Is My Phone eSIM Compatible? Check Any Model in Seconds
eSIM Guides · · 10 min read · By AirCarta Team
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You do not need a compatibility list to answer this. Your phone will tell you itself, in about ten seconds, and its answer beats any list because it accounts for the one thing lists cannot: which regional version of the model you actually own.
Two phones with the same name, bought in different countries, can differ in hardware. That is why "the iPhone 13 supports eSIM" is true and still might not be true of the specific handset in your pocket.
Here is the test that settles it, the second check almost everyone forgets, and where the menu hides on each manufacturer.
⚡ The 10-Second Test
Open your phone app and dial:
*#06#The screen fills with identifiers immediately. You do not need to press call.
Look for EID. It is a 32-digit number, listed near the IMEI.
That is the whole test. The EID is the serial number of the eSIM chip itself, so its presence is direct physical evidence rather than a claim about your model.
This works on iPhone, on every Android brand, and regardless of where the phone was sold.
👉 Or search your exact model in our device checker →
🔒 The Second Check Nobody Mentions
A phone can pass the EID test and still refuse a travel eSIM.
Carrier locking. If your phone was subsidised on a contract, the operator may have locked it to their network. The eSIM chip works perfectly; the phone simply rejects foreign profiles.
How to check:
Most operators unlock a device free of charge once the contract is paid off. It is worth doing before you buy any travel plan, because this is the single most common reason a perfectly compatible phone fails at the last step.
Having an EID is necessary. Being unlocked is what makes it sufficient.
📱 Where the Menu Lives, Brand by Brand
If the dial code is inconclusive, or you simply want to see the option with your own eyes, here is the route on each manufacturer. Menu names shift between software versions, so treat these as the neighbourhood rather than the exact address.
Apple
Settings → Cellular (or Mobile Service). Look for Add eSIM. The EID is under Settings → General → About.
Rule of thumb: iPhone XS, XS Max and XR onwards. US models of the iPhone 14 and later have no SIM tray at all.
Samsung Galaxy
Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM. The EID appears under Settings → About phone → Status information.
Rule of thumb: Galaxy S20 and later, most Z Fold and Z Flip models, and Note 20. Some regional variants, particularly those sold in the US on carrier contracts, differ.
Google Pixel
Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Download a SIM instead?
Rule of thumb: Pixel 3 onwards, with the notable exception of the Pixel 3 sold in some markets. Pixel 4a and later are consistently supported.
Motorola
Settings → Network & internet → SIMs. Recent Edge and Razr models support eSIM, as does the ThinkPhone. The Moto G line is inconsistent: some models yes, most no.
Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO
Settings → SIM cards & mobile networks. Support is patchy and heavily region-dependent. Xiaomi's global variants of recent flagships generally support it; Chinese-market versions of the same phone often do not.
OPPO, OnePlus, Realme
Settings → Mobile network → SIM card and mobile data. Find X and recent OnePlus flagships generally support it. Mid-range models frequently do not.
Huawei, Honor
Settings → Mobile network → SIM management. Support varies considerably by model and market, and Huawei's software situation adds a layer. Check the EID rather than trusting a spec sheet.
Sony, Nothing, Fairphone, ZTE
Settings → Network & internet → SIMs, or About phone → Status for the EID. Recent Xperia, Nothing Phone and Fairphone models support eSIM.
Our checker covers 357 devices across 62 brands, including business handsets from Zebra, Honeywell and Kyocera that rarely appear on consumer lists.
📅 The Rough Rule by Year
If you want a quick sense before checking, this is the shape of it:
| Phone | eSIM support |
|---|---|
| Flagship released 2022 or later | Very likely |
| Flagship released 2019 to 2021 | Likely, check the region |
| Mid-range released 2023 or later | Sometimes, check the model |
| Mid-range or budget before 2022 | Usually not |
| Anything before 2018 | No |
Flagships adopted eSIM years before mid-range phones did, so the price tier matters as much as the year.
🌍 The Trap: Same Name, Different Hardware
This is why the dial code beats a list.
Manufacturers ship different hardware under the same model name in different markets. The clearest example has been mainland China, where phones long shipped with two physical SIM slots and no eSIM chip at all, to meet local rules. An iPhone 13 bought in Shanghai genuinely has no eSIM; the identical model bought in Paris does.
That situation is changing. In October 2025, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom received approval to run commercial eSIM services, and the eSIM-only iPhone Air went on sale in mainland China, with OPPO and others following. So a recent Chinese-market phone may well support eSIM where an older one does not.
Which is exactly the point: check the handset, not the headline. A phone bought second-hand, imported, or abroad can be a different device from the one reviewed online under the same name.
Same caution applies to US carrier variants, which have historically differed from unlocked international models.
❌ Your Phone Has No eSIM. Now What?
No update, app or shop visit can add an eSIM chip to hardware that does not have one. The realistic options:
Use a local physical SIM. Still works everywhere, still often cheap. It means a shop visit, sometimes a passport, and swapping out your home SIM.
Use a second phone. Many people keep an old handset. If that one has an EID, it can carry the travel data and share it by hotspot.
Use a portable hotspot. Rentable at many airports. More expensive than an eSIM and one more thing to charge, but it connects several devices at once.
Upgrade when you were going to anyway. Not advice to buy a phone for this, but if a replacement is already due, eSIM support is now near-universal at the top of the range.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my phone supports eSIM?
Dial *#06# and look for an EID, a 32-digit number. If it is there, your phone has an eSIM chip. If only an IMEI appears, it does not.
What is an EID number? The serial number of the eSIM chip built into your phone. It never changes, carries no personal data, and its presence is the most reliable proof of eSIM support. We cover it fully in what is an EID number.
Which iPhones support eSIM? Every model from the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR onwards. US models of the iPhone 14 and later are eSIM-only with no SIM tray. Mainland China models through the 16 series are the exception.
Which Samsung phones support eSIM? Galaxy S20 and later, Note 20, and most Z Fold and Z Flip models. Some carrier-specific US variants differ, so check the EID.
Do all Google Pixels support eSIM? From the Pixel 3 onwards, with some regional exceptions on that generation. Pixel 4a and later are consistent.
Can I add eSIM to a phone that does not have it? No. It is a physical chip soldered in at manufacture. No software update, app or accessory adds one.
My phone has an EID but the eSIM will not install. Why? Almost always a carrier lock. Check Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock on iPhone, and contact your operator if it does not say No SIM restrictions.
Does a second-hand phone still support eSIM? If the hardware has the chip, yes. But a second-hand phone may be a regional variant that differs from the model you researched, which is exactly why the dial code beats a spec sheet.
Do tablets and smartwatches support eSIM?
Many do, including recent iPads, Apple Watch cellular models and Galaxy Watch LTE. The same *#06# or Settings check applies, and travel data plans work on tablets.
Is eSIM support the same in every country? The chip is, but availability is not. Some markets received eSIM later than others, and some phone variants sold in those markets shipped without it.
🏁 The Short Version
*#06# and look for an EID. That is the whole compatibility test, on any brand.👉 Search your exact model against 357 devices →
Related reading: What is an EID number and where to find it · Does iPhone 13 have eSIM? · How to set up an eSIM on iPhone · How to activate your eSIM · Browse plans for 190+ countries