Paul Morris on December 27, 2021, 10:18 pm

Apple Prepares For A Smartphone World Without SIM Card Slots

According to a new sketchy report from a Brazilian blogging site, Cupertino-based Apple Inc. is looking to pave the way for SIM card-free future iPhones. If accurate, consumers could start seeing this type of iPhone hitting the market as early as September 2022.

The Blog do iPhone Brazilian online publication has stated that Apple had originally started looking at introducing iPhones without SIM card slots with the release of the iPhone 15 models in late 2023.

However, that could be brought forward with a tipster stating to MacRumors that major US-based carriers have been told to prepare for the launch of eSIM iPhones within the next ten months. To add some validity to the claim, the aforementioned tipster provided an official-looking document that outlines the project.

It’s worth noting that the provided document doesn’t actually mention Apple by name or mention the iPhone smartphone.

In order to get a jump on the transition to SIM-less smartphones, it’s being suggested that some of the major carriers in the United States will start offering some of Apple’s iPhone 13 models without a SIM card in the box. The next stage of that transition would logically be for Apple to start selling the iPhone 14 in September 2022 without any SIM card slot at all. Once accepted, then it’s likely that all future iPhone models would follow the same pattern.

For those wondering about what an eSIM actually is, it’s worth noting that that type of technology is not actually available in all countries. With that in mind, Apple will likely continue to offer hardware with a SIM card slot in some markets. In those countries that do have eSIM-compatibility, owners will be able to pull the iPhone out of the box and activate a cellular plan over a wireless network without needing access to a physical nano-SIM card.

By removing the SIM card slot and rolling out support in more countries for the eSIM, Apple would be able to take a step closer to building an iPhone that offers a seamless unibody design.