Apple's new iPhones use eSIM technology, but only nine countries in the world support it

The new iPhone XS and XS Max will have two SIM card capabilities, with a special edition for the Chinese market that contains a SIM card drawer containing two physical cards. For users outside China, however, new iPhone devices will support eSIM. Although eSIM has many advantages, the emerging technology has not yet been widely adopted.

Only nine countries offer eSIM assistance at the moment: Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. Sprint and smaller operators in the US do not offer eSIM support, which means customers will need to upgrade to T-Mobile, Verizon or AT & T to take advantage of this feature.

In China, Apple's special dual SIM bins will bypass the need for eSIM compatibility, which China has very little anyway. The two main operators, China Telecom and China Mobile, have introduced eSIM support in a few cities, with the exception of Beijing. Instead, the new iPhones will have two physical SIM cards, like many Android phones in China. The feature will be immediately available, while in the rest of the world, users will have to wait until Apple sends its eSIM software update later this fall.

Electronic SIM cards eliminate the need to put a pin in your drawer to exchange a small piece of plastic. Instead, eSIM, which stands for integrated SIM cards, only needs a compatible network or operator to offer support. The XS and XS Max always have a nano physical SIM card slot for the second SIM support.

Apple first introduced the eSIM into the Apple Watch Series 3, which led to speculation that eSIM would make its appearance in iPhones. In anticipation of the official announcement of the iPhone XS, a dual SIM card support has been envisaged to attract customers in markets such as India, the Philippines and China. Dual SIM support makes international travel more convenient because you can keep two active numbers at the same time. Developing markets have used dual SIM cards to avoid roaming charges, easily exchange carriers and benefit from other discounts for the use of two lines at a time.

Although eSIM support may be weak, it can dramatically change the way American operators offer smartphone plans. ESIM support will make it easier for customers to switch societies – and perhaps too easily: early this year, the US Department of Justice investigated AT & T, Verizon and the GSMA mobile industry group. With eSIM support now on iPhones, we can begin to see operators arguing over who can further reduce pricing, much like when Verizon reintroduced an unrestricted data plan that caused competitors to rethink their offerings.