Hey sdas,
Since 2008, every iPhone sold in Australia came with a SIM tray.
The iPhone Air just retired it.
There's no slot to push a pin into, and no Australian variant with one. Every iPhone Air sold here is eSIM-only, which means an eSIM is the only way to connect it to a network.
It sounds bigger than it is. Australian carriers have supported eSIM since 2020, and switching your number across takes about 5 to 15 minutes. What does change is how you handle phone swaps, travel SIMs, and what to do when you bring your own SIM to a refurbished iPhone.
We wrote the full breakdown. What an eSIM actually is, how to convert with Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, or any smaller provider, what changes day to day, and what to do if you'd still prefer a physical SIM tray.
Worth a read before your next upgrade.
