eSIM Compatible Devices: Is Your Phone on the List? (2026)
The ten-second settings check, the full list of supported phones by brand, and the three reasons a phone that should work refuses to install a profile.
Worth settling before you buy any plan — and it takes about ten seconds.
The ten-second check
Open Settings and find the mobile data or connections section. If you see Add eSIM, Add Data Plan or Add Digital SIM, your phone supports it. Done.
- iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data → Add eSIM
- Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM Manager → Add eSIM
- Pixel: Settings → Network & Internet → SIMs → Download a SIM
If you'd rather use a check that works on any handset, dial *#06# on the keypad. You'll see the IMEI and, on eSIM-capable phones, a second number labelled EID. EID present means eSIM present.
Supported devices by brand
Support broadly begins around 2018:
| Brand | Supported from |
|---|---|
| Apple | iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later; SE 2nd gen onwards; cellular iPads |
| Samsung | Galaxy S20 onwards, Note 20, all Z Fold and Z Flip generations |
| Pixel 3 onwards | |
| Huawei | P40, P50, Mate 40, Mate 50 |
| Xiaomi | 12T Pro, 13, 14 and later (varies by model) |
| Oppo | Find X3 Pro, Find X5, Find N2 |
| Motorola | Razr foldables, Edge 40 onwards |
| Sony | Xperia 10 III, Xperia 1 IV and later |
| Honor | Magic 4 Pro onwards |
Two special cases worth knowing:
US iPhones from the 14 onwards are eSIM-only. No tray, no plastic card, no option. If you buy a handset in the United States, digital is the only route.
Mid-range support is patchy. A Galaxy A or a Redmi may or may not have it depending on model and sales region. On those, the settings check beats any list including this one.
The three reasons it fails anyway
This is where people with a "compatible" phone get stuck:
1. The phone is carrier-locked. By far the number one cause. A handset bought on instalments from an operator usually stays locked until paid off, and in that state it rejects any outside profile. The fix is requesting an unlock from your operator, who is obliged to provide it once contract terms are met. There's no workaround.
2. The regional version doesn't have it. The same model can have eSIM in one market and not another. It's especially common on devices built for mainland China — including iPhones, which ship there with two physical trays instead. If you bought your phone as a grey import, check settings rather than trusting the model name.
3. Profile storage is full. Phones hold a limited number of profiles. If you've accumulated eSIMs from previous trips you can hit the ceiling, and installation then fails without explaining why. Delete expired profiles you no longer use and try again.
Storing is not activating
A common confusion. Your phone can store several profiles — eight or more on recent iPhones — but can only have two lines active at once.
In practice this means you can keep plans for several countries installed and switch which one is active in settings, without rescanning any code. For anyone chaining destinations in one trip, it's the most useful feature of the whole technology.
What about laptops and tablets?
Cellular iPads work exactly like a phone and take travel plans normally.
Smartwatches don't. A connected watch relies on a profile tied to your main line and issued by your carrier; it won't accept a third-party data plan.
Laptops with built-in cellular exist but are uncommon, and support varies by manufacturer. For most people the practical answer is tethering from the phone — bearing in mind that a laptop consumes far more data than a phone, so size the plan accordingly.
If your phone doesn't support it
There's no software fix — the hardware is either there or it isn't. The real options are a local SIM card bought at your destination, your carrier's roaming plan, or carrying a second, supported handset.
If your phone does support it, the compatible devices page lets you filter by brand and model, and what is an eSIM covers how the rest of it works.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my phone is eSIM compatible?
Open Settings and find the mobile data or connections section. If an option appears called Add eSIM, Add Data Plan or Add Digital SIM, your phone supports it. A check that works on any handset is to dial *#06# on the keypad: if a second number labelled EID appears alongside the IMEI, the device has eSIM hardware.
Which iPhones support eSIM?
Every iPhone from the XS, XS Max and XR of 2018 onwards, including SE second generation and later. Models sold in the United States from iPhone 14 onwards are eSIM-only and have no physical SIM tray at all. The exception is versions built for mainland China, which ship with dual physical SIM slots and no eSIM support.
Which Samsung phones support eSIM?
The Galaxy S series from S20 onwards, the Note 20, and every Z Fold and Z Flip foldable. Support in the mid-range A series is inconsistent and depends on both the model and the country it was sold in, so on a Galaxy A it is worth checking settings directly rather than trusting the series name.
My phone supports eSIM but installation fails. Why?
The most common cause is that the handset is carrier-locked. A phone bought on instalments from a network operator usually stays locked until it is paid off, and in that state it rejects third-party profiles. The fix is to request unlocking from your operator, who must provide it once contract terms are met. The second most common cause is hitting the limit on stored profiles.
How many eSIMs can a phone store at once?
It depends on the model. Recent iPhones store eight or more profiles, though only two lines can be active simultaneously. Most Android phones store between one and seven. Storing and activating are different things: you can keep several countries installed and switch which one is active in settings without downloading anything again.
Do iPads and smartwatches work with travel eSIMs?
Cellular iPads do, and behave exactly like a phone. Connected smartwatches do not: they rely on a profile tied to your main line and issued by your operator, and will not accept third-party data plans. To connect a laptop, the practical route is sharing the connection from your phone.
Can I transfer an eSIM to another phone?
Not as easily as a physical card. The profile is bound to the device it was installed on and generally does not move when you change handsets. Recovering it means asking the provider for a reinstall, which is not always immediate. This is the genuine drawback against a plastic SIM and worth knowing if you travel with a backup phone.
Do budget phones support eSIM?
Increasingly, but inconsistently. Support has spread down from flagships into the mid-range, yet two phones with the same model name can differ depending on which market they were built for. On any budget or mid-range handset, the settings check is far more reliable than any published list.
