Google’s Pixel 10 series is finally here, and for the most part, all the upgrades we were expecting have come to fruition. The Tensor G5 chip promises big performance gains over the G4, the Pixel 10 now has a telephoto camera, and all Pixel 10 models have magnetic charging built in.
While it’s mostly good news, there is one change that’s likely to make a lot of people upset: the removal of physical SIM cards. If you buy a Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, or Pixel 10 Pro XL in the United States, you’ll only be able to connect it to your carrier using an eSIM; the physical SIM card tray that has been on your phone for years is gone on most of the Pixel 10 series.
It’s a big shakeup that’s almost certainly going to rub plenty of folks the wrong way, but I have a hot take: It’s OK. As someone who has exclusively used eSIMs for the last year or so, I welcome Google’s anti-SIM card future.
Will you miss the physical SIM slot on the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro XL? 151 votes Yes, it should have been there 83 % No, I'm okay with eSIM only 17 %
eSIMs aren’t scary. In fact, they’re pretty darn good
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Although eSIMs have existed since 2012, the technology received its biggest spotlight in 2022 with the release of the iPhone 14, the first major smartphone without a physical SIM card slot. While Android phones have avoided jumping on the bandwagon up until this point, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before that changed — and the Pixel 10 is the first major Android phone to kickstart this change.
I’ve been using eSIMs with my iPhone since 2022 (I keep one on hand for testing purposes), and about a year ago, I also transitioned all of my Android phones to eSIMs. And throughout that time, I’ve not run into any significant issues. If anything, embracing eSIMs has made my life easier.
A great example of this happened when I left T-Mobile earlier this year and switched to Visible for my cell service. Like most carriers in 2025, Visible still offers SIM cards as a backup option, but if your phone supports eSIMs, that’s what you’re encouraged to use. Not only did I transfer my T-Mobile number to a Visible eSIM, but I also did the same for my partner, grandma, and my dad.
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
And you know what? Everything went off without a hitch. The transfer process was well-explained and took just a few minutes for all of our numbers to be moved from T-Mobile to Visible. And since we were all using eSIMs, our Visible service was live and active the very same day without having to wait for a SIM card to arrive in the mail. You probably don’t change carriers that often, but when you do, the instant nature of eSIMs can feel like magic.
The same is true of joining a carrier with a brand new phone number. For some of my other Android phones that I’ve been testing this year, I activated new lines of service with Helium Mobile and Google Fi — and I use eSIMs for both of them. Just like with Visible, activating my service wasn’t an issue at all. I set up my account, installed the virtual eSIM, and my service was up and running almost immediately.
And it’s not just when changing carriers or setting up a new line where eSIMs work well. Last year, before I joined Visible, I had to transfer my T-Mobile eSIM multiple times to different Android phones I was reviewing. Every single time, it took about five minutes to transfer my eSIM to a new phone. When I travel internationally (which I did frequently last year), downloading an international eSIM and having it ready to use as soon as I land is about as convenient as it gets.
eSIMs are in a much better place today than they were a few years ago.
Not to mention, no longer having to hunt for a SIM tray removal tool when I need to swap SIM cards is a life I never want to stop living.
This is all to say that eSIMs are good. I’d even go as far as to say that they’re great. It certainly hasn’t always been that way, but in 2025, eSIMs are in a much better place than they were in 2022. I wouldn’t have felt nearly as comfortable with Google’s decision to axe physical SIM cards a couple of years ago, but I think starting this transition with the Pixel 10 makes sense.
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So long, SIM cards
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Pixel 10
That all said, there are a couple of counterpoints to make. As my colleague Adamya discovered earlier this year, eSIMs are problematic when the phone they’re installed on is thrown off a balcony. Furthermore, as widely adopted as eSIMs may be now, it is still possible to find yourself in a situation where your carrier only offers physical SIM cards or doesn’t support eSIMs with your specific phone model.
However, those issues are much fewer and farther between than they’ve ever been (except, of course, if you regularly drop your phone from tall heights).
Ultimately, I feel the same way about discontinuing physical SIM cards as I do about 3.5mm headphone jacks. Will it be a completely smooth and painless transition? Perhaps not for some people, but I imagine others won’t notice or care at all. Just as removing the 3.5mm headphone jack forced companies to make wireless earbuds/headphones better than ever, I like to imagine the same will be true of eSIMs — whether that means even smoother onboarding on phones, wider carrier compatibility, and so on.
I understand that some individuals may never want to give up their SIM cards, just as so many folks still mourn the death of the headphone jack. However, I think eSIMs ultimately work out better for most people. Unless you’re constantly swapping phones like I do, eSIMs are just faster and easier to use. And even in my case, transferring eSIMs across different phones isn’t the headache it once was.
I’m all for Google’s eSIM vision for the Pixel 10, and I have a feeling it will only be a matter of time before Samsung, OnePlus, and other companies follow suit.
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