebook: hotspot instead

No MacBook has cellular. Apple's MacBook Air specs list Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread under wireless, and nothing else. To get a Mac online on the move, share the connection from an iPhone or a cellular iPad: open the Wi-Fi menu on the Mac and choose the iPhone's name, as Apple Support describes. With the same Apple Account, Instant Hotspot connects without a password. The travel eSIM stays on the iPhone, and its data goes to the Mac. Check that your plan allows tethering: some travel eSIMs limit or exclude hotspot use.

Chromebooks. Some Chromebooks have been sold with LTE, but we could not verify a current list or Google's eSIM menu path on 27 October 2026. If yours has no mobile data section in its network settings, use a phone hotspot in the same way.

A hotspot is also the simplest answer for any Wi-Fi-only Windows laptop or Android tablet: one travel eSIM on the phone covers every device.

Before you buy: a short checklist

1. Confirm the exact configuration has a WWAN modem (Settings > Network & internet > Cellular, or the maker's spec sheet).
2. Confirm the modem has an eSIM: "embedded eSIM" on PSREF, "eSIM with Dual SIM" in Dell's manual, eSIM in Microsoft's list.
3. Check that the laptop is not locked to a carrier.
4. Pick a data-only plan whose seller supports laptops, and keep the activation code.
5. Install it on Wi-Fi before you travel, and allow data roaming on arrival.

Next step: open your family's page in our eSIM device list. Planning a trip? Our guide on when to install a travel eSIM explains the timing.

How we checked

On 27 October 2026 we read: Microsoft Support's Windows eSIM and cellular settings pages (English, French, German and Spanish versions), Microsoft's Surface LTE/5G setup page and Surface Pro 12-inch tech specs; Lenovo PSREF spec sheets for each ThinkPad listed; HP's 5G WWAN datasheets and HP Japan's Dragonfly G4 spec sheet; Dell's Latitude manuals (WWAN module pages); Airalo's compatible devices list; Apple's MacBook Air specs and hotspot page. We list a model only where the maker's own page confirms a modem with eSIM. We could not verify Samsung Galaxy Book, Pixel Tablet, OnePlus Pad, Xiaomi Pad, Lenovo Tab or Chromebook cellular support that day, and say so above. iPads are covered in our separate iPad guide and Surface background in Microsoft Surface eSIM.