If you’ve ever upgraded from one cell phone to another, you have likely had to swap your SIM card: the tiny chip that pops into a storage slot in your device to connect you to your carrier’s cellular network. Increasingly, though, phone manufacturers and carriers are skipping physical SIM cards altogether in favor of a digital alternative.
eSIM — or embedded SIM — is a digital SIM card that is built into your device and can be activated virtually, no manual switch required. Most flagship smartphones in 2025 support eSIMs.
