Travel bloggers often require a smartphone with features like longer battery life, 5G technology, eSIM support, and high-resolution cameras. As a travel blogger, traveling to different countries, he cannot rely on a single network. Buying a physical SIM in every country increases cost and creates hassle.
The eSIM phones come as the best solution for travel bloggers as they do not need to replace a physical SIM. All you need is to activate your eSIM plan by scanning the QR code.
Other people are reading: How to Plan Your Perfect Travel Itinerary?
Here I am sharing the list of Best eSim Phones for Travel bloggers.
eSim Phones for Travel Bloggers:
An eSIM enables phone is a smartphone that allows users to activate a digital SIM Profile without a physical SIM.
To use eSIM in your Android phone, your phone must have an eSIM feature, be unlocked and connected to Wi-Fi. You need to go to Settings to add a new plan.
It’s quite easy than replacing physical SIM cards every time you enter a new country.
Steps to Use eSIM on Android:
- Go to Settings
- Choose “Connections”
- Click on SIM Manager.
- Tap on “Add eSIM” or the “+” icon.
- Scan the QR Code.
- Turn on the eSIM, enable mobile DATA. Set up APN if necessary.
Steps to Use eSIM on iPhone:
- Go to Settings
- Choose “Cellular”
- Click on “Add eSIM.”
Alternatively, you can add details manually and activate the eSIM.
Now that you know how to add or activate an eSIM, it is time to find out which eSIM phones are best for travel bloggers.
iPhones with eSIM:
If you are an iPhone lover and want to use the eSIM feature, then here is a long list of eSIM-enabled iPhones for you.
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE 2 (2020)
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE 3 (2022)
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 Pro
- iPhone 17 Pro Max
- iPhone 17e
- iPhone Air
iPhone Without eSIM:
iPhones from China, Macao, and HongKong does not have the eSIM feature.
iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max work sim only in China.
iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max work eSIM only in the USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Guam, Canada, Kuwait, Japan, Oman, Mexico, and Qatar.
Note: iPhone Air is the only iPhone with global eSIM features.
Samsung phones with eSIM:
Korean smartphone giant Samsung is known for its smartphone technology. Samsung introduced the eSIM feature in its Galaxy S20 series.
Here are the Samsung phones with the eSIM feature for Travel Bloggers:
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Samsung Galaxy S20+
- Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5g
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S21
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ Ultra 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S22
- Samsung Galaxy S22+
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S23
- Samsung Galaxy S23+
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
- Samsung Galaxy S24
- Samsung Galaxy S24+
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S24 FE
- Samsung Galaxy S25
- Samsung Galaxy S25+
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
- Samsung Galaxy S25 FE
- Samsung Galaxy S26
- Samsung Galaxy S26+
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Fold
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 FE
- Samsung Galaxy A54
- Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
- Samsung Galaxy A35
- Samsung Galaxy A56
- Samsung Galaxy A36
- Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
Samsung Galaxy Without eSIM:
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G/5G, Samsung S20/S21 (U.S.), Galaxy Z Flip 5G (U.S.), Samsung Note 20 Ultra (U.S. and Hong Kong), Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 (U.S. and Hong Kong), All Samsung phones sold in Hong Kong, are not compatible with eSIM.
Galaxy Z Flip 5G y el Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S22+, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, Galaxy S21, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20+ 5G, and Galaxy S20 in South Korea are not compatible with eSIM.
Google Pixel Phones with eSIM:
Google has been selling eSIM-enabled Pixel phones since 2017. The eSIM feature is standard in Google Pixel Phones.
