The iPhone Air is Apple’s flashiest new iPhone model, featuring a strikingly thin industrial design.One of the ways Apple achieved this sleek profile was to maximise internal space by making all iPhones Airs rely on eSIM, with no physical SIM card slot model available.Despite announcing at the event that the iPhone Air would be available in China through carrier China Telecom, Apple has since delayed the launch.
Via The South China Morning Post, the iPhone Air will not go on sale in China today as Apple continues to work with the Chinese regulators regarding eSIM.eSIM carrier support is almost non-existent in China right now as Beijing has rejected the technology.As such, aside from iPhone Air, all other iPhone models sold in China feature a physical SIM card tray.
It’s unclear why Apple first thought that iPhone Air could launch in China unimpeded, only to backpedal at a late stage.The company told Chinese media that it is “working closely with regulatory authorities to bring it to China as soon as possible”.Apple said iPhone Air can launch on China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom subject to regulatory approval.
But as of right now, we don’t know how long that will take.For everyone else, preorders of iPhone Air and the entire iPhone 17 lineup start in about an hour’s time, kicking off at 10 AM Pacific Time.In the United States, all models are eSIM only.
The eSIM only iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max actually get about 2 hours extra battery life compared to their physical SIM card slot counterparts.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop.
Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
