An eSIM only phone was the best decision I've made this year

If you told me last year that one of my favorite tech decisions would involve removing something from my phone, I would have laughed. Yet here I am, proudly declaring that buying an eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro was the best choice I made this year. No tray, no ejector tool, and no tiny piece of plastic to worry about.

I’ll be honest. I’ve always looked at the removal of the SIM tray as a downgrade, but having switched to an eSIM-only phone, I can see why it’s the future. It simplifies hardware, makes room for a bigger battery, improves durability, and eliminates several annoyances that come with a physical SIM.

Credit: Apple

Brand

Apple

Display

6.3 inches

Storage

256 GB, 512 GB

The Apple iPhone 17 is part of the company’s 2025 lineup, featuring a brighter, 120Hz ProMotion display, an all-new A19 chip for Apple Intelligence, a more durable Ceramic Shield 2, and double the base storage to 256GB. 

The eSIM-only phone leaves more room for battery

More space inside means more power outside

Credit: Digvijay Kumar / MakeUseOf

Apple has been launching eSIM-only iPhones since 2022. Back then, the shift felt more like a nudge toward the future than a leap. Yes, eSIM improves convenience and security, but anyone could enjoy those perks simply by switching to an eSIM on a device that still had a physical SIM tray.

That’s to say, owning an eSIM-only phone didn’t feel dramatically different from owning a regular one. But the iPhone 17 Pro finally makes the change feel worthwhile.

Removing the physical tray leaves a surprisingly generous amount of internal space to work with, and Apple has finally put that to good use in the iPhone 17 lineup. The eSIM-only iPhone models now have larger batteries than their SIM-tray-equipped counterparts.

Apple’s website only hints at this with video playback numbers. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max gain 2 more hours of video playback, while the iPhone Air gets one. That already sounds nice, but once you look at the actual capacity numbers (reported by 9to5Mac), the picture becomes clear.

The eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro that I own has 6.6% more battery than the one with a SIM tray. Since the eSIM-only variant is not available in India, I had to get it from the US. The difference in battery capacity may not sound like much, but for me, this alone made getting the eSIM-only variant worth it.

Better dust and water resistance

One less point of failure in sealing

Credit: Rich Woods / MakeUseOf

Durability is another perk of getting an eSIM-only phone. A SIM tray is still a cutout in the frame that needs seals, gaskets, and a meticulous assembly process to keep water and dust out. And there’s no denying that the tiny rubber gasket around the SIM tray is a potential failure point, especially after it wears down over time.

An eSIM-only phone doesn’t have that weak spot. Fewer openings mean fewer places for dust to sneak in and fewer opportunities for water to slip past the seal. Now, this doesn’t make an eSIM-only phone magically invincible. It just means there’s one less moving part that can be a liability.

Goodbye bent trays and worn-out SIMs

Credit: Jowi Morales/MakeUseOf

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fair share of SIM-related annoyances over the years. Bent trays, SIM errors, and dust packed around the tray, I’ve experienced all of it. And I hate to admit it, but in a moment of questionable genius, I once poked the SIM ejector tool into my old phone’s microphone instead of the SIM tray.

All of this has made the idea of never needing to deal with physical SIMs incredibly appealing. An eSIM-only phone removes that entire category of problems.

Then there are benefits of using an eSIM itself

Why eSIM is the future

Credit: Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf

Setting aside the hardware perks, using an eSIM brings its own conveniences. Activating the service without visiting the store to pick up the physical SIM feels wonderfully modern. All you have to do is scan a QR code or tap through your carrier’s app, and you’re done.

Security is also another meaningful benefit. An eSIM cannot be removed by someone trying to disable tracking, which means I don’t have to worry about my phone’s data if it gets stolen or lost. It’s not something you think about every day, but in a moment when you really need it, that extra protection matters.

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The only minor inconvenience is…

A small trade-off until the world adapts

Credit: Aryan Surendranath / MakeUseOf

For all the perks of going eSIM only, there’s one drawback that still haunts me. You can’t rely on cheap local SIM cards when traveling.

eSIM is way more popular than it was a few years ago, but there are regions where physical SIMs are still the norm. Traveling with an eSIM-only phone in those places means you can’t take advantage of low-cost local SIM cards.

This is not a problem for everyone, but it’s worth acknowledging that the move to eSIM-only removes an option that used to be universally available.

The world may not be fully ready to abandon physical SIM cards just yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I’d love to see Android manufacturers also commit to the leap and push eSIM-only phones, so they can all benefit from bigger batteries and slightly better durability.