Physical SIM Support Reportedly in the Balance for Ultra-thin Smartphones w/ Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 SoCs

[T0@st]

According to Digital Chat Station—a repeat leaker of unannounced Qualcomm hardware—unnamed Android smartphone manufacturers are considering an eSIM-only operating model for future flagship devices. Starting with the iPhone 14 generation (2022), Apple has continued to deliver gadgets that are not reliant on "slotted-in" physical SIM cards. According to industry insiders, competitors could copy the market leader's homework—Digital Chat Station's latest Weibo blog post discusses the space-saving benefits of eSIM operation; being "conducive to lightweight and integrated design." Forthcoming top-tier slimline Android mobile devices are tipped to utilize Qualcomm's rumored second-generation "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" (SM8850) chipset.

Digital Chat Station reckons that: "SM8850 series phones at the end of the year are testing eSIM. Whether they can be implemented in China is still a question mark. Let's wait and see the iPhone 17 Air. In order to have an ultra-thin body, this phone directly cancels the physical SIM card slot. Either it will be a special phone for the domestic market, or it will get eSIM." The phasing out of physical SIM cards within the Chinese mobile market could be a tricky prospect for local OEMs, but reports suggest that "traditionally-dimensioned" flagship offerings will continue to support the familiar subscriber identity module standard. Physical SIM card purists often point out that the format still provides superior network support range.



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[Dristun]

"...conducive to lightweight and integrated design." Lmao. The phones are still going to get bigger and heavier though, aren't they? So it's just another smart little way to cut costs here and there, like removing the 3.5mm jack, cause that one also let the OEMs get rid of the headphone amp and make the assembly cheaper. Tons of lies, as usual.

 

[ZoneDymo]

"...conducive to lightweight and integrated design." Lmao. The phones are still going to get bigger and heavier though, aren't they? So it's just another smart little way to cut costs here and there, like removing the 3.5mm jack, cause that one also let the OEMs get rid of the headphone amp and make the assembly cheaper. Tons of lies, as usual.

Im not against options but man, I totally rekt my phone's headphone jack and my headphones wearing them while traveling and getting the cord stuck everywhere.

Im now using Bluetooth headphones and they are great, so jsut for practical reasons, im fine with no more 3.5mm jack, also means the phone can be more water resistand.

 

[Jun]

Im not against options but man, I totally rekt my phone's headphone jack and my headphones wearing them while traveling and getting the cord stuck everywhere.

Im now using Bluetooth headphones and they are great, so jsut for practical reasons, im fine with no more 3.5mm jack, also means the phone can be more water resistand.

3.5mm does not affect water resistance, check out Sony Xperia phones. I have a nice sounding wire headphone used with the usb-c to 3.5mm and I also have another Bluetooth headphone which does not sound as nice but it's good for moving around.

I think they can co exist. Same with physical sim and eSim, they both have their uses. I think most of the time when they try to sell removing feature is for reducing manufacturing cost and not for the good of consumer.

 

[Dristun]

Im not against options but man, I totally rekt my phone's headphone jack and my headphones wearing them while traveling and getting the cord stuck everywhere.

Im now using Bluetooth headphones and they are great, so jsut for practical reasons, im fine with no more 3.5mm jack, also means the phone can be more water resistand.

I've also been using wireless headphones for years now and agree they're way more practical, especially on the road. I just don't like when the arguments presented by leakers/manufacturers are bs. Why couldn't at least one of them honestly say - look, to hit the price target we need to remove this and this or you're paying more next year because inflation and so on blah-blah. No, always lying through their teeth! Water resistance is easier to do without the jack, but otherwise both Samsung and Sony had no problem hitting IP67 with it present even back in 2017. It is what it is.

 

[tvshacker]

Damn, most new phones are rolling out without microSD. Even Samsung removed it when going to from the A55 to the A56, and now this.
I've been looking for for a phone with good performance (using LPDDR5) and a microSD slot, and the ones that exist are either old (S20 FE), expensive (Sony) or bulky (Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra).

 

[NoLoihi]

I've also been using wireless headphones for years now and agree they're way more practical, especially on the road. I just don't like when the arguments presented by leakers/manufacturers are bs. Why couldn't at least one of them honestly say - look, to hit the price target we need to remove this and this or you're paying more next year because inflation and so on blah-blah. No, always lying through their teeth! Water resistance is easier to do without the jack, but otherwise both Samsung and Sony had no problem hitting IP67 with it present even back in 2017. It is what it is.

On a flagship device, that’s supposedly the best of the best, one cannot just claim to have saved money in any way. People are dumb, they probably don’t know, and it’s uttlerly important they don’t get to hear about it.

 

[The_Enigma]

That really sucks, but I think we all knew esim only phones would be what we get eventually Physical Sims are just so much easier to swap when you get a new phone, and let you use "unsupported" phones on carriers that work perfectly fine but just don'twant to jump through US regulations and certification$$$ hoops. So with esim only they won't even let you try to transfer service to the phone unless it checks out in their carrier database. No more importing all the cool phones I guess

The really sad part is that the manufacturers somehow think the best part about this is they can make even slimmer designs with even less battery. Making phones even harder to hold and worse to go about the day with, like we all somehow are begging for that.