In 12 countries and regions on Apple’s list, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max arrive with no SIM tray at all, so the first thing the phone asks for when it is unboxed on Friday, September 18 is an eSIM. Apple’s list is Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
That list, published with the phones on September 9, is the whole of what Apple has committed to. Apple has not published a matching list of the markets where a tray is still fitted, and its US tech specs page describes the US model, saying the phone supports dual eSIM and does not support a physical SIM.
| Key fact | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| Markets with no SIM tray | 12, named in Apple’s press release |
| SIM support on those models | Dual eSIM, two eSIMs active at once, eight or more stored |
| Apple’s condition, footnote 10 | “Use of an eSIM requires a carrier that supports eSIM and a wireless service plan” |
| Carrier step at US checkout | AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon or “Connect on your own later” |
| US price effect | $1,199 with a carrier selected, $1,299 for the unlocked 256GB model |
| Support document for the model | Not published yet |
| Pre-orders | 5 a.m. PT, Saturday, September 12 |
| In stores | Friday, September 18 |
The 12 markets, grouped
Half the list sits in the Gulf, and two entries are US territories rather than countries.
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| Region | Markets Apple lists as eSIM only |
|---|---|
| North America | Canada, Mexico, United States |
| US territories | Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Gulf | Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates |
| East Asia | Japan |
Canada is the entry that surprises people, because the tray disappeared there before it disappeared in Europe. Nothing in Apple’s September 9 releases changes that.
What dual eSIM gives you in return
Apple’s tech specs list dual eSIM with two lines active at once and storage for eight or more profiles, so a work number and a personal number can share the phone without a tray.
The condition is Apple’s footnote 10: “Use of an eSIM requires a carrier that supports eSIM and a wireless service plan. See carrier for details.” Apple publishes no list of qualifying carriers in any market.
One connected feature is named to specific networks. Footnote 9 says iPhone Handoff “will be available at launch with T-Mobile in the U.S. and Telekom Germany in Germany”, which is two carriers in two countries and nothing else.
The carrier choice happens at checkout, not on the doorstep
On Apple’s US store the connectivity step offers AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon or “Connect on your own later”. Apple’s own wording is that “connectivity discounts are reflected in the advertised price of select iPhone models, and are available to customers who connect with select carriers at the time of purchase.”
The effect is visible in the numbers. Apple’s press release says iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the US store lists the 256GB unlocked model at $1,299.
Financing pulls the same way. Footnote 13 states that Apple Card Monthly Installments requires selecting AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon at checkout, and that an iPhone bought that way is always unlocked.
Carrying one across a border
Because the tray is absent from the hardware rather than switched off in software, a phone bought in one of those 12 markets stays eSIM only wherever it travels.
Whether a line can be added on arrival is a question for the destination network, and Apple’s published position stops at footnote 10. iPhone Duo removes the question entirely, since Apple lists it as eSIM only in every market it sells.
What Apple has not said
- Which markets keep a SIM tray. Apple published the eSIM-only list and no counterpart to it.
- Which carriers support eSIM, in any country.
- How to move an existing eSIM onto the new phone. Apple’s iPhone manuals index still does not list iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max or iPhone Duo, and the newest models on it are the iPhone 17 family and iPhone Air.
- Whether stock differs by connectivity choice. Apple publishes no stock figures, and its sales policies reserve the right to limit quantities and to cancel orders.
Pre-orders open at 5 a.m. PT on Saturday, September 12, and the phones reach buyers on Friday, September 18. iOS 27 arrives first, on Monday, September 14, as a free update.
