eSIM and IMEI: What Changes and What Doesn't
eSIM changed how we activate phones. It did not change the IMEI.
eSIM replaced the little plastic card with a profile downloaded straight onto the phone, and that convenience has led to some confusion about identifiers. The short version: eSIM changes how a SIM is provisioned, not the phone's IMEI, which remains the permanent hardware identity it always was.
Because the IMEI belongs to the radio hardware, an eSIM-only phone still has one, and you still retrieve it the same way — *#06# or Settings. Many modern phones support both a physical SIM and an eSIM at once, which is why they report two IMEIs: one per radio path. Either can be used for a lookup.
For checking purposes, eSIM devices behave like any other. Carrier lock, blacklist and activation-lock status all key off the IMEI regardless of whether the active line is a physical card or a downloaded profile. An eSIM-only iPhone, for example, is still subject to Activation Lock exactly as a SIM-tray model would be.
One thing that does matter if you buy or import a used iPhone: the models Apple sold in the United States from the iPhone 14 through the iPhone 16e have no SIM tray at all. They work with an eSIM only. A phone with that US model number (A2649 for the iPhone 14, for example, shown under Settings, General, About, Model Number) cannot take a local physical SIM in another country, so before paying, confirm that a carrier where you will use it offers eSIM. Apple keeps the current list of carriers that offer eSIM on iPhone. Our checker flags these models on the result card. In Pakistan an imported phone must also be registered with PTA, whatever kind of SIM it uses.
One practical wrinkle: because there is no tray to inspect, verify an eSIM phone's IMEI through *#06# and Settings and confirm they agree. The absence of a physical card does not reduce the need to match the number to the device before buying.
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Common questions
Does eSIM change the IMEI?
No. eSIM changes how the SIM profile is delivered; the IMEI is tied to the hardware and stays the same.
Is the IMEI the same as the eSIM?
No — they identify different things. The IMEI is the permanent identity of the phone's radio hardware, so it stays the same no matter which SIM or eSIM the phone uses. An eSIM has its own separate identifiers: an EID (the long ID printed on the embedded SIM chip itself) and, for each plan you download, an ICCID (the number of that particular line). So one phone carries a single IMEI — or two on dual-radio models — plus an EID and an ICCID per active profile: related numbers, but not interchangeable. For any status lookup — carrier lock, blacklist or a maker's warranty page — you always use the IMEI, never the EID or ICCID, because those checks read the device's history, not the SIM plan's. You may also see "IMEI-SV": that is simply the IMEI with a two-digit software-version suffix, not a different number.
Why does my phone show two IMEIs?
Dual-SIM phones have two radio paths — often one physical SIM and one eSIM — so they carry two IMEIs. Either works for a check.
Which IMEI should I use for an eSIM phone — IMEI1 or IMEI2?
Either one. On a dual-SIM phone, IMEI1 usually maps to the physical SIM slot and IMEI2 to the eSIM, but both belong to the same handset, so a carrier-lock, blacklist or warranty lookup returns the same device history whichever you enter. An eSIM-only phone reports a single IMEI — just use that. If you want to be exact, dial *#06#: it lists every IMEI the phone holds, and any of them is valid for a report.
Can I check an eSIM-only phone by IMEI?
Yes. Retrieve the IMEI via *#06# or Settings and check it exactly as you would any other phone.
Which iPhones have no SIM tray?
The iPhone models sold in the United States from the iPhone 14 through the iPhone 16e are eSIM only. Models sold in most other countries kept a physical SIM tray, so the model number matters: open Settings, General, About and compare it with Apple's specifications for your country. A US model brought abroad stays eSIM only.
Can I use a US iPhone 14 with a local SIM card in another country?
Not a physical one, because the US model has no tray. It can use a local eSIM if a carrier there offers one, and if the phone is carrier-unlocked. Run the IMEI check first to see the lock status, then ask the carrier whether it supports eSIM on your model.
Is activation lock different on eSIM iPhones?
No. Activation Lock applies to the device regardless of whether it uses a physical SIM or eSIM.