iPhone 17 Air could be Apple’s first e-SIM only iPhone for global markets: Here's what we know

Apple is all set to introduce its thinnest and lightest iPhone yet, the iPhone 17 Air at the company's “Awe Dropping” event on 9 September. We have been hearing leaks and rumors about the newest member in the iPhone lineup for at least a year and most of the details about the device are public knowledge by now. 

For instance, the iPhone 17 Air is likely to be just 5.5mm in thickness but that sleek design is likely to lead to certain trade offs such as the prescence of a single camera and a smaller battery. 

However, just days ahead of the event, we have a new leak that reveals that there could be yet another change with the iPhone 17 Air which could be a positive or a negative update given how you feel about the feature. 

The Cupertino based tech giant could reportedly remove the option of entering a physical SIM card with the iPhone 17 Air. A new report by Macrumors states that Apple has asked its retail employees at Apple Authorized Reselllers in the EU to complete a training course related to eSIM support by 5 September. 

While the report only mentions only mentions completing the training course in EU, the ultra thin design of the iPhone 17 Air could mean that the phone could could with e-SIM only support worlwide. Reportedly, Apple employees have to complete the course using Apple's SEED app which is available for employees at APple Stores and Apple authorized resellers around the world. 

Notably, Apple has only supported eSIM for users in the United States since the iPhone 14. At the time introducting the change, Apple had portrayed eSIMs as being more secure than physical SIM cards since they cannot be removed from the phone even if it is stolen. 

Prior to the current leak, The Information had also reported that Apple is planning to introduce eSIM only iPhones in more countries. However, we have no certainty at this point if this change will apply only to iPhone 17 Air or other iPhone17 models as well.