Does the community prefer eSIM only solution?

mrtoo

Trying to decide way forward with GOS. I like the flexibility of physical SIMs. Pixel 10s sold in the US do not have a physical SIM slot. European ones will. How hard will it be to get a European Pixel 10 in the US? Or should I get a Pixel 9?

EndoPlant

mrtoo The versions sold in Canada still have a physical sim, if you can get one of those. I prefer physical sim but I doubt it'd bother me much if it was esim-only because I don't switch phones often.

blusterpilgrim

Still too many important online services rely on SMS for authentication and taking a sim out of a phone requires no effort, so for that reason I prefer esims.

I actually hesitated to convert my physical sim to an esim on my phone because I thought it wasn't going work and would be too complicated. But nope, just press a toggle, the phone restarts, take a picture of the QR code and my esim was ready working within minutes.

Now I have two esims, one for my most important 2fa and my everyday number, both work with no problem.

mrtoo

blusterpilgrim So you have no need to swap SIMs? I did not think eSIMs were easily portable?

wizoatk

mrtoo I did not think eSIMs were easily portable?

Depends on country and provider and provider's app (if any). For my provider it's the same procedure as a replacement SIM/eSIM except I can activate it from an SMS code sent to the original phone rather than waiting for a new QR code in the post.

DeletedUser622

eSIMs are fine as long as your phone doesn't break. eSIMs are great for temporary travel usage. But when your phone breaks and you need to use a replacement phone, moving the physical sim over to the new loaner or temp phone is so much easier than moving the eSIM.

Activating an eSIM when you're not in your home network, or if you do not have access to another device or wifi can also be difficult.

So, eSIMs are great unless they're not. Physical SIMs are fiddly, but they always work - unless the manufacturer removes their slot of course. Then they're also useless.

DeletedUser396

DeletedUser622 So, eSIMs are great unless they're not.

so does that mean, using your logic, physical SIMs are not great unless they are?....

mrtoo

DeletedUser622 But you do bring up a scenario, phone gets dropped in water, common accident. Pixels typically don't survive, but SIM cards do. This has happened to me twice, Pixel 3 and 4a.

tranquil_cassowary

It doesn't hurt to have more options, in my opinion.