Which iPhones support eSIM? Full 2026 model list

Every iPhone from the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR (2018) onwards supports eSIM, including the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), the 16e, the whole iPhone 17 family, iPhone Air and the 2026 models: iPhone 17e, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the foldable iPhone Duo. That is Apple's own minimum on its eSIM set-up page. The exceptions are regional: most iPhones sold in mainland China have two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM, and iPhones bought from some carriers can have eSIM disabled.

Below is the full list by generation, which models have no SIM tray at all and in which countries, how many eSIMs you can store and use at once, and how to tell exactly which variant is in your hand. Every fact was checked on Apple's pages on 27 October 2026.

Which iPhones support eSIM?

Apple's rule is short: eSIM needs "an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, or later" (Set up eSIM on iPhone, published 22 October 2026). In practice that means these models, newest first:

• 2026: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 17e
• 2025: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 16e
• 2024: iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
• 2023: iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max
• 2022: iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, iPhone SE (3rd generation)
• 2021: iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max
• 2020: iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• 2019: iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
• 2018: iPhone XS, XS Max, XR

Apple's model identification page lists no base "iPhone 18" yet: the 2026 autumn line-up is the 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo, which has a 5.4-inch outer and a 7.6-inch inner display. The iPhone X, iPhone 8, 8 Plus and every older iPhone have no eSIM.

One oddity: Apple's SIM-type page files the iPhone SE (2nd generation) under "nano-SIM only", but the same company's SE (2nd generation) tech specs list "Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)". The tech specs are right; the SE 2 has eSIM. Our iPhone eSIM overview has a page per series.

iPhone eSIM support by generation (table)

"Lines at once" means how many numbers can be active together. Apple's spec pages for the 2025 and 2026 models all say "two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs". "No SIM tray in" lists where the model is eSIM-only.

Sources for each row: Apple's SIM-type list, Dual SIM with eSIM, Dual SIM with two nano-SIM cards and the spec pages of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Duo, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e. Series detail: iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, iPhone 16 series, iPhone SE, iPhone XS and XR.

Which iPhones are eSIM-only, and where?

An eSIM-only iPhone has no SIM tray: you cannot put a plastic SIM card in it at all. Apple's list has four tiers.

eSIM-only in every country

iPhone Air and iPhone Duo. Their spec pages say each "is activated with an eSIM and does not support a physical SIM". If you take a card-only plan with you, you will need the carrier to swap it for an eSIM first; our guide on converting a physical SIM to eSIM covers that.

eSIM-only in 12 markets: the 2025–2026 standard and Pro models

The iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e, 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are eSIM-only when bought in the United States, the US Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Guam, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman (Apple). Bought anywhere else, including the UK and the rest of Europe, they keep a nano-SIM tray next to the eSIM.

eSIM-only in the US: iPhone 14, 15 and 16

All iPhone 14, 15 and 16 models (16e included) bought in the United States have no tray. The same models sold elsewhere take a nano-SIM plus eSIM.

Never eSIM-only

iPhone 13 and earlier, and both SE models, always have a SIM tray.

What this means in practice: a US-bought iPhone 15 used in London or Madrid still works with local or travel eSIMs, but not with a local prepaid SIM card. A UK-bought iPhone 17 Pro taken to New York keeps its tray and can use either. If you are buying second-hand or abroad, check the model number (last section) before you pay: it tells you which variant you have.

How many eSIMs can an iPhone hold and use?

Apple says an iPhone can "manage up to eight or more eSIMs" (Apple), and the spec pages for the 2025 and 2026 models read "two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs". Apple gives no hard maximum, so treat eight as the floor, not a promise for every model.

• Stored profiles sit on the chip, switched off. You can keep a travel eSIM for Morocco and one for Turkey installed and turn each on when you land.
• Active lines: two at a time. On iPhone 13 and later both can be eSIMs; on iPhone XS, XR, 11, 12 and SE 2nd generation, the second line has to be the physical nano-SIM.
• Data: "Your iPhone can use one cellular data network at a time" (Apple). You choose which in Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data (UK: Mobile Data).

A typical traveller set-up is therefore: home number active for calls and texts, travel eSIM active and chosen for data, everything else stored. Turn off "Allow Cellular Data Switching" if you do not want the iPhone to fall back on your home line's roaming data.

Dual SIM combinations by model

Both lines can make and receive calls and texts. To use two different carriers, the iPhone has to be unlocked; with a locked phone both plans must come from the same carrier (Apple). Label the lines (for example "Home" and "Travel") under Settings > Cellular > tap the number > Cellular Plan Label, so you always know which one is dialling out.

