Any Brand · By IMEI

Does this phone take an eSIM?

Check the hardware before you pay for a travel plan, or for a second-hand handset. Enter the IMEI and we will tell you what that model supports.

Dial *#06# on your phone to see its IMEI. We do not store it.

The basics

What an eSIM is, and what this check can see

An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a SIM fitted inside the phone at the factory. Nothing goes into a tray: the plan is written onto the chip already in there, normally by scanning a QR code or through the network's own app, and it can be swapped for a different plan later without anyone posting you a card.

The everyday gain is a second line. A handset with one tray plus an eSIM carries two numbers at once — a work number beside a personal one, or your usual number beside a local data plan while you are abroad. Apple has pushed this furthest: iPhone 14 and later models sold in the US have no SIM tray at all.

What the IMEI tells us is what the hardware supports. What it cannot tell us is the other half: a network may decline to issue a profile for a handset it did not sell, and a phone still locked to one network will not take a plan from another. Read a yes here as the hardware question answered, not the whole question.

What it buys you

Dual SIM

Two numbers ringing on one handset

Live in minutes

Scan the QR code and the plan is on

Built for travel

Add local data without losing your own number

Nothing to lose

No card to drop, snap or have pulled out

FAQ

Common Questions

Which handsets take one?

Broadly, flagship models from 2019 onwards: iPhone XS and later, Galaxy S20 and later, Pixel 3 and later. The catch is regional — the same model sold in one country can ship without eSIM in another, which is why it is worth checking the handset in front of you by IMEI rather than trusting the model name.

Can I keep my normal SIM as well?

On most eSIM handsets, yes: one physical card and one eSIM, both live. Newer iPhones go further again and run two eSIMs with no card at all. Either way you end up with two working numbers on the one device.

Does eSIM support mean the phone is unlocked?

No, and this is the one that catches people out. eSIM is only how the SIM is delivered. A handset can take an eSIM and still be locked to the network that sold it, in which case a plan from anyone else will not activate until that lock is lifted.

Can I move my eSIM to my next phone?

Usually. iPhones offer the transfer while you are setting the new handset up, and many networks let you download the profile again from their own app. Worth confirming with your network before you sell the old phone, rather than after.