URL: https://esimworld.us/esim-compatible-phones/
Source: eSIM World (esimworld.us)
Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimworld.us/author/
Updated: October 29, 2026
# eSIM-compatible phones: which iPhone, Galaxy and Pixel models work, and the catch with carrier-locked phones
Apple lists eSIM on the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR or later, and Google on the Pixel 4 and later. Samsung lists the Galaxy S20 to S26 series, Note20 and foldables from the Z Fold2 and Z Flip 5G on (checked on October 29, 2026). The phone must also be unlocked to take another carrier's eSIM.
This site is not affiliated with any carrier named on this page; we sell eSIMs. [How we compare](https://esimworld.us/how-we-compare/)
You may not need a travel eSIM at all: if your plan already includes data where you're going, use it. If you do buy one, find your phone in the table of eSIM compatible phones above, then run [Is my phone unlocked?](https://esimworld.us/unlock/is-my-phone-unlocked/) before you pay.
## Which iPhones support eSIM?
Apple lists eSIM on "An iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, or later" ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118669)). The iPhone X, iPhone 8 and older models take a physical SIM only (checked on October 29, 2026, [Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118569)).
A phone bought abroad can differ. In China mainland, Apple says, only the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air support eSIM. There and in Hong Kong and Macau, certain models take two nano-SIM cards.
For the iPhone SE (2nd generation), Apple's two pages disagree, so check with Apple. The model-by-model answer is on [eSIM on iPhone](https://esimworld.us/esim-iphone/).
## Which Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones support eSIM?
Google says "Pixel 4 and later: All phones work with eSIM" ([Google](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/7086887)). Samsung's "Hybrid eSIM devices", a physical SIM plus an eSIM, include the Galaxy S20 to S26 series and Note20 (checked on October 29, 2026, [Samsung](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001619/)).
For older Pixels, it depends on how they were sold: a Pixel 3a "bought with Verizon service or in Japan" doesn't work with eSIM. Neither does a Pixel 3 sold with service from a US or Canadian carrier other than Sprint or Google Fi. A Pixel 2 works only if bought with [Google Fi](https://esimworld.us/roaming/google-fi/#esim) service; no 2016 Pixel does.
Samsung puts two S-series phones on a different list. The Galaxy S20 FE and S21 FE sit on its "Unlocked Dual Physical SIM devices" list instead: two physical SIM cards. If you have one, the one-minute settings check above shows whether yours has an eSIM.
Foldables on that list run from the Z Fold2 to Z Fold7 and the Z Flip 5G to Z Flip7, with the Z TriFold. Samsung's product pages add the [Galaxy Z Fold8](https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold8/) and [Z Flip8](https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip8/), each with "Dual SIM in the form of a nanoSIM and an eSIM". The help page also names the Galaxy XCover6 Pro and some A-series 5G phones that our table doesn't show; look for your exact model there.
Under its lists, Samsung adds: "Carrier devices do not support these features. Only devices unlocked by Samsung can support Dual Physical SIM." It doesn't say what this means for the eSIM on a carrier-sold Galaxy, so ask your carrier.
Other Android brands are missing from our eSIM compatible phones table because we have no US maker page for them; use the settings check above. For an iPad, find your model on Apple's page [Learn which size SIM card your iPhone or iPad uses](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118569). For a laptop, check its maker's page.
## Compatible isn't enough: the phone must be unlocked
Compatible means the phone has an eSIM; unlocked means it works with other carriers' eSIMs too. Apple says: "To use your iPhone with another carrier when traveling internationally, your iPhone cannot be locked to a carrier" ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118227)).
A phone can pass the first check and fail the second. A seller's list of compatible devices answers only the first, so run both before you pay.
Apple says "Only your current carrier can unlock your iPhone" (checked on October 29, 2026, [Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109316)). Samsung publishes no lock check of its own and says "Unlock requirements vary by carrier and are not dictated by Samsung" ([Samsung](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002910/)).
On an Android phone, ask your carrier whether it is unlocked. Apple's steps for an iPhone are on [our unlock check](https://esimworld.us/unlock/is-my-phone-unlocked/).
## Phones that take only an eSIM
A US iPhone 14 or later has no SIM tray and "can only be activated with an eSIM," Apple says ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109357)). Google calls the US Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL "eSIM-only" (checked on October 29, 2026, [Google](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16115741)).
On these phones a travel plan is a second eSIM, not a SIM card. Apple's SIM page also lists the iPhone Air and iPhone Duo as eSIM-only, with no country named ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118569)).
The iPhone 17 line and 18 Pro models are eSIM-only if bought in the US and some other places. [Do iPhones have SIM cards](https://esimworld.us/help/do-iphones-have-sim-cards/) lists those places. Two other Google pages word the Pixel scope wider, so we name only the three models above.
Phone on the list and unlocked? Follow [how to install an eSIM](https://esimworld.us/how-to-install-esim/), or pick your destination in [our country guides](https://esimworld.us/countries/).
## Frequently asked questions
### Is my phone eSIM compatible?
It is if its maker lists it; for a travel eSIM it must also be unlocked. Apple lists the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or later, and Google lists the Pixel 4 and later. Samsung lists the Galaxy S20 to S26 series except the S20 FE and S21 FE, plus Note20 and most Z Fold and Z Flip models.
### Do Samsung and Pixel phones support eSIM?
Yes, on the models their makers list. Google says "Pixel 4 and later: All phones work with eSIM", with limits on the Pixel 3a, 3 and 2. Samsung lists the Galaxy S20 to S26 series as Hybrid eSIM devices, except the S20 FE and S21 FE.
## Sources
- Apple: [Set up eSIM on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118669), [Learn which size SIM card your iPhone or iPad uses](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118569), [Remove or switch the SIM card in your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109357), [Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118227), [How to unlock your iPhone for use with a different carrier](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109316)
- Google: [Get a SIM or eSIM & add it to your Pixel phone](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/7086887), [Learn more about eSIMs](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16115741)
- Samsung: [SIM cards for your Galaxy phone or tablet](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001619/), [Move your Galaxy phone to a different service carrier](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002910/), [Galaxy Z Fold8](https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold8/), [Galaxy Z Flip8](https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip8/)
## More questions
### My phone is on the list, but I can’t find the option to add an eSIM. Why?
Usually it is the regional version: brands sell phones with the same name and a different SIM setup in different countries. In China mainland, for example, Apple names only five iPhone models with eSIM.
### I bought my phone abroad on a contract. Does that matter?
It can. A phone sold with a plan may be locked to that carrier: the eSIM is there, but the phone won’t accept another company’s eSIM. Ask the carrier that sold it whether it is unlocked.