Does a phone bought in China or Hong Kong support eSIM?

Where it was sold matters more than what it is called

For most of the world, an iPhone XS or later takes an eSIM. Apple's Dual SIM article makes one big exception: in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, certain models are sold with Dual SIM using two nano-SIM cards. Those units have a tray that holds two physical cards and, in most cases, no eSIM chip.

So two phones with the same name, bought in different places, can behave differently. An iPhone 15 bought in Madrid takes a travel eSIM; the same model bought in Shenzhen may not. The same applies to grey imports and second-hand phones that started life in those markets.

Android phones have their own version of this. Samsung warns that eSIM availability depends on region, carrier and model, which is why the check below reads the phone itself rather than the box.

iPhones from mainland China

Apple says that in mainland China only a handful of recent models support eSIM, and its list includes the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17e. Some of those can be activated with either an eSIM or a physical nano-SIM, and the iPhone Air activates by eSIM only. For the rest of the range sold there, the dual nano-SIM version is the norm.

There is also a rule that works in the other direction. Apple notes that an eSIM from a mainland China provider cannot be used on a device bought outside mainland China. If you are travelling to China with a phone bought in Europe, that does not affect a travel eSIM from a provider outside China, but it does mean a local Chinese eSIM is not an option for your phone.

Apple keeps the current list in its Dual SIM and SIM size articles, and our compatibility table summarises it.

iPhones from Hong Kong and Macao

Hong Kong and Macao sit in between. Apple lists several iPhone families sold there with two nano-SIM slots, while some models from the same markets do take an eSIM, among them smaller and lower-priced ones such as the iPhone 13 mini, the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), plus recent models such as the iPhone Air and the iPhone 17e.

In practice, if you bought a standard or Pro iPhone in Hong Kong in recent years, assume it may be a dual nano-SIM unit until you have checked. If it is one of the models Apple lists with eSIM there, it behaves like a European one: your SIM in the tray, the travel eSIM next to it.

If you are buying a phone in Hong Kong on a trip, ask to see the SIM tray and the About screen before paying. It takes a minute and settles the question.

How to tell which version you are holding

• Look for the EID: Settings, General, About on iPhone, or About phone on Android. No EID means no eSIM chip.
• Look at the SIM tray: Apple describes the dual nano-SIM tray as holding one card underneath and another on top.
• Check the model number: on iPhone, tap the model line under General, About to see the number Apple uses to tell regional versions apart.

The EID is the decisive one, because it reads the hardware in your hand. Our guide on checking eSIM support walks through it on iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy. Remember that the phone also needs to be unlocked; a phone bought from an operator may not accept another provider's plan.

If your phone turns out to have two physical slots

A dual nano-SIM phone without an eSIM cannot take a travel eSIM, and no update changes that. It does have a second slot, though, which is exactly what a local physical SIM needs: your own card stays in one slot for calls and SMS, and the local card goes in the other for data.

The other route is to share someone else's connection. If a travel companion has a phone with a travel eSIM, their personal hotspot can keep you online for maps and messages. It is less independent, but it works on any phone with Wi-Fi.

If you are thinking of buying a phone abroad partly for travel, the dual-SIM tray is a reasonable feature in itself. Just know before you pay that it usually means no eSIM, and that a travel eSIM installs only on a phone that has one.