China, Hong Kong and Macao: dual SIM without eSIM

"In China mainland, only iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air support eSIM" (Apple). Every other iPhone sold in mainland China, from the XR to the 17 Pro Max, has two nano-SIM slots instead of an eSIM.

Hong Kong and Macao are split. Apple's two nano-SIM page lists the 11, 12, 13 (except mini), 14, 15 and 16 families, the XR and XS Max as dual nano-SIM models when bought there. Owners of the iPhone XS, 12 mini, 13 mini, both SE models, 16e, 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e, Air, 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max or Duo bought in Hong Kong or Macao are sent to the eSIM guide instead: those variants have eSIM.

Two points where Apple's pages are not consistent, so check the tray on the phone itself:

• The China mainland iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max appear both in the "support eSIM" sentence and in the two nano-SIM list.
• The China mainland iPhone 17e supports eSIM according to two Apple support articles, while one page of the iPhone User Guide also lists it among two nano-SIM models.

If you are offered a cheap grey-import iPhone from China, assume it cannot take a travel eSIM unless it is one of the five models above. The model number gives it away: A3521, A3524 and A3527 are the China mainland iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max; A3288 is the iPhone 16 for China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.

Carrier-locked iPhones

The hardware is only half of it. Apple's SE (2nd generation) spec page warns that "use of eSIM in iPhone may be disabled when purchased from some carriers" (Apple), and a locked iPhone only accepts plans from the carrier it is locked to.

1. Open Settings > General > About.
2. Find Carrier Lock. "No SIM restrictions" means the iPhone is unlocked (Apple, iOS 14 or later).
3. If a carrier name or anything else appears, only that carrier can unlock it; Apple cannot. In the US that means AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or the prepaid brand you bought from; in the UK, EE, O2, Vodafone or Three.
4. After the carrier confirms the unlock, restart the iPhone and check the line again.

A travel eSIM needs an unlocked phone; we explain why in Do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM?. If the phone is unlocked and still refuses, see why your iPhone says eSIM not supported.

How to check which iPhone model you have

The marketing name is not enough: an "iPhone 16" can be eSIM-only (US), nano-SIM + eSIM (Europe) or dual nano-SIM (China). The model number tells you which. Apple's steps (Find the model number):

1. Open Settings > General > About.
2. Next to Model Number you see a part number (it starts with M, N, F or P).
3. Tap it once: it changes to the model number starting with A, for example A3258.
4. Look it up on Apple's Identify your iPhone model page, which lists every A-number with the country group it was made for.

If the iPhone will not switch on, the model number is engraved inside the SIM slot (iPhone 8 or later with a tray, on the side facing the display) or, on iPhones without a tray, on the USB-C or Lightning connector.

On the same About screen you can scroll down to the EID: a 32-digit number shown there means the eSIM chip is present. Our guide to finding your EID and the no-install eSIM check cover the other methods.

Next step: add or move your eSIM

Once you know your model supports eSIM, the path on iOS 26 is Settings > Cellular > Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM (UK: Settings > Mobile Service > Set Up Mobile or Add eSIM), per Apple UK. A carrier QR code can be scanned straight from the Camera app: tap "Cellular Plan Detected", then "Add Cellular Plan".

• Setting up a new line, step by step: how to activate an eSIM on iPhone.
• Switching your current SIM card to eSIM: convert a physical SIM to eSIM.
• New iPhone: transfer an eSIM between two iPhones. With iOS 26 or later you can move more than one number at once.
• Going abroad with an eSIM-only US iPhone: our destination guides, such as Spain or Morocco, list which travel eSIMs work there.

The full list of non-Apple phones is on our compatible devices page.

How we checked

We read Apple's own pages on 27 October 2026: Set up eSIM on iPhone (published 22 October 2026), which SIM your iPhone uses, Dual SIM with an eSIM, Dual SIM with two nano-SIM cards, Identify your iPhone model, Find the model number, Unlock your iPhone, the tech specs of the iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation and iPhone 11, and the apple.com spec pages of the iPhone 18 Pro, Duo, Air, 17 and 17e.

Where Apple's pages contradict each other (iPhone SE 2nd generation; China mainland iPhone 17e and 18 Pro) we say so rather than pick one. We did not use rumour sites for any model. Apple can update these lists at any time; if your phone disagrees with this page, the model number and the About screen are the final word.