6 reasons why you should still buy a phone with a physical SIM slot

Just because carriers and smartphone manufacturers are phasing out SIM cards doesn’t mean you have to switch to eSIMs just yet. It’s better to buy a phone that supports eSIM and has a physical SIM slot because you get the best of both worlds. You can use eSIM for your primary carrier and reserve the physical slot for any carrier you may want to switch to temporarily. Here are some of the benefits of having a physical SIM slot.

6

Broader carrier support

Makes it more suitable for traveling

eSIMs offer convenience while traveling because you don’t need to take your phone to a store for activation. However, that doesn’t make it more suitable for traveling. Remember that eSIM is not as popular in developing countries, and not all carriers support it. When you travel to a developing region, you’ll feel more at ease using a phone with a physical SIM card slot.

For instance, if you bought an iPhone 16 in the US, which is eSIM-only, you won’t find a carrier in mainland China. If you use an eSIM-only phone, check with the local carriers in the destination country to see if they support eSIM to avoid trouble. The slow rate of global adoption is one of the main reasons you should buy a phone with a physical SIM slot in 2025.

5

You can switch devices seamlessly

You don’t have to reactivate a SIM card on a new phone

As someone who uses an iPhone and an Android phone, this is one of the biggest downsides of switching to eSIMs. With a physical SIM, all you do is take out the SIM card from your old phone and put it in your new one. There’s no need to go through the activation process again.

While Android and iOS have made it easy to transfer an eSIM from an older phone, the process is still finicky, and many carriers don’t support this seamless transfer method. I live in India, and none of the carriers here allow me to easily transfer eSIM from my old phone. I have to do it manually, which temporarily blocks SMS for 24 hours. This can be a pain if you rely on one-time passwords to authorize payments.

It’s worth checking with your carrier to see if it supports the built-in transfer options on iOS and Android. Regardless, you’ll go through the reactivation process if you transfer eSIM from an Android device to an iPhone.

4

Internet-free activation

You need an internet connection to activate eSIMs

In most cases, eSIM activation involves scanning a QR code that your carrier provided to download and activate the eSIM profile on your phone. You can’t do this if you don’t have access to the internet. Some major carriers, like AT&T and Verizon, let you activate an eSIM through their respective apps, but that requires internet access. This can be a hassle in an area with poor network coverage or no Wi-Fi, which is often the case when traveling to developing countries.

Physical SIM cards come pre-loaded with carrier information like the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) number and authentication key. They can use cellular towers instead of an internet connection for the activation process. On top of that, you can manually initiate the activation process by sending an SMS to a designated number or dialing a USSD code.

3

Your privacy remains intact

Your carrier can’t easily track you

There’s no doubt that eSIMs are more secure, but it often comes at the cost of your privacy. When you activate an eSIM, your data, such as your phone’s IMEI and location, are shared with the carrier’s servers. You can activate a physical SIM card anonymously if you choose the prepaid option, making it better suited for burner phone numbers.

More importantly, since eSIMs are embedded into phones, carriers can monitor your activities. You have almost no control over when and how they track you. However, with a physical SIM, all you do is remove or swap the SIM card to make sure your carrier isn’t tracking you. Additionally, physical SIM cards aren’t vulnerable to remote data wipes and factory resets.

2

Unaffected by phone damage

Physical SIMs remain functional even if your phone isn’t

Let’s say you dropped the phone and shattered the display or submerged it in water to the point that it’s no longer functional. Even if you have a spare phone, you can’t transfer your eSIM without your old phone. In most cases, you’ll need to visit your carrier’s store or contact customer support to explain your situation. After they verify your details, they’ll issue a new QR code for eSIM activation. All in all, this process is hectic and time-consuming.

However, if you use a physical SIM card, you can take it out and insert it into another phone to continue making calls or receiving text messages. You don’t have to wait for your carrier to verify you or worry about service disruption with physical SIMs because your phone stopped working.

1

Immune to software issues

Because it’s a separate piece of hardware

eSIMs are embedded into your phone. As a result, they rely on your phone’s operating system to function properly. So, if you run into critical bugs or glitches after an OS update, you can also face connectivity issues. A physical SIM card is a separate piece of hardware, and if you encounter software problems, you can take it out and put it in another device while you wait for a fix.

For instance, let’s say your phone is stuck in a boot loop or freezes after a buggy OS update, but you need to make an urgent phone call. You have no option besides trying to factory reset your device, which takes time. When you have a physical SIM, it only takes a spare phone and a few seconds to swap the card.

Physical SIM cards offer more flexibility

Physical SIM cards may not be around for very long, but for now, it’s worth having a phone with a SIM slot for the added flexibility. You don’t have to rely on your carrier to switch between devices, worry about compatibility issues while traveling, or be bothered about your carrier possibly tracking you if you’re privacy-conscious.

There are solid reasons why the industry is moving towards eSIMs. They’re more “digital” in the sense that you can activate them remotely, they’re less prone to SIM-swapping attacks, and you don’t have to worry about losing or damaging a physical SIM card. eSIMs may also save you money when traveling abroad. When the rest of the world adopts eSIMs, the compatibility issues we face today will be a thing of the past.