iPhone 14 could be the last one with a physical SIM slot – report

According to a new report, the iPhone 14 could be the last to support physical SIM cards.

According to well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is making more and more efforts to use eSIM electronic technology.

Apple is already building them into cellular iPhone and Apple Watch and iPad models, allowing users to subscribe to service providers or have a second plan for work or travel.

Apple was thought to prefer to ditch the physical SIM slot altogether, as it takes up valuable space inside the hardware where larger batteries could potentially reside.

Gurman wrote in Turn on Newsletter: “Apple is activating eSIM this time around as carriers prepare to direct users to digital embedded SIMs rather than physical ones. In fact, Apple has been considering removing the physical SIM slot entirely starting this year or next for some models.”

If Apple gets rid of the SIM entirely, it will have to sync with carriers, and anyone who has updated their iPhone will also have to switch to dialing.

Gurman’s comments don’t rule out that Apple will support eSIM longer than the iPhone 14, but if Apple drops the SIM in the future, it will likely set off a chain reaction and encourage other manufacturers to follow suit, as they did when Apple first removed headphone jack.

Apple plans to introduce the iPhone 14 line at the Far Out event on Wednesday, September 2. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is likely to lead the lineup with a larger 48MP camera, bigger battery, and a replacement for the unloved hole-punch notch plus tablet design on a 6.7-inch display.