Android eSIM support is decided by the regional variant of a phone rather than by its model name, which is why a published list can never be the final answer. Google Pixel from the Pixel 3 generation onward and Samsung Galaxy S20 and later flagships support it broadly, along with selected models from Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, Motorola and Honor.
This guide gives the list, explains why the variant matters so much more on Android than on iPhone, and shows the two checks that settle your specific handset in under a minute.
In this guide:
- Check your own phone first
- Android brands and eSIM support
- The regional variant problem
- The EID and IMEI checks
- Installing an eSIM on Android
- Checking before you buy a phone
- If your phone does not support eSIM
- Buying a plan for your Android phone
Check your own phone first
Two checks, thirty seconds, and they outrank every list including this one.
The settings check. Open Settings and search for eSIM. On most Android phones the option sits under Network and Internet, then SIMs, with an entry to add or download a SIM. On a Samsung Galaxy it is under Connections, then SIM manager, then Add eSIM. If that option exists, your phone supports eSIM.
The update first rule. Install any pending software update before concluding anything, because a stalled update occasionally hides the menu on Android in a way it rarely does on iPhone.
If the option is present but profiles will not install, that is a carrier lock, not a hardware limit, and fixing a carrier locked phone covers it.
Android brands and eSIM support
By brand, in broad terms and for international variants:
| Brand | Typical eSIM support |
|---|---|
| Google Pixel | Pixel 3 generation onward, broadly supported |
| Samsung Galaxy | S20 and later flagships, recent Z Fold and Z Flip, selected A series |
| Xiaomi | Selected recent global variants, notably higher end models |
| Oppo | Selected recent global variants |
| Vivo | Selected recent global variants |
| Realme | Selected recent global variants |
| Motorola | Selected recent models including foldables |
| Honor | Selected recent models |
| Infinix, Tecno, Poco | Very limited, model by model |
Google documents Pixel behaviour on its dual SIM support page, and Samsung publishes its own list at the Galaxy eSIM compatibility page. For the Samsung range specifically, our Samsung eSIM phone list goes model by model.
Read the word selected in that table as doing real work. For every brand below the first two rows, support is the exception rather than the rule, and it is concentrated in higher priced international models.
The regional variant problem
On iPhone, eSIM support is nearly universal from the XS generation onward with a small number of documented regional exceptions. On Android it is genuinely fragmented, and the fragmentation follows market expectations rather than technology.
In markets where buyers expect two physical SIM slots, manufacturers frequently ship dual SIM variants with no eSIM, under the same model name as the international version that has it. India is the most commonly cited example, and the pattern appears elsewhere too.
Three practical consequences:
- A specification sheet for the international model tells you little about the version sold in your country.
- An imported or second hand handset is the highest risk case, because you may not know which market it came from.
- A friend’s identical looking phone behaving differently is normal, not a sign that something is broken on yours.
When buying, ask for the exact model number and check it, and for a second hand purchase ask the seller to photograph the add eSIM screen. Our guide to how to check eSIM compatibility covers both.
The EID and IMEI checks
Two identifiers come up whenever eSIM is discussed, and they answer different questions.
The EID is the serial number of the eSIM chip itself. If your phone displays one, it has an eSIM chip. Most Android phones show it under Settings, About phone, alongside the IMEI, and on many devices the dial code that opens the device information screen displays it too. A visible EID is strong evidence of support, though a small number of devices show one while the feature is disabled in that variant.
The IMEI identifies the handset itself, not the eSIM. Carriers ask for it when issuing a profile, and some online lookup tools will report a device’s specifications from it. It does not by itself prove eSIM support, which is why the settings check remains the decider.
Installing an eSIM on Android
- Connect to Wi Fi, since downloading a profile needs an internet connection that is not the line you are adding.
- Open the add eSIM screen: Network and Internet, SIMs on most phones; Connections, SIM manager on a Galaxy.
- Scan the QR code from a second screen, or enter the activation details manually.
- Name the line so you can tell your two lines apart.
- Set which line carries mobile data, and switch on data roaming for a travel eSIM, since travel plans connect as roaming partners.
- Leave a travel line switched off until you arrive, so its validity does not start early.
The complete walkthrough is in our eSIM for Android guide, and if a profile installs but will not connect, eSIM not working on Samsung and Android has the fixes in order.
Checking before you buy a phone
If eSIM matters for your next Android phone, three checks at purchase time save a great deal of frustration afterwards.
Ask for the model number, not the model name. Sellers list the marketing name; the model number identifies the variant, and the variant is what decides eSIM support. It is usually printed on the box and visible under Settings, About phone.
Assume nothing from an international review. A published specification sheet almost always describes the global variant. If you are buying in a market where dual physical SIM is the norm, verify against that market’s own listing.
For second hand, ask the seller for a photograph of the add eSIM screen. Ten seconds of their time settles the question with complete certainty, and a seller unwilling to do it has told you something useful.
For an imported handset, add a fourth check: whether the device is carrier locked in its market of origin, since a locked phone will show the eSIM menu and then refuse profiles from any other provider.
If your phone does not support eSIM
There is no software route to adding eSIM to hardware that lacks the chip, and applications claiming otherwise do not work. Three real options remain.
- A physical SIM bought at the destination, cheapest in most countries, with identity registration required in some, as covered in eSIM registration rules by country.
- A pocket wifi rental, which works with any phone and suits groups, compared in eSIM versus pocket wifi.
- A different handset for the trip.
Our guide to when an eSIM is not the right choice covers these honestly. If your phone does support eSIM, check it on the device compatibility checker and browse plans by country on the destinations index.
Buying a plan for your Android phone
If the add eSIM option is there, your phone will take a travel plan, and the rest takes a few minutes.
Viasimo sells prepaid travel eSIMs for more than 190 destinations, installed from your Android phone’s own eSIM screen by scanning a QR code that arrives by email within minutes of purchase. There is no app to download and no account needed before you can see prices. Plans are one off purchases with nothing renewing, and they are data only, so your existing number carries on as normal on its own line.
Compare sizes and coverage on the destinations index, or go direct to the USA, Europe or India.
If you would rather start from the plans themselves, the eSIM plan picker asks for your destination and your trip length and shows you what fits.
