iPhone 15 Pro eSIM support, and the two versions of it

Two phones, one name

Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro has eSIM. What changes from unit to unit is whether it also has a SIM tray, and that depends on the market it was sold in.

Apple sold the 15 Pro in the United States with no tray at all — eSIM only. The same model sold in other markets kept the tray and runs an eSIM alongside a physical SIM. Same phone, same 2023 launch, two genuinely different sets of options once you land somewhere.

This matters more for the 15 Pro than for most models, because by now a lot of them are on their second owner. Plenty have crossed borders since they were bought.

Telling them apart in ten seconds

Look along the left edge, under the volume buttons. A pinhole with a thin seam around it means there is a tray. A blank, unbroken band means you have the US version.

If you would rather check in software, open Settings → General → About and scroll. A handset with a tray lists a Physical SIM row; an eSIM-only one does not.

Dialling *#06# shows an EID alongside the IMEI on any 15 Pro, because both versions have the eSIM chip. That test proves eSIM exists. It tells you nothing about the tray.

Which check proves what

The three tests get mistaken for each other constantly, so:

The model number under Settings → General → About also differs between regional variants, but we do not publish a lookup for it and we would not trust one copied from a forum. Looking at the edge of the phone is faster and cannot be misread.

If yours has no tray

You cannot buy a local prepaid SIM at an airport counter and slot it in. On a US 15 Pro that route is closed by the hardware, not by a setting.

In practice this means one thing: sort your data out before you fly, or be prepared to buy it over airport WiFi, which is an unpleasant thing to do while jet-lagged. Install the profile at home, on a connection you trust, and check it appears under mobile data before you leave.

Some local carriers do issue eSIM profiles, which puts them back within reach — but that varies by country and often needs an ID check in a shop, which is not much use at 1am.

If yours has a tray

You have both routes open, and you should think about which is actually cheaper rather than which is more familiar.

A local prepaid SIM often wins on price per gigabyte, especially on longer stays. A travel eSIM wins on the fact that it is working before you clear passport control, and that your home number stays live in the other slot. On a two-week trip the difference is usually small enough that convenience decides it; on a two-month trip it usually is not.

Our country guides cover the local option where we have tested it, and /cheapest-esim/ covers the travel side.

Buying a used one

Two checks before money changes hands, both a minute's work:

• The tray. Decide whether you want it. A US import with no tray is not a fault, but it is a permanent limitation.
• The lock. A handset sold on contract can still be locked to the carrier that sold it, and a locked phone will refuse a third-party eSIM even though the hardware is fine. Settings → General → About shows a Carrier Lock line; No SIM restrictions is what you want to see.

An unpaid instalment plan is the usual reason a phone is still locked. That is between the previous owner and their carrier, and not something you can fix from the handset — so treat a locked 15 Pro as worth less, rather than as a problem you will sort out later.

Ask the seller where it was originally bought as well. It is not proof of anything, since phones move with their owners, but an answer that matches what you can see on the edge of the case is a small reassurance, and a vague one is a reason to look harder at everything else.

If you want to confirm any other model before you buy, the eSIM phone checker lists what we hold on each one.