You’re planning a month-long stint in Portugal, a client visit to Japan, or maybe a multi-country campervan trip through Europe. Someone mentions eSIM as the modern way to stay connected, and your first question is: does my phone even support this?

The short answer: probably, if you bought a flagship phone in the last few years. But there’s more to the story. We’ve shipped portable WiFi devices and eSIM subscriptions to hundreds of digital nomads and remote workers, and we’ve learned that eSIM compatibility is only one piece of the puzzle. Sometimes your phone supports eSIM but it’s locked by your carrier. Sometimes it supports eSIM but you’re travelling with a laptop and tablet that need internet too. And sometimes, especially on long trips across multiple countries, portable WiFi just makes more sense.

Here’s the complete picture, from someone who deals with traveller connectivity every day.

Which Phones Actually Support eSIM?

eSIM support started appearing in high-end phones around 2018 and has slowly trickled down. Here’s the real-world breakdown:

iPhones with eSIM Support

• iPhone XS, XS Max, XR (2018) and newer
• iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020) and newer
• iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 series — all models
• Note: US iPhones from iPhone 14 onwards have no physical SIM slot at all — eSIM only

Samsung Galaxy Phones with eSIM

• Galaxy S20, S21, S22, S23, S24 series (including Plus and Ultra models)
• Galaxy Z Fold 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
• Galaxy Z Flip, Z Flip3, Z Flip4, Z Flip5, Z Flip6
• Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra

Important: Many Samsung A-series and mid-range models do not support eSIM, even recent ones. Check your exact model number.

Google Pixel Phones with eSIM

• Pixel 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL
• Pixel 4, 4 XL, 4a, 4a 5G
• Pixel 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a
• Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, 8, 8 Pro, 8a, 9, 9 Pro
• Pixel Fold

Other Brands

• Motorola: Razr (2019), Razr 5G, Edge+, Edge 40 series, G52, G53
• Huawei: P40, P40 Pro (but limited Google services outside China)
• Oppo: Find X3 Pro, Find X5, Find X5 Pro, Reno 5A, Reno 6 Pro 5G
• Honor: Magic 4 Pro, Magic 5 Pro

This isn’t exhaustive. New models launch constantly. To confirm, go to your phone’s settings: on iPhone, look for Settings → Mobile Data → Add eSIM. On Android, it’s usually Settings → Network & Internet → SIMs → Add SIM → Download a SIM instead.

“We managed to stay always connected while travelling around Europe, without having to buy SIM cards in every country and ending up with a handful of them with different balances we couldn’t use. Excellent support team.”
— Patrícia Reis de Magalhães, verified ConnectPls customer

Three Gotchas That Trip People Up

1. Carrier Locks

Your phone might support eSIM hardware but be locked by your home carrier. We’ve seen this with phones bought on contract in the US and UK especially. Call your carrier and ask them to unlock it before you fly, not from a Spanish Airbnb with patchy WiFi.

2. Regional Variants

Samsung and other Android manufacturers sometimes ship different hardware to different regions. The European Galaxy S23 might support eSIM; the version sold in India might not. Check your exact model variant, not just the name.

3. The Dual-SIM Confusion

Many phones support either two physical SIMs or one physical SIM plus eSIM, but not both at once. If you’re trying to juggle a home number and a travel eSIM, read your phone’s manual carefully.

What If My Phone Doesn’t Support eSIM?

Honestly? You have better options than buying a new phone just for travel connectivity.

We ship portable WiFi devices included in monthly subscriptions to digital nomads who need reliable internet across multiple countries. The device arrives at your door (2-3 days in Europe, 4-5 in the UK), you turn it on when you land, and it connects up to 10 devices: your phone, laptop, tablet, partner’s phone, the lot.

The Plus Europe subscription is truly unlimited (no fair-use throttling) across around 70 countries including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Nordics, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. It uses Cloud SIM technology, so it switches between local operators automatically, plus there’s a backup physical SIM slot if you’re somewhere unusual.

If you’re van-lifing through France and Spain for three months, you’re not fussing with three different eSIM purchases or hunting down a local SIM card that works across borders. You’ve got one device, one monthly bill, no contract. When you head home for the winter, you pause or cancel. There’s a £25 early-cancellation fee only if you cancel the mobile router subscription within the first three months. Otherwise, completely flexible.

When eSIM Actually Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t)

Option	Best For	Downsides
eSIM	Short trips, one country, phone-only use, compatible device	Doesn’t help your laptop; juggling multiple eSIMs across countries gets messy; customer support often minimal
Local SIM card	Long stays in one country, want a local number	Requires unlocked phone; buying at the airport is expensive; some countries need local ID or registration; doesn’t cover multiple devices
Home carrier roaming	Very short business trips when cost isn’t a factor	Expensive (often £5-15/day); data caps; surprise bills; doesn’t work well outside tourist zones
Portable WiFi subscription	Multi-country trips, multiple devices, shared connectivity (couples, van life), eSIM-incompatible phone	One more device to carry (though small); need to keep it charged

For most digital nomads doing serious travel (a two-month road trip, rotating through coworking cities, working from a motorhome), portable WiFi beats eSIM because it’s device-agnostic. Your partner’s Android phone, your MacBook, your Kindle, your backup phone. All connected, all the time, with one bill.

The Multi-Country Trap

Here’s where we see travellers get burned: they buy an eSIM for Portugal, then decide to hop to Spain for a week, then France. Now they’re buying a second eSIM, managing two profiles on their phone, wondering why the Portugal one is still draining data in the background.

Or they’re in Japan for work, then Australia, then back through Singapore. Group 1 countries like Japan, Singapore, and Thailand get 4G unlimited on our portable WiFi, though it may slow after about 5GB per day. Group 2 countries like Morocco or Brazil get 500MB/day at 4G then 256kbps. One device, automatic switching, no hunting for eSIM providers in each country or deciphering which local carrier has the best coverage.

Real Scenarios We See Every Week

A couple van-lifing through Europe for six months. Both need internet; both have older phones (one doesn’t support eSIM at all). They get a portable WiFi subscription, stick the device on the dashboard, and it works from Lisbon to Stockholm without thinking about it.

A freelance developer doing repeat business trips to Japan. His iPhone supports eSIM, but he also needs his laptop online for client calls from the hotel and the bullet train. Portable WiFi gives him a mobile hotspot he can rely on, every trip, without researching pocket WiFi rental shops in Tokyo each time.

A student doing Erasmus in Spain who then travels to France, Germany, and Italy on weekends. She could juggle eSIMs, but the portable WiFi subscription lets her tether her laptop in the university library, share connectivity with friends on road trips, and not worry about data limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use eSIM and a physical SIM at the same time?

On most modern iPhones and many Android flagships, yes. You can have one physical SIM and one eSIM active simultaneously. But check your phone’s manual; some models force you to choose one or the other. Also, using two SIMs drains your battery faster.

What if my phone says it supports eSIM but the option is greyed out?

Almost always a carrier lock. Contact your home carrier and request an unlock. Most will do it free if you’ve finished your contract or paid off the device. If you bought the phone outright unlocked and the option is still missing, your specific regional variant might not actually support eSIM despite what the general model specs say.

Is portable WiFi faster than eSIM or tethering?

Speed depends on the local network, not the technology. Both eSIM and portable WiFi connect to the same 4G or 5G towers. The advantage of portable WiFi isn’t speed. It’s convenience (one device for everything), coverage (Cloud SIM auto-switches carriers), and shared connectivity. If you’re tethering your laptop from your phone all day, you’ll murder your phone’s battery and data allowance. A dedicated hotspot just works.