Google made a bold move with the Pixel 10, even if it’s not obvious yet. Here’s why

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Google Pixel 10 collection within the US is dropping the bodily SIM card slot and going eSIM solely.
• The Google Pixel 10 Professional Fold is the one exception, with a later launch date in October.
• To accommodate the networking change, Google is providing enhanced SIM-swap assist.

Google simply introduced its newest smartphone lineup, the Pixel 10 series, and sure, on the floor, they give the impression of being a complete lot like final yr’s Pixel 9. Nevertheless, there’s one very vital change underneath the hood: the transfer towards utilizing eSIMs solely, ditching the bodily SIM card totally. 

With final yr’s Pixel 9 collection, customers had the choice of getting a standard SIM card or an eSIM. With the Pixel 10, foregoing the SIM tray altogether is a fairly sudden transfer which may not be well-liked with everybody. Word that this variation applies to telephones within the US solely. 

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

So what is the distinction between the 2? Conventional SIM playing cards — acquainted to most smartphone customers — are bodily, detachable chips related to a single provider and quantity. An eSIM (or embedded SIM) is a built-in element that is a part of the cellphone’s {hardware}. 

The advantages of an eSIM embody the flexibility to have completely different profiles connected to completely different numbers or plans — even completely different carriers — on the identical gadget, permitting for various strains for private or enterprise, for instance. 

The Pixel 10 collection telephones will assist two eSIM “slots,” permitting for 2 completely different numbers. That is all managed by the cellphone’s software program or by scanning a QR code, as a substitute of extracting a chip from the gadget. 

Additionally: Finally, Pixel 10 ends Android’s MagSafe envy with its new PixelSnap feature

All the brand new Pixel 10 fashions introduced will transfer towards eSIM solely, besides, notably, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which can proceed to assist each varieties. 

It is largely newer telephones which have gone the eSIM route, and one thing Apple has accomplished for the reason that iPhone 14 was launched again in 2022. Eradicating the bodily tray that homes a bodily SIM card additionally frees up worthwhile actual property within the cellphone for different parts, a part of the continuous march towards smaller and smaller gadgets. 

A number of different Androids assist eSIM, together with Samsung’s Galaxy S22 collection, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Z Flip 4, amongst others. However as a complete, eSIM assist throughout Android gadgets is an inconsistent patchwork primarily based on completely different fashions and carriers. 

Additionally: 5 new AI features on Pixel 10 that feel like magic

For instance, older Pixel telephones do assist eSIM, however they’re largely restricted to Google Fi — the corporate’s personal cellphone provider service. The Pixel 10, by comparability, is suitable with different carriers like Verizon. 

Google is now squarely on the forefront of eSIM assist on Android, as its adoption on the Pixel 10 collection goes to indicate. The underside line is there’s nonetheless numerous compatibility points to iron out within the Android ecosystem, leaving numerous customers tethered to conventional SIM playing cards.