On October 13, 2025, China's telecommunications industry celebrated a double milestone: the three major telecom operators simultaneously received approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for commercial trials of eSIM mobile phones. Just hours later, Apple's CEO Tim Cook officially announced the launch of the iPhone Air on Douyin. This 5.6 mm "future phone" resonates with China's recent launch of eSIM services and signifies a pivotal step for the company, marking its new exploration in lightweight design and the transition of China's telecommunications industry from the "card era" to the "no-card era."
Recently, Sina Digital engaged in discussions with Arun Mathias, Apple's Vice President of Wireless Software Technologies and Ecosystems, and team member Anjali Jotwani about the upcoming launch of the iPhone Air in China.
Technological Coupling: The Slim Revolution of iPhone Air and the Inevitable Choice of eSIM From the micro-SIM in iPhone 4 to the nano-SIM in iPhone 5, Apple has historically played a role in shrinking SIM cards to their electronic form. With the advent of eSIM, the launch of iPhone Air in the domestic market has catalyzed a design revolution focused on eSIM technology. To achieve the goal of creating the "thinnest iPhone ever," Apple adopted a design strategy without physical SIM cards, fully cancelling the SIM card slot, which is both a result of technological evolution and the timely breakthrough of China's eSIM policy.
Looking at the hardware perspective, this model's lightweight design is indeed radical. Constructed from titanium and featuring ultra-ceramic panels on the front and back, it achieves lightweight without sacrificing structural strength. More crucially, the internal space has been meticulously optimized: the mainboard is integrated into the raised Deco area at the top of the device, allowing for other components to occupy the space previously dedicated to the SIM card slot. Apple emphasizes that despite the dramatic reduction in thickness, the device can still meet all-day battery life requirements thanks to the AI power-saving technology of the iOS 26 system, which is also linked to the spatial benefits provided by eSIM.
eSIM technology plays a role in "advancing technology." As a new generation SIM card standard established by GSMA, eSIM integrates communication functions directly into the device's chip and achieves remote configuration through "over-the-air" programming, occupying only one-third of the space of a nano-SIM card. This feature aligns seamlessly with the design philosophy of iPhone Air, providing the foundational reason for abandoning the physical SIM card slot. Notably, Apple hasn't gone too aggressive in transitioning all iPhone models to eSIM; the other three models in the iPhone 17 series still retain dual SIM card slots.
On the performance front, the iPhone Air does not compromise due to its lightweight design. It features the A19 Pro chip, utilizing a second-generation dynamic cache structure and Apple's self-developed C1X modem, reducing power consumption by 30%. This hardware combination works synergistically with eSIM technology, ensuring that the absence of a SIM card does not hinder communication quality, but rather enhances connectivity through optimized proprietary baseband. Furthermore, the N1 chip, which integrates Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth capabilities, further builds a comprehensive communication architecture of "eSIM + high-speed wireless connectivity."
In terms of security, eSIM provides advantages over traditional physical SIM cards. Mathias explained that the embedded card eliminates the risks of traditional SIM card loss or theft. Additionally, with the ability to deregister cards online at any time, malicious actors cannot steal phone numbers, and Apple's dual verification mechanism (or SMS verification) cannot function on lost phones, making it overall more secure.
Policy Breakthrough: China’s Full Implementation of eSIM The smooth entry of iPhone Air into China is backed by over a decade of exploration and evolution of eSIM policies in the country. As early as 2018, eSIM services were tested in the field of smart wearable devices, but mobile applications were not realized due to various reasons. It wasn't until October 2025 that China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom all received approval for commercial trials, officially kicking off mobile eSIM services.
This policy release is not coincidental; it results from the maturity of technology and the upgrading of demand. From an industry and technical readiness standpoint, operators have found a balance between security and user experience.
Mathias and Jotwani explained to Sina Digital that eSIM eliminates the cumbersome processes associated with traditional SIM card swapping, such as searching for a card pin or cutting cards, allowing online opening of cards and package changes to be processed effortlessly.
Even more imaginatively, the “single number across multiple devices” capability allows users to share communication services across devices such as phones, watches, and cars without changing their phone number. Additionally, during international roaming, eSIM can directly connect to local networks, alleviating the need to carry a pile of local SIM cards for swapping.
This transformation is akin to turning a traditional wallet into an electronic wallet, which is clearly more understandable for domestic users.
Ecological Resonance: A Triple Transformation Among Terminals, Operators, and Industries The simultaneous launch of iPhone Air and China's eSIM service is triggering a ripple effect in the telecommunications and consumer electronics industries, creating a resonance among terminal manufacturers, operators, and the entire industry chain.
For Apple, this strategic move possesses dual significance. In the short term, the iPhone Air, with a starting price of 7,999 Yuan, enters the premium lightweight market, where its ultra-slimness and technological features combine to consolidate its innovative voice in the premium sector. In the long term, as the first purely eSIM model officially launched in the domestic market, the market performance of iPhone Air will pave the way for Apple's subsequent entry of no-card terminals into China, likely influencing Android manufacturers' technological choices—messages indicate that domestic brands are already planning to promote eSIM.
Operators are faced with "short-term challenges and long-term opportunities": in the short term, system upgrades, security control, and subsidy promotions require substantial investments. However, the eSIM "one-click network switch" feature lowers user switching costs and intensifies industry competition. For Chinese operators, this represents both the pressure of technological upgrades and an opportunity to break free from the constraints of traditional SIM cards and expand into new scenarios like industrial IoT.
This dual milestone of technology and policy has translated into strong market resonance. On October 17, the iPhone Air officially opened for pre-sale, and within five minutes of its release, the first batch of iPhone Air sold out on the official website, with retail stores having no stock left and delivery times pushed back by a week.
E-commerce platform data reflects its popularity more directly: JD.com announced that this model set a record of exceeding 100 million Yuan in transaction volume within one second. Meanwhile, the eSIM reservation services of the three major operators were also driven, with online appointment numbers from China Unicom alone rapidly surpassing 195,000. This "sold out immediately" market response not only confirms consumer enthusiasm for ultra-thin designs but also emphasizes strong market anticipation for eSIM technology, standing as a direct indicator of China's telecommunications industry entering the "no-card era."
Conclusion: The Narrative of the No-Card Era in China The intersection of iPhone Air and China's eSIM service is not merely a technical coincidence but an inevitable result of global communication technology evolution and the upgrading demands of the Chinese market. This 5.6 mm thick phone is both a manifestation of Apple's design philosophy and a new story of openness and innovation in China's telecommunications industry.
The transition from SIM cards to eSIM essentially marks a return of communication services from reliance on "hardware carriers" to the essence of "digital services." With the breaking of the constraints of physical card slots, both the design imagination of terminal manufacturers and the innovative capabilities of operators will be unleashed.
Although the rollout of eSIM in China may be later than in some countries, its development speed and innovation depth are worth looking forward to, supported by a large market scale and a complete industrial layout. The launch of iPhone Air is just the beginning; as operator services continue to improve, a true "no-card era" is rapidly approaching.