Google just copied the worst feature of modern iPhones (but not all hope is lost)

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The Google Pixel 10 bid successful the US is losing the carnal SIM paper slot and going eSIM only.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the lone exception, with a aboriginal motorboat day successful October.
To accommodate the networking change, Google is offering enhanced SIM-swap support.

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Google conscionable announced its latest smartphone lineup, the Pixel 10 series, and yes, connected the surface, they look a full batch similar past year's Pixel 9. However, determination is 1 precise important alteration nether the hood: the determination toward utilizing eSIMs only, ditching the carnal SIM paper entirely.

With past year's Pixel 9 series, users had the enactment of having a accepted SIM paper oregon an eSIM. With the Pixel 10, foregoing the SIM tray altogether is simply a alternatively unexpected determination that mightiness not beryllium fashionable with everyone. Note that this alteration applies to phones successful the US only.

Also: Everything announced astatine Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more

So what's the quality betwixt the two? Traditional SIM cards -- acquainted to astir smartphone users -- are physical, removable chips associated with a azygous bearer and number. An eSIM (or embedded SIM) is simply a built-in constituent that's portion of the phone's hardware.

The benefits of an eSIM see the quality to person antithetic profiles attached to antithetic numbers oregon plans -- adjacent antithetic carriers -- connected the aforesaid device, allowing for antithetic lines for idiosyncratic oregon business, for example.

The Pixel 10 bid phones volition enactment 2 eSIM "slots," allowing for 2 antithetic numbers. This is each managed by the phone's bundle oregon by scanning a QR code, alternatively of extracting a spot from the device.

Also: Finally, Pixel 10 ends Android's MagSafe envy with its caller PixelSnap feature

All the caller Pixel 10 models announced volition determination toward eSIM only, except, notably, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which volition proceed to enactment some forms.

It's mostly newer phones that person gone the eSIM route, and thing Apple has done since the iPhone 14 was released backmost successful 2022. Removing the carnal tray that houses a carnal SIM paper besides frees up invaluable existent property successful the telephone for different components, portion of the continual march toward smaller and smaller devices.

A fewer different Androids enactment eSIM, including Samsung's Galaxy S22 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Z Flip 4, among others. But arsenic a whole, eSIM enactment crossed Android devices is an inconsistent patchwork based connected antithetic models and carriers.

Also: 5 caller AI features connected Pixel 10 that consciousness similar magic

For example, older Pixel phones bash enactment eSIM, but they're mostly constricted to Google Fi -- the company's ain telephone bearer service. The Pixel 10, by comparison, is compatible with different carriers similar Verizon.

Google is present squarely astatine the forefront of eSIM enactment connected Android, arsenic its adoption connected the Pixel 10 bid goes to show. The bottommost enactment is there's inactive a batch of compatibility issues to robust retired successful the Android ecosystem, leaving a batch of users tethered to accepted SIM cards.

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