eSIM vs Physical SIM: Which is more headache, which is more secure and which is better?

New Delhi. In this digital era, everyone has a mobile phone in their hands. It is possible that you are also reading this article on your mobile phone only. If you use mobile now, then you must know that what is the use of this SIM. Same Jio, Airtel, Vi or in some cases a small chip of BSNL, MTNL, which is installed in your phone. Then the network comes in the phone and then you use the same network to run your phone.

Earlier sim used to come in big size. With time it became smaller, from standard to micro and from micro to nano. The sim which we can touch is called physical sim. Now many phone manufacturers have also started providing eSIM facility in their phones. But what is this, how does it work and how is it different from Physical SIM? Similar questions often come up regarding eSIM. In this article, we will try to know the answers to these questions. But first listen (meaning read) a story.

Read this also: How to convert physical SIM to e-SIM, follow these easy steps on Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vi network

Simple phone, dual sim phone, dual sim smartphone… now eSIM phone
There was a time when mobile phones used to have only one SIM slot. In 2010, Nokia launched the first dual sim phone in India. The purpose of dual SIM phones was to use separate numbers for work and personal contacts. For the employees who were given separate numbers from the office, these phones proved to be a boon. Then many more companies started launching dual sim phones. In the year 2011, Motorola launched India’s first dual sim Android phone. After this, dual sim phones made a big splash in the Android market. Almost every phone started coming with dual sim.

But even then very few people needed dual sim. In such a situation, the second SIM slot of most people’s phones used to remain empty. The reason was – who would get recharge done on two numbers. But in 2016 Jio came. Jio initially offered everything for free. Calling, SMS and data all free. But one more thing had happened before the arrival of Jio, people’s numbers had been registered on almost every important portal from bank to PAN and Aadhaar. At the same time, Jio’s offer was also very promising and there was an empty slot for SIM in people’s phones. He took Jio’s sim.

After 6-7 months, when Jio stopped the free service, by then people’s Jio numbers had been distributed. People had made Jio a personal number and the old number a business number. So he continued both the numbers, because he was getting better network and faster internet on Jio. Those who did not have Jio as the reason for having two SIMs, their reason was that there was no inter-state number portability then. So people started using the home town number which is with childhood friends and relatives. At the same time, work or studies started running the number of the new place separately. Because both the numbers were working.

read this also: No need to insert SIM card in the phone, know how to activate it

But now a big chunk of smartphone users are shifting towards premium smartphones. Apple’s iPhones remain at the top among premium smartphones. Now iPhone has always been making single sim phones. In such a situation, people had to keep two phones to run two numbers. Apple launched eSim with iPhoneXS, iPhone XS MAX and iPhoneXR amidst growing demand. Well before that Samsung had launched its Gear S2 smartwatch and Apple with its Apple Watch. In fact, all the phones of the iPhone 14 series launched in America have only SIM support. Physical sim tray is not given. Before Apple, Google had launched Pixel 2 in the market with ISIM support. In today’s time, almost all premium mobile phones come with the facility of ISIM.

But what is this eSIM?
You can consider eSIM as the digital version of SIM card. You do not have to go to the shop to buy this sim, but for this a sim chip is already present in your phone, you have to attach this chip to your number and network provider with the help of internet. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection to generate the eSIM. All phones that support eSIM also come with physical SIM slot, so that those who want to use physical SIM can use it. Only the US version phones of the iPhone 14 series do not have physical SIM slots. At the same time, China is a country where eSIM does not work. To use eSIM, only two things are necessary, one is that your phone is compatible with it and the other is that the network you want to use supports eSIM.

In what cases is eSIM better than physical SIM?
Porting the number to eSIM is easy. If you feel that there is a problem with the network on which your eSIM is running, then you can change the network of your eSIM by going to the settings. This work will be done in a few minutes. Whereas, in the case of physical SIM, you have to first send an SMS and put a request to port. After that, the other network provider either delivers the SIM at your home or you have to go to the store to get the SIM. You have to go through the entire process of verification. After this, it takes two to three days for the SIM to be activated.

– In eSIM, you can temporarily change the network. You don’t need a sim card for this. Suppose you are traveling, where you have gone, the service of your network provider is not good, in this case you can change your network. This is possible because multiple network profiles are saved in eSIM, while physical SIM has only one network profile set. eSIM is more beneficial for such people who travel a lot.

– eSIMs are environment friendly. Because no physical card is used in them in any way. Nor does it require packaging to be shipped. This means that there is no waste in Isim. While the physical sim is made of plastic. Its casing is big, along with it it is given to you after putting it in an envelope.

Usually, when the phone is stolen, the thief first takes out the SIM of the phone and throws it away. Whereas, eSIM is embedded in the phone itself. So if a thief steals your phone, he cannot deactivate the eSIM immediately. And before he can fight, you have enough time to reach your phone with the help of police or tracker.

– Physical sim can be damaged, can be lost. There is no such risk with eSIM.

In what cases is physical SIM better than eSIM?
It is easy to change the phone in physical sim. You just have to remove it from one phone and put the sim in another phone, it will start working. But to activate eSIM in a new phone, you will have to go through the whole process again. You will also need to deactivate the SIM on the old phone. Although this whole process is not very long, changing the physical SIM is comparatively easier. So if you change the phone frequently then changing the Isim again and again can be a headache for you.

– Not all networks and all countries provide eSIM support. All the three major network providers in India provide eSIM support. But if you go to China for work or for a trip, you will not be able to use your eSIM there. While you can run there by buying a physical SIM from the local vendor.

So if you are among those who travel a lot and do not change phones much, then you can choose the option of eSIM. On the other hand, if you change phones frequently, then physical sim can be a better option for you. By the way, an interesting thing is that all the phone makers in India who provide eSIM facility also offer slot for physical SIM. So why not run one of your two numbers in physical slot and one in eSIM, by this you will be able to experience both and also understand which SIM is better for you.

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