With the announcement of the ultra-thin iPhone Air, the device’s eSIM-only nature means that subscribers of some Singaporean MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) telcos that are limited to physical SIM card plans will not be able to use Apple’s latest smartphone.
Unveiled during Apple’s “Awe Dropping” keynote, the iPhone Air marks the company’s slimmest smartphone yet, measuring just 5.6mm and weighing 165g (versus 7.9mm and 177g on the base iPhone 17). This thinness comes at a compromise, though, as apart from only having a single rear camera setup, the device will also lack a SIM tray, instead limiting support to eSIMs only.
While current users of many telcos in Singapore, such as Singtel, M1 and Starhub, will not be affected by this limitation as they can opt to swap their current SIM plans to an eSIM one, a number of MVNOs that use the networks of main telcos only provide physical SIM plans, meaning their subscribers will not be able to use the iPhone Air in Singapore.
Among the many MVNOs in Singapore, three currently do not provide eSIM options: heya and ZYM Mobile, which both operate on Singtel’s network, alongside redONE, which uses the network of Starhub. These MVNO telcos are limited to post or prepaid plans requiring the use of a physical SIM card, and as such will not be usable on the iPhone Air.
It’s unclear if any of these MVNOs will eventually begin providing eSIM plans as more smartphone companies adopt the digital SIM format, with Apple also releasing eSIM-only models of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in select countries, but for now, subscribers of these physical SIM plans eager to snag the iPhone Air when it launches on 19 September 2025 might need to start looking for an alternative telco.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
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