If your smartphone has the capability to use eSIM, you should always opt for it. Instead of having a physical sim eSIM is always a better choice. Phones like iPhones, Google Pixel and the flagship smartphones of Samsung have eSIM support. Here is why you should use an eSIM over a physical SIM.
What is an eSIM?
An eSIM is a SIM card which is built right into your smartphone and using it you can connect to any network you want. If you have Vodafone or T-Mobile carrier SIM card. You can instead of using a physical SIM just request your service provider to provide you with an eSIM.
Once you request for an eSIM, you will get a QR code from the service provider. Scanning the QR code will activate your phone number and the physical SIM will be disabled. Now, your phone will use the embedded SIM card to search for networks and will use the eSIM for calls, texts and mobile data.
Why You Should use an eSIM over a physical SIM?
Using an eSIM can be very helpful in making your phone a bit extra secure. Usually, when your phone is stolen or lost, the one thing that thieves do is remove the SIM card, since a lot of phones like Galaxy phones cannot be turned off if the phone is locked. So, thieves remove SIM cards so that people cannot rack them or call them.
However, if you are using an eSIM on your phone, then it means it doesn’t have a physical SIM card inside the phone and they won’t be able to remove anything from your phone. Also, to remove an eSIM from a mobile device, you need to enter the phone’s passcode.
Even if you do a factory reset to the phone, the eSIM still persists. This way, it can be easier for you to track your smartphone when stolen.
The physical SIM cards often stop working at any time due to wear and tear or maybe if water gets inside the SIM card slot. In such scenarios, the eSIM can be a better choice.
Multiple eSIM card Support
Another key advantage of using eSIMs is that our smartphones can store up to 5 different eSIM cards at once. This means that if you travel a lot to different countries or states and don’t want to use your local number as there can be roaming charges. So, in that case, you can keep the local SIM card of that country in the form of an eSIM. This way you won’t need to worry about losing the SIM card as it is stored in the phone itself. All you will have to do is just enable the eSIM of that country whenever you are visiting.
eSIM on SmartWatch
If you have an LTE model of your Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, then you can use the same phone number on your watch that you are using on your phone. This is also possible with the help of the eSIM. The smartwatch doesn’t have a SIM card slot, instead, you need to activate the eSIM from your service provider.
Disadvantage
The only downside of using an eSIM is if you change your smartphone frequently then you will have to get a physical SIM card from the store and then again activate the eSIM. You cannot simply transfer your eSIM from one phone to another. You will have to get a physical SIM.
So, if you are someone who changes phones very frequently, then you should avoid using eSIM as it could be a bit of a hassle for you to every time to go to the store and get the physical sim.
As of now in India Vi postpaid, Airtel Postpaid and JIO prepaid/post-paid offer support for eSIM. Here is the process of activating eSIM on VI, Airtel and JIO.
To check if your phone has an eSIM or not, you will have to visit the website of the phone and it should be written in the specs. Some of the common phones that have eSIM option are- iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone SE 2 (2020) , iPad Pro 11″ (1st Gen or later), iPad Pro 12.9″ (3rd Gen or later), iPad Air (3rd Gen or later), iPad (7th Gen or later), iPad mini (5th Gen or later), Google Pixel 6 Pro, 6, 6a, 5, 4, 4a, 4 XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, HONOR Magic 3, Magic 3 Pro, Magic 3 Pro+, 50, Huawei P40, P40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro, Nuu X5, Rakuten Mini, Big‑S, Big, Samsung Galaxy Fold, Note20, Note20 Ultra, S22, S22+, S22 Ultra, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G, S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, Z Flip, Z Fold 2, Z Fold 3 5G, Z Flip 3 5G Fold, Z Flip 3 5G, Sharp AQUOS sense4 lite, Sony Xperia 10 III Lite, Surface Duo, Gemini PDA, the Microsoft Surface Pro X
