A new iPhone 18 Pro rumor says Apple may change the SIM setup for China-market models, moving them to a single physical SIM plus eSIM combination. According to the source cited in the report, Hong Kong versions would keep the same one-physical-SIM-plus-eSIM approach used on last year’s iPhone 17 Pro line.
The original post was shared by Weibo account @刹那数码, which also cautioned that the China-related part of the leak isn’t guaranteed to be fully accurate yet. In the comment section, some users argued that a dual-SIM plus eSIM transition would likely be easier for buyers to accept than reducing physical SIM support, especially if Apple is not removing the tray completely the way it has in some overseas models.
As a reference point, Apple already uses a physical nano-SIM plus eSIM design on the China version of the iPhone 17e. Apple’s own description for that model says users can activate two eSIMs, or use one nano-SIM card together with one eSIM.
The source also notes that Apple has already removed the physical SIM tray in several markets, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for the referenced model variant. That broader rollout gives some context for why a phased change in China keeps coming up in leak discussions.
For now, this remains an unconfirmed supply-chain style rumor rather than an official Apple announcement. Still, if the report turns out to be accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro line would mark another step in Apple’s gradual shift toward wider eSIM adoption.
