Last year we first heard that phone makers and carriers were working on a new all-digital SIM standard called eSIM. The idea is that it can connect to multiple carrier networks, allowing you to switch phone companies without replacing your SIM. eSIMs are 90% smaller than the nano SIM cards too, providing a little extra space for batteries or extra circuitry. This week, Samsung announced that their next smartwatch — the Galaxy Gear S2 Classic — will be the first eSIM device on the market when it launches in March.
Samsung mentions a number of global carriers in their press release, including Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone, and more carriers should sign up to support the new standard in the coming months and years. The new eSIM specification is supported by a wide range of hardware vendors too, including Microsoft, LG and Huawei. Apple is noticeably absent, although the company has already released iPad models with similar reprogrammable SIM cards.
The current eSIM standard is actually a simplified version, designed for wearables, Internet-of-Things devices and tablets. The full standard should arrive in June, paving the way for eSIM smartphones in the latter half of 2016.
It could take a few years for the standard to become widespread, but no doubt the prospect of a new feature and some space saving should appeal to consumers and phone makers alike. I personally can’t wait… SIM cards are an unnecessary relic of an analogue age, and the sooner they’re gone completely the better.
What do you think of the news? Let us know in the usual places!
Shop for the Gear S2 Classic >