iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models could launch without a SIM card tray in France this year, according to information obtained by French website MacGeneration. This means the devices would work with eSIMs only for cellular connectivity.
If the SIM card tray is removed in France, it would likely be removed in at least some other European countries as well, as Apple typically sells one iPhone model in most of Europe. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro model A2890 sold in France is also sold in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and dozens of other countries.
Apple already removed the SIM card tray from all iPhone 14 models in the U.S. last September, forcing customers to use an eSIM, a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a physical nano-SIM card. Apple has a support document with a list of carriers that support eSIM technology around the world.
When the iPhone 14 series launched in the U.S., Apple promoted eSIMs as being more secure than a physical SIM since they cannot be removed from an iPhone that is lost or stolen. Apple added that up to eight eSIMs can be managed in the iPhone's Settings app, eliminating the need to obtain, carry, and swap physical SIM cards while traveling. iPhone 13 and newer models can have two eSIMs active at the same time.
With eSIM availability rapidly expanding, the removal of the SIM card tray beyond the U.S. seems inevitable, even if the transition takes a few more years to be fully completed. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series in September as usual.
