Apple iPhone 17 EU May Not Have a SIM Card Slot

Get ready for a potentially significant shift in how you connect your next iPhone! Apple appears poised to remove the physical SIM card slot from its upcoming iPhone 17 series for customers in the European Union. This would follow a similar, pioneering move made in the US with the iPhone 14.

The signs are strong: a recent report, citing a source familiar with the matter, reveals that Apple Authorized Reseller employees across the EU have been instructed to complete comprehensive training related to eSIM functionality by September 5th. This date is particularly telling, as it immediately precedes the anticipated iPhone 17 launch event on September 9th, strongly suggesting that eSIM-only iPhones will indeed be introduced to the European market.

Further hinting at a broader change, the training material is reportedly available within Apple’s internal SEED app, a platform utilized globally by Apple Stores and authorized resellers. This raises the intriguing possibility that Apple’s eSIM-only strategy could expand beyond the US and EU, potentially becoming a worldwide standard, with the likely exception of regions like China where eSIM adoption is still quite limited.

Apple first made this transition to eSIM-only devices with the iPhone 14 lineup sold in the US. This change eliminated the need for a physical SIM tray, contributing to a more streamlined device design and simplifying remote activation processes for mobile carriers.

While the rumored ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air has already been associated with the removal of the SIM card slot, if current training trends are any indication, it appears the shift to eSIM could extend across the entire iPhone 17 lineup in the EU.