legal opinion : For regular external travellers like me , the demise of the SIM tray in the USiPhone 14models create a quandary that is n’t easily solved
Apple ’s decision toditch the SIM trayin American models has made me secondly guess an iPhone 14 rise . I live in the United States and often travel back and forth to the UK for workplace and to see friends and family . Part of my travelling routine is switching out my SIM - notice as the plane comes in to land .
Out go the Verizon Wireless SIM and in break down my Three Mobile PAYG SIM as the plane approaches touchdown in the UK , and vice versa as it approaches the rails in Miami . I care to do it in the tune because I want to let everyone know I ’ve land safely ASAP . I ’ve done the journeying probably 75 time in the last 10 , but my momma still worries you see .
Not only will buying an eSIM - only iPhone 14 erase this religious rite of arrival on UK or US soil ( that I kind of bask ) , it will also make a vexation .
Do I carry a second earpiece so I can continue using my UK SIM wag ? It ’s not the biggest pain , but then I would n’t get to apply my brassy newiPhone 14 ProMax for photo and videos . It would also have in mind I ca n’t trade in the iPhone 12 Pro Max for a few chew off the rise . Bummer .
What about an eSIM?
What about just registering a UK eSIM ? Afterall , the iPhone 14 can plump for up to eight of them . Well , there ’s another tear . accord to itswebsite , Three Mobile River does n’t presently extend eSIMs ( unless you had a trial ) , but read it is working on offering them again before long . So , when this happens , I think I ’ll be able-bodied to get one using my PAYG number .
Until then , it imply register with another provider . EE , Vodafone , O2 and Virgin tender eSIMs , but only as pay monthly choice rather than PAYG ( h / t5G.co.uk ) . Well , the last thing I need is another rolling 12 month contract . Even then , I‘d still have to go through the tussle of incite over my UK telephone number to the novel SIM .
So , what else ? Buying one of those pre - paid eSIM information design you get at the drome ? That ’s fine for the legal age of travellers who just want a bit of data to get them through their vacation.(As an aside , Apple makes this mental process quite manageable via scanning a QR code in options , but less tech savvy family will have nightmare trying to place the eSIM up compare to a secure - and - play solution . )
For me , a pre - paid eSIM means losing my UK figure where people cognise to get ahold of me for work , take on – or heaven forbid – emergencies .
The quaternary option ? purchase an iPhone 14 Pro in the UK where it still has the SIM tray ? I could , I suppose , but I ’d be paying a lot more for the privilege ( $ 1099 vs £ 1199 – thanks for nothing infirm British pound ) and I fret over potential cellular internet compatibility issues in the country where I ’m present for nine months of the year .
Finally , how about just using the external roaming offer from my US supplier ? No thanks . My wife does this and Verizon burden $ 10 a solar day for the privilege , the right-down shysters .
Creating hassle, not relieving it
During the event yesterday , Apple pitch this as a feature article that would allay users of some hassle , but for a little chemical group of people it just creates some where there was n’t any .
I can see where the welfare from this will come eventually . SIM cards break and get lose , you need to conduct an additional little creature ( or improvise with a theme clip ) to get at them , and they ’re topnotch fiddly to treat . Heaven knows how many time my insistence on switch them on the aeroplane has left me scratting around endeavor to obtain it under my seat .
Eventually it ’ll be fine , like that smooth iPhone 14 design that no longer has a random ejectable bit of plastic down the side . Apple will be able-bodied to do more with the space too , like give us turgid iPhone assault and battery . It ’ll all form out eventually
This is like the iPhone 7 when the headphone seafarer fall by the roadside , before Bluetooth headphones were fully omnipresent and we had to contend with the pain in the arse of using another dongle . bother here is , there ’ll be no dongles for SIM tray , so no intermediary reparation . In clip it ’ll be hunky-dory , but it is n’t now .
I think I ’ll be sticking to the older faithful iPhone 12 Pro Max . Shame , I am veryfond of that Dynamic Islandon the iPhone 14 Pro too …
