Phones have typically utilized physical cards called SIM cards to connect to cellular networks, but advances toward a digital equivalent called eSIM have been incremental.
One of the reasons we haven’t seen more phones ditch the SIM card slot fully is that Android lacks good support for multiple eSIMs, which must be addressed before most manufacturers can make the transition. The impending Android 13 release looks to be laying the framework for this very purpose of having an eSIM.
The eSIM on Android 13 will be a tiny chip on the motherboard allowing to have more space for other hardware
According to Esper, the Android 13 codebase includes an implementation of a patent submitted by Google in 2020 that permits several SIM profiles to be utilized on a single integrated chip. This is accomplished by dividing the single physical data bus that connects the modem and eSIM chip into many logical interfaces that are multiplexed on a single physical interface.
It’s similar to how most current CPUs divide physical CPU cores into logical CPU cores to allow for more activities to be executed at the same time.
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In contrast to traditional SIM cards, which require a huge slot on the side of a phone or tablet, eSIM requires only a tiny component on the device’s motherboard. This frees up space in the phone for a bigger battery, camera hardware, or whatever else you choose.
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However, there haven’t been many phones that have done away with the actual SIM card slot altogether — partly because many carriers still don’t accept eSIM, and partly because many smartphones marketed overseas require two SIMs of some sort. Two eSIMs are an option available on the iPhone 13 series, although they increase complexity.
Google hasn’t made any public statements regarding this capability, but if it does remain in Android 13 for the final version, we’ll certainly hear more about it shortly. As long as carriers can be trusted, the new feature might lead to more widespread eSIM support across phones.
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