The SIM card was created in 1991 and has been reducing its size over time, until reaching the nanoSIM, the smaller version of this cardand whose slot is available on all mobiles in the world.
But… what would happen if that slot did not exist and we could use the SIM virtually? That was what Xiaomi thought, and made it happen four years agowith the arrival of MIUI 10 in 2018, incorporating it in several models.
What is eSIM?
The virtual SIM card, or eSIM, works the same way as a regular one, only this version It is part of the mobile components. Instead of having a physical card that is inserted into the device, the eSIM is a kind of ‘internal memory’ where the data that the original SIM would have is dumped.
Although our Xiaomi mobiles still offer the SIM slot to insert the card, this technology of eSIM offers a wide range of advantagesfor both companies and users:
- Manufacturers can save device space and use it to improve other components, such as batteries or cameras.
- The users we would not have to walk with the skewer to extract the mobile slot, in addition to we could have a finer device and requesting a SIM could be done online, without shipping.
When we want to change our operator, instead of removing the SIM, we would simply have associated a number that our company may deactivateand portability will be much faster by not having to wait for the card to arrive at home.
Xiaomi was one of the first to adopt the eSIM
the chinese company has always been a pioneer to incorporate new technologies into their phones, and when MIUI 10 was released in September 2018, the new version of this operating system incorporated eSIM compatibility.
But the update was not the only thing needed to be able to enjoy the advantages of the virtual SIM, the device also had to be preparedand Xiaomi’s top of the range at the time, the Xiaomi Mi 8, was the company’s first smartphone capable of integrating Physical and virtual SIM at the same time.
In addition, the Mi 8 also had NFC, a fingerprint sensor under the screen and infrared facial unlocking, and all this for a price that, at that time, did not even reach 500 euros.
4 years and we still use the same SIM…
If we have had eSIM technology in most Xiaomi mobiles for more than 4 years, Why do we continue to use the SIM of a lifetime? the reason is very simple: telephone companies such as Vodafone, Orange or Movistar that are in the countries where mobiles are marketed do not yet have eSIMand in countries where there is, this technology may carry an additional cost Which is not really worth it at the moment.
Manufacture mobiles for specific countries without the SIM slot entails an extra expense as a manufacturer that most brands are not willing to invest in more different versions.
That is why, until now, we will have to continue using the physical SIM, although in Spain and other countries we do have the option to incorporate an eSIM, there are still no mass market devices that do not incorporate the slot, but we are sure that Xiaomi will be one of the first to do sosooner or later.