I was ready to ditch physical SIMs, then my toddler threw my phone off a balcony

For the past couple of years, I’ve been all about eSIMs. No more fiddling with SIM trays or digging through drawers looking for that tiny, ever-evasive SIM ejector tool. No more worrying about losing a SIM card in your bag, under your couch, or in that parallel dimension where socks and USB cables disappear. In 2025, eSIMs should be the default, and I was prepared to write a scathing takedown of any manufacturer still clinging to physical SIM cards. But then, life happened, specifically, my toddler happened, and my whole perspective shifted faster than you can say “ninth-floor balcony.”

The physical SIM struggle is real

After getting my hands on a review unit of the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, I was ready to go all in on a fiery rant. It’s well-built, stylish, and a solid mid-range Android phone for 2025, but it absolutely does not support eSIM in India. This truly baffled me. It’s 2025, and I hate being held hostage by tiny plastic chips. It felt like taking delivery of a brand-new car only to find out it’s made up of old parts.

Switching phones often is a part of my job here at Android Authority, and I thought I’d left behind the days of prying open SIM trays because moving an eSIM from one phone to the other is far more convenient. But there I was, stuck with a brand-new Nothing Phone 3a Pro in my hands and no physical SIM card to activate it. The phone would literally not allow me to set it up without first jamming in a physical SIM card.

Clearly, we still have far to go in terms of eSIM adoption. Brands such as Nothing, vivo, realme, and others that produce mid-range or budget devices have yet to embrace eSIM on many of their non-flagship devices for several reasons, including cost considerations, the slow adoption rate of eSIM in certain markets at certain price points, and even the strategy of restricting imports by locking devices to physical SIM cards issued in specific regions.

But, let’s face it, this needs to change. There’s no doubt that eSIMs are a game-changer. Need to activate a new line while traveling? Boom, done in a few taps. Want separate numbers for work and personal calls? Easy, without having to carry two phones or get two SIMs. I had a great experience with my eSIM at MWC 2025, where I switched to a local carrier in minutes instead of wasting half a day in line at a kiosk. eSIMs are built for flexibility and seamlessness and are far less annoying to deal with than physical SIMs.

For all these reasons, I was ready to declare that I’d never buy another phone without eSIM support or use a physical SIM card…until fate intervened, and for a few days, my eSIM became the bane of my mobile life.

Just before writing that wholly different article, my iPhone 15 Pro, on which my primary number was registered as an eSIM, met a dramatic end. While on holiday, my toddler decided my phone would look cool skydiving from a ninth-floor balcony. Spoiler Alert: It didn’t stick the landing. Not only did the iPhone’s screen shatter to pieces from one corner, but the grade 5 titanium frame literally tore from the antenna band. Not to mention the internal damage to other crucial components.

After mourning the loss and explaining to my child that phones aren’t actually meant to fly, I faced a new problem. I needed a new phone. And fast. Apple told me the phone can’t be fixed and will need to be replaced. Shedding tears of desperation, I swallowed the bitter pill and coughed up to buy the iPhone 16 Pro.

But here’s the catch. You can’t just pop into a store, grab a phone, and swap out the SIM anymore when you’re only using an eSIM. Sure, transferring an eSIM is usually as easy as scanning a QR code, but what happens when your old phone’s display is completely dead?

To make matters worse, I wasn’t even home. I was about to travel to an even more remote location just an hour after the whole mess started. So there I was, holding a brand-new iPhone with no carrier connectivity, meaning I couldn’t access 80% of my apps that relied on two-factor authentication tied to my phone number. Payment and banking apps in my country are also married to the user’s phone number, so I was also left without access to digital payment methods. Not the best scenario when you’re on holiday.

I figured my carrier could just activate the eSIM on my new phone remotely. Turns out, I was wrong.

I ended up stuck without a working phone for three whole days until I could get to a carrier store in the nearest big city, where they finally deactivated the eSIM on my old device (RIP) and got me up and running on the new one.

The case for a SIMpler future

This ordeal obviously made me rethink my stance. While eSIMs are great when everything works perfectly, they can be a headache when things go wrong. And life had a silly way of reminding me that they do go wrong. Not every country, carrier, or device maker has caught up to full eSIM support, and in dire situations like mine, having a physical SIM option can be a lifesaver.

Take the iPhone in the US, which went fully eSIM-only. It’s a bold move but one that can leave users in the lurch, especially if like me, they are parents of mischievous toddlers who treat phones like frisbees.

Ultimately, the ideal phone is one that gives you options: eSIM for its convenience and flexibility, plus a physical SIM slot for emergencies or just good old-fashioned peace of mind. Plenty of phones offer this combination in 2025, and I feel more, especially in the budget to mid-range segment, should hop on board.

Manufacturers should prioritize choice instead of forcing arbitrary limitations on their devices. Whether it’s to cut costs, discourage imports, or cater to outdated market norms, these restrictions only hurt users in the long run. Let us choose how we connect, and we’ll be far more likely to stick with your devices. There’s also an argument to be made for better eSIM transferability in case of unexpected emergencies, whether it comes from phone makers or carriers.

If this experience has taught me one thing, it’s that flexibility is key. eSIMs are great, but the future doesn’t have to come at the expense of options. Give me the best of both worlds, and I’ll be happy, even if I have to pay a little extra.