Although the company did not announce it during its event, Apple has added support for Dual eSIM in iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. iPhone 12 already had support for Dual SIM and eSIM, while iOS 14.5 brought 5G in dual SIM mode, Dual eSIM is a new addition to the iPhone line-up.
Use two eSIMs on iPhone 13 with Dual eSIM
Dual eSIM mode is useful in scenarios where a customer might want to use two numbers on their iPhone with two eSIMs, without using any physical SIM. This will primarily depend on carrier support but if it’s available, all iPhone 13 models will work with it.
If you are wondering whether you can use three numbers at the same time with Dual eSIM and a nano-SIM, it seems unlikely. Apple’s tech specifications page mentions that the following are supported
- Dual SIM (nano‑SIM and eSIM)
- Dual eSIM support
A Dual SIM configuration is also useful in situations where users might want to use one carrier for data and one just for calls. This can be configured from iPhone settings.
A quick search confirms that other companies like Samsung only support usage of one eSIM at a time on their flagship smartphones, even though it can store multiple eSIMs.
Apple’s technical specifications pages for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro also mention that the smartphones are not compatible with existing micro-SIM cards so users will have to get new nano-SIM cards.
iPhone 13 will open for pre-orders this Friday, September 17, while general availability will start from Friday, September 24.
Read more:
- Apple introduces ProRes video recording workflow in the new iPhone 13 Pro models
- iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max feature up to 1TB of storage capacity
- iPhone 13 notch: 20% smaller but slightly taller than iPhone 12’s notch
- As iPhone 13 arrives, Apple discontinues iPhone XR and iPhone 12 Pro
