(Credit: Eric Zeman)
Google made a big splash at its Made By Google event today, where it showed off the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4, Pixel Buds 2a, and the Pixel 10 series. Pixel 10 devices have lots of under-the-hood upgrades, but one change is sure to cause a stir. Pixel 10 phones sold in the US will not support physical SIM cards. Here's what you need to know.
Physical SIM or Faster 5G?
I had a chance to see Google's latest hardware ahead of the Made By Google event. While examining the devices, something stood out: The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL don't have slots for physical SIM cards. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold, however, does, support a real SIM card. I asked Google about it.
Google decided to remove physical SIM card support from its US Pixel 10 phones. Instead, the phones will support just eSIM. According to Google reps on site, 70% of US Pixel owners are already using eSIM only. This is likely because they bought their Pixels from a US carrier, where eSIMs can be provisioned easily before (and after) the phones are sold. Pixel 10 devices sold outside of the US still support physical SIM cards.
This move echoes the one made by Apple when it launched the iPhone 14 in 2022. All US iPhones from the iPhone 14 onward ship without a physical SIM tray. You have to buy an iPhone overseas if you want it to include one. iPhones support up to two active eSIMs at a time, and can contain a total of eight. Apple iPhone 14 buyers were irked at the change, which can complicate connectivity.
When pressed about the decision, Google said the trade-off is mmWave. Google claims US carriers require phones they sell to include mmWave 5G support. Millimeter-wave 5G is the fastest wireless network technology available, though it is deployed only sporadically in select large cities around the country. European carriers do not require mmWave because it is hardly available across the continent at all.
Google gave all three Pixel 10 phones larger batteries, but it says it ran out of internal space to accommodate both physical SIM cards and mmWave. So, the mmWave components are located in the space inside the US Pixel 10s that would have been used by a SIM card. Because Pixels sold in Europe don't need mmWave, that internal space is used for SIM cards instead.
Friend or Foe?
Reviews are mixed for eSIM technology. While it can be easy to install and activate an eSIM for travel, the process isn't always smooth. I've spent hours on the phone with US carriers trying to unbork an eSIM transfer gone bad. In that instance, I was lucky in that I was already home after an international trip. If the same thing had happened while I was abroad, the story would have had a different ending.
Whether you consider eSIM a blessing or a curse, nothing beats the simplicity of swapping physical SIM cards from one phone to another. If you buy a Pixel 10 in the US, you'll no longer have that luxury.