Google Pixel Phones with eSIM Infographic:
Here is the list of Google Pixel phones with eSIM for Travel Bloggers:
- Google Pixel 2
- Google Pixel 2 XL
- Google Pixel 3Google Pixel 3 XL
- Google Pixel 3a
- Google Pixel 3a XL
- Google Pixel 4
- Google Pixel 4a
- Google Pixel 4 XL
- Google Pixel 5
- Google Pixel 5a
- Google Pixel 6
- Google Pixel 6a
- Google Pixel 6 Pro
- Google Pixel 7a
- Google Pixel 7
- Google Pixel 7 Pro
- Google Pixel 8a
- Google Pixel 8
- Google Pixel 8 Pro
- Google Pixel Fold
- Google Pixel 9
- Google Pixel 9 Pro
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Google Pixel 10
- Google Pixel 10 Pro
- Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
- Google Pixel 10a
Google Pixel Without eSIM:
Google Pixel 3 devices from Taiwan, Australia, and Japana does not support eSIM.
The Google Pixel 3a from Southeast Asia does not support eSIM.
Google Pixel Phones from Hong Kong are not eSIM compatible.
Huawei phones with eSIM:
- Huawei P40
- Huawei P40 Pro
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro
- Huawei Pura 70 Pro
Huawei P40 Pro+ and P50 Pro do not support eSIM.
Oppo phones with eSIM:
- Oppo Find X3
- Oppo Find X3 Pro
- Find N2 Flip
- Oppo Reno 5A
- Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G
- Oppo Reno 9A
- Oppo Find X5
- Oppo Find X5 Pro
- Oppo A55s 5G
- Oppo Find N3
- Oppo Find N3 Flip
- Oppo Find X8
- Oppo Find X8 Pro
- Oppo Reno14
- Oppo Reno14 Pro
- Oppo Find X9
- Oppo Find X9 Pro
- Oppo Reno 15
- Oppo Reno 15 Pro
Sony phones with eSIM:
- Sony Xperia 10 III Lite
- Sony Xperia 10 IV
- Xperia 10V
- Xperia 1 IV
- Sony Xperia 5 IV
- Sony Xperia 1 V
- Sony Xperia Ace III
- Sony Xperia 5 V
- Sony Xperia 1 VI
Xiaomi eSIM phones:
- Xiaomi 12T Pro
- Xiaomi 13
- Xiaomi 13 Lite
- Xiaomi 13 Pro
- Xiaomi 13T
- Xiaomi 13T Pro
- Xiaomi 14
- Xiaomi 14 Pro
- Xiaomi 14T
- Xiaomi 14T Pro
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+
- Xiaomi Poco X7
- Xiaomi 15
- Xiaomi 15 Ultra
- Xiaomi 15T
- Xiaomi 15T Pro
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro+
Motorola phones with eSIM:
- Motorola Razr 2019
- Motorola Razr 2022
- Motorola Razr 5G
- Motorola Razr 40
- Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
- Motorola Razr+
- Motorola Edge 2022
- Motorola Edge 2023
- Motorola Edge+ (2023)
- Motorola Edge 40
- Motorola Edge 40 Pro
- Motorola Edge 40 Neo
- Motorola Edge 50 Pro
- Motorola Edge 50 Ultra
- Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
- Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024)
- Motorola G52J 5G
- Motorola G52J 5G Ⅱ
- Motorola G53J 5G
- Moto G54 5G
- Motorola G84
- Motorola G34
- Motorola Moto G53
- Motorola Moto G54
- Motorola Razr+ 2024
- Motorola Razr 2024
- Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2024
- Motorola Moto G35
- Motorola Edge 60
- Motorola Edge 60 Pro
- Motorola Edge 60 Fusion
- Motorola Edge 60 Stylus
- Motorola Razr 60
- Motorola Razr 60 Ultra
Sharp phones with eSIM:
- Sharp AQUOS sense4 lite
- Sharp AQUOS Sense6s
- AQUOS sense 7
- AQUOS sense 7plus
- Sharp AQUOS Wish
- AQUOS wish 2 SHG08
- AQUOS wish3
- AQUOS zero 6
- Simple Sumaho6
- Sharp AQUOS R7
- Sharp AQUOS R8
- Sharp AQUOS R8 Pro
- Sharp Aquos sense8
Rakuten phones with eSIM:
