Apple will announce its new lineup of iPhones on Wednesday, and the handsets may come with a long-awaited feature. An image spotted by GSMArena on Facebook suggests that Apple’s new iPhones will support dual SIM cards.
Leaks of a dual SIM card tray in the new devices have already surfaced earlier but the image posted by China Mobile on its Facebook page on Sept. 6 appears to confirm rumors that Apple’s new devices will indeed have dual SIM card support.
The image is an illustration of two SIM cards poking into an apple. The text around the fruit also enumerates the benefits of having two SIM cards.
Along with China Mobile’s tongue-in-cheek illustration, China Telecom also has an ad showing a photo of a new iPhone with dual SIM cards.
The Verge said the phone in the photo looks different from the one in an earlier dual-SIM iPhone leak, suggesting that this may be a different model, or possibly an inaccurate leak.
The differences in the leaked images could also mean that while legitimate carriers appear to tease new information about the soon-to-be-released devices, there are still odds that some of these leaks are fake or merely based on speculations.
There are, however, other proof that back up the dual sim theory. Earlier this year, 9to5mac found references of “second SIM status” and “dual sim device” in the iOS 12 beta 5.
“Those references are clearly an indication that iOS is being updated to run in a future device with support for two SIM cards,” Guilherme Rambo of 9to5mac wrote.
The feature for dual SIM cards on the new iPhones is likely targeted for the Chinese market given that these new leaks are from China.
“Early reports suggest that this dual SIM functionality will be exclusive to China,” GSMArena said. “The dual SIM card tray will be backed by a capable modem, supporting dual 4G connectivity and covering China Telecom’s various network types.”
Android phones have long supported dual SIM cards. The feature allows users to easily switch between carriers without the need to swap out the SIM cards. Dual sim phones offer convenience for those who travel internationally since these handsets allow them to keep two numbers active all at once.
Dual-sim devices may be uncommon in developed countries such as Canada, the United States, and Australia, but they are popular in Malaysia, India, Brazil, Egypt, and Nigeria, according to Device Atlas .
