A teaser graphic posted by China Mobile on social media has renewed speculation that Apple’s 2018 iPhones will carry a feature some users have waited years for: dual SIM support.
Depending on where you live and how you use your phone, this is potentially a huge deal. Dual SIM phones feature slots for two SIM cards, but up until now the feature has primarily been reserved for Android phones sold in Asia. They’re favored by business clients who travel often and rely on multiple carriers when they’re home or away.
There was a leaked ad from China Telecom picturing a new iPhone with dual SIM cards and the text, “New iPhone coming soon, dual SIM support, I’ve been waiting for you.”
There was also a photo illustration of an apple (the fruit) with two SIM cards poking into it. The large text on the top says, “New Apple with dual SIM?” and the smaller text around the apple lists benefits of having two SIM cards like network use and data.
We expect the dual-SIM cards iPhone XS to be available in China first and then rolled out to other regions (Asia, Europe…), except the U.S. because it’s not in the interest of the local mobile carriers: It makes switching between operators too easy.
How easy? Well, as easy as just flipping a switch on the iPhone’s settings.In fact, the iPad Pro had dual-SIM card support since the launch of the 9.7-inch version, 2 years ago when it included a nano-SIM tray – which works with a nano-SIM card from most mobile operators or with the proprietary Apple SIM card – and an embedded Apple SIM (or eSIM), which is essentially a virtual SIM card that can’t be removed from the device.