Does your phone support eSIM?

Before you buy a travel eSIM, you need three yeses. The phone has to take one, the phone can't be locked to your home carrier, and the plan has to work where you're going.

iPhone

Apple's setup page (checked Nov 2, 2026) says you need an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or later, plus a carrier or worldwide provider that supports eSIM. Apple's model identification page dates both to 2018.

Two eSIMs at once is a newer trick. Apple's Dual SIM page says iPhone 13 models and later can run two eSIMs, and that any iPhone uses one cellular data network at a time. So a home line and a travel plan can both sit on the phone, with data going to one of them.

The lock matters more than the model. Apple's travel page says an iPhone locked to a carrier can't use another carrier's plan. To check, open Settings, tap General, tap About, and look at Carrier Lock. "No SIM Restrictions" means it's unlocked.

There's one regional catch. Apple's pages say that in China mainland only iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air support eSIM. If your trip is there, read using a travel eSIM in mainland China first.

Pixel

Google's Pixel help page (checked Nov 2, 2026) is blunt: "Pixel 4 and later: All phones work with eSIM." Older ones are a mess. The Pixel 3a doesn't work with eSIM if it was bought with Verizon service or in Japan. The Pixel 3 has its own list of carrier and country exceptions. The Pixel 2 works only if it was bought with Google Fi, and no original 2016 Pixel works.

The page adds that in the US you can't use a physical SIM in a Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro or Pixel 10 Pro XL. The page also says eSIM use depends on the phone and the mobile carrier, so the carrier's word counts too.

Galaxy

Samsung's Australian page, last updated Sep 21, 2026, lists the Galaxy S20 through S26 series (including the FE models of some of them), the Z Fold and Z Flip line back to the first Fold, the Note20 and Note20 Ultra, and the A36 5G, A56 5G and A55 5G. It also names the XCover 7 and XCover 7 Pro.

Read that as a list for Australian models. Samsung says the guide is written for the Australian variant and that steps may vary. I read no equivalent page for other countries, so a phone sold elsewhere could differ.

To check a specific Galaxy, Samsung's steps are: open Samsung's support site, pick your device, click Spec, then Network/Bearer. Under SIM Size you want to see Embedded-SIM.

Other phones

I read no manufacturer page for other brands, so I won't list them. Ask the maker, and ask the carrier whether the phone is unlocked.

Then pick a plan

Once the phone passes, the question is data. The eSIM plans in the catalog show data, validity and hotspot rules side by side. For a rough trip cost, try the calculator. If hotspot matters to you, can you use an eSIM as a hotspot covers what plans say about it.

Installing is a separate step, and Apple documents it well: how to install a travel eSIM on an iPhone.