- Rakuten Mini
- Rakuten Big-S
- Rakuten Big
- Rakuten Hand
- Rakuten Hand 5G
Honor phones with eSIM:
- Honor Magic 4 Pro
- Honor Magic 5 Pro
- Honor Magic 6 Pro
- Honor Magic 7 Pro
- Honor Magic 8 Pro
- Honor 90
- Honor X8
- Honor 200 Pro
- Honor Magic V2
- Honor Magic V3
- Honor 400 Lite
Vivo phones with eSIM:
- Vivo X80 Pro
- Vivo X90 Pro
- Vivo X100 Pro
- Vivo V29
- Vivo V29 Lite
- Vivo V29 Lite 5G
- Vivo V40
- Vivo V40 lite
- Vivo V40 SE
- Vivo X200
- Vivo X200s
- Vivo X200 Pro
- Vivo X200 FE
- Vivo X300
- Vivo X300 Pro
Other eSIM-compatible devices
- Gemini PDA
- Fairphone 4
- Fairphone 5
- DOOGEE V30
- OnePlus Open
- OnePlus 11
- OnePlus 12
- OnePlus 13
- OnePlus 13R
- OnePlus 13T
- OnePlus 15
- HAMMER Blade 3
- HAMMER Explorer PRO
- HAMMER Blade 5G
- Nokia XR21
- Nokia X30
- Nokia G60 5G
- myPhone NOW eSIM
- OUKITEL WP30 Pro
- OUKITEL WP33 Pro
- Nuu X5
- ZTE Nubia Flip
- TLC 50 5G
- Asus ROG Phone 9
- Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
- Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra
- Realme 14 Pro+
- Realme GT 7
- Realme GT 8 Pro
- Nothing Phone 3
- Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Unlocked Smartphone to Use eSIM:
You can only use the eSIM feature in various countries if your Smartphone is unlocked. Smartphones that are tied to an operator do not support eSIM from other networks.
Conclusion:
eSIMs are available in 200+ destinations such as the U.S., the U.K., Europe, Australia, and other countries.
For a travel blogger it must buy an unlocked eSIM-enabled phone to use in various countries. eSIM gives you easy using and changing network operators without replacing a physical SIM.
I use Google Pixel 10 Pro as it is eSIM compatible and easy to activate and shift networks.
FAQs:
Are all U.S. phones eSIM?
No. If you are using generations old phone, then it is not compatible with eSIM.
Which phones qualify for eSIM?
Unlocked phones with the eSIM feature qualify to use eSIM.
Can I have both a physical SIM and an eSIM?
Yes. Most eSIM-enabled phones also have Physical sim.
What is the cheapest phone with eSIM?
Motorola Moto G57 Power, Google Pixel 7a, and Samsung Galaxy A55/A56 are the cheapest eSIM-enabled phones.
Can I convert my physical SIM to an eSIM?
Yes. If your career allows you to convert a physical SIM to an eSIM.
Is eSIM compatible with all phones?
No. It is only compatible with eSIM-enabled phones.
Are eSIMs better than physical SIM cards?
Yes. For travel bloggers, they provide convenience, instant activation, easy career switching and security.
Which phone is best for eSIM?
Apple iPhone 16/17 series, Samsung Galaxy S25/S24 series, and Google Pixel 9/9 Pro are the best eSIM-enabled phones.
Can I use WhatsApp with an eSIM?
Yes.
Is eSIM bad for batteries?
No.
Should I buy an eSIM before travel?
It is best to buy and install an eSIM in advance of your travel to avoid roaming charges.
What is the best eSIM to use when traveling?
Saily (200+ destinations), Roamless (200+ destinations), Holafly (200+ destinations), Breeze (190+ destinations), and Airalo (200+ destinations).
How much does an eSIM cost?
$1 to $5+ per GB for travel packages.
Does eSIM drain battery faster?
No.
Can I activate eSIM myself?
Yes.
