An iPhone without a SIM tray: in America it has been standard for years. Such a device is often cheaper, but is it right for you? The honest explanation.
Door Jalil Barati
Gepubliceerd: 2026-08-15
If you are looking for a refurbished iPhone, you will come across them more and more often: American models that are "eSIM-only". They are regularly tens of euros cheaper than the same European model. Sounds attractive, but what exactly are you buying? And should you want it? We explain it the way we do in the shop: honestly, with the pros and the cons.
Since the iPhone 14, Apple has been selling iPhones without a SIM tray in the United States. So there is no room for a physical SIM card. Instead, the device uses an eSIM: a built-in, digital SIM card that you activate with a QR code or through your provider's app. Apart from that, an American device is simply a real iPhone: same screen, same cameras, same iOS updates, and it works fully on the Dutch networks.
Yes. All Dutch providers now support eSIM. With most of them you arrange the switch in a couple of minutes: you request an eSIM in your provider's app or account portal, scan a QR code, and your number is on your new device. Switching from another iPhone can be even easier: iOS can digitally transfer your SIM from your old device to the new one while setting it up.
Handy to know: an eSIM is not inferior or slower than a physical SIM card. Calling, 5G, everything works identically. Once it is set up, you simply do not notice it any more.
For most people, we would happily say. If you use one plan with a Dutch provider and rarely switch devices, there is no practical difference from a regular iPhone, except that during setup you request an eSIM once instead of swapping a card. And you benefit from the lower price.
A bonus few people know about: these devices can store several eSIMs and have two of them active at the same time. A business and a personal number on one device is therefore perfectly possible, without fiddling with cards.
There are a few situations in which an EU model with a SIM tray may be more convenient:
Simple: the American market is enormous, which means there is plenty of supply in the refurbished trade, and not every European buyer wants a device without a SIM tray. Less demand and more supply means a lower price. It has nothing to do with the device itself.
Hardly. It is the same model with the same components, the same iOS and the same updates from Apple; the device simply works on 4G and 5G in the Netherlands. American models even have an extra 5G antenna for an American network technology (mmWave) that is not used here, hence the small extra window in the side of some models. You will not notice anything else. And if you sell the device on later, the same story applies to the next owner: perfectly usable, as long as they can work with eSIM.
With us, every iPhone, including the American models, goes through the same 50-point inspection by our own technicians. You get a 2-year warranty (on the battery too) and 30 days to change your mind: if the eSIM switch does not go smoothly with your provider after all, you can simply bring the device back. For an eSIM-only model we state this clearly on the product page, so you are never faced with surprises.
Not sure whether eSIM is right for you? Drop by our shop in Nijverdal and we will help you switch on the spot. We have been doing this since 2009, and with a 4.6 on Google (93 reviews) we dare to say customers appreciate that service. Have a look at the current range of refurbished iPhones on our iPhone page or browse all devices.
Refurbished iPhones met 2 jaar garantie. Elk toestel doorloopt ons 50-punts inspectieproces en wordt geleverd met 2 jaar garantie.
Every refurbished phone is sold in one of four conditions:
The Phone Shopper
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