What is an eSIM and is it for me?

Confession time - was your initial thought of eSIMs like, “Electronic SIM cards? Aren’t they electronic all along? Nah, it must be another sales gimmick”?

There’s been plenty of buzz around eSIMs, and it certainly helps that all iPhone 14s in the US are now SIM-less (geddit..?). While our new iPhone 14 in sunny Singapore still comes with a slim slot, there’s no stopping you from adding a secondary line or getting a data boost with Circles.Life via an eSIM. But more on that later.

First things first. Here’s why you could be confessing your love for eSIMs very soon.

An eSIM explained

All the functions of a physical SIM, with no drop in network coverage

The physical SIM card we’re all familiar with has a slot for it and is removable from a phone. It’s a distinct, separate add-on for your mobile connection. An eSIM, on the other hand, is the opposite - slot-less, and hidden deep within the phone, never to see the light of day.

The “e” stands for embedded, and an eSIM takes the circuitry of a physical SIM and integrates it with the innards of a device. Essentially, an eSIM is part of a phone’s integrated circuit, rather than a standalone component à la the physical SIM.

Besides being out of sight, an eSIM works the same as its physical cousin. It connects your phone to your telco for calling, texting and surfing, and there’s usually no difference in network coverage.

Folks nowadays want their gadgets to be lighter, sleeker and classier, especially for phones and laptops. eSIMs, like non-removable batteries, mean one less reason to pry open your phone.

Advantages of an eSIM

1. Instant switching between different plans
2. Activating is easy - no more SIM slots to pry open

With an eSIM, you can say goodbye to those long trips to your telco’s store to collect your physical SIM. Or ambushing the postman every day over whether your card has arrived.

Everything about an eSIM is done remotely. Connecting to a mobile plan usually means scanning your carrier’s QR code or through its app or website. Better still, it’s common for an eSIM to support multiple carriers, which means switching between and managing different plans is now much easier.

You can hence upgrade to a better telco a.k.a Circles.Life with just a few taps on your phone, without having to swap confusing, lookalike SIM cards.

What’s more, small doesn’t always go with cute. When it comes to physical SIMs and their equally baby-sized card trays and eject pins, it can be downright annoying.

Hands up if you, like us, always misplace the eject pin and end up using a toothpick.

Another perk of an eSIM, therefore, is that we can start donating those tiny, flimsy pins to the museum. Everything is packed nice and neat within the phone.

Without a SIM tray, the extra space can also come in handy. Imagine an upsized battery for your Netflix streams, or a more beastly processor for your games.

Plus, your phone simply looks sexier minus that pinhole and tray slit at the side, isn’t it?

Is an eSIM for me?

Good for those who:

1. Use a secondary line
2. Want a data boost
3. Have one phone for both work and play
4. Hate queueing up for physical SIMs

All in all, eSIMs are a cool invention that makes our mobile lives so much SIM-pler. Nothing else besides an awesome telco (who else other than Circles.Life?) and our dream phone (yup, we do that too!), and digital magic will take care of the rest.

Most eSIM-compatible handsets presently still come with a physical SIM slot, which means dual lines, and double the fun. You can use one line for those chatter marathons, while surfing to your heart’s content on the other plan.

Or at least, not spoiling the fun. Separate work from play on two different lines. Dual-SIM settings on a phone are nothing new. But an eSIM offers the same level of convenience without the hassle of another piece of plastic.

You also get to focus more on the fun during your travels. Hunting down a local SIM card after touching down, Amazing Race-style, is not really a stress-free way to start that long-awaited holiday. Setting up your eSIM profile with the local carrier with a few taps, from the comfort of the airport lounge or hotel room, certainly sounds more chillax.

And nobody does fun and relaxing quite like Circles.Life. Our eSIM plans run from 20GB all the way to 100GB. Signing up is seamless - check whether your device is compatible, register for a plan, and scan a QR code to get your eSIM up and running. All in a matter of minutes!

Oh, did we mention that the plans are contract-free too? Be it digital or physical SIMs, we don’t believe in tying you down in any way!

Switch to an eSIM

Now that you know a little bit more about eSIMs, switch to an eSIM instantly here or add a secondary line for that extra data boost on your phone!