Andrew O'Hara
With the big announcements out of the way, we take a closer look at a couple of less-prominent features coming to the iPhone XS — dual SIM support and faster wireless charging.
Dual SIM
Apple touted the iPhone XS' ability to support dual SIM cards during its announcement event, sharing a few details in passing.
First, the solution will require one SIM card slot, with users inserting a physical SIM that is to be accompanied by Apple's eSIM technology. The company currently uses eSIM tech in both the iPad and the Apple Watch, and is bringing it to iPhone for the first time.
As predicted by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone XS supports Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS), wherein the phone automatically activates a particular SIM card as a call comes in. The active line will even be denoted below in the incoming number. DSDS technology provides a number of benefits to end users, the most obvious being the ability to travel across borders or coverage zones without swapping SIM cards.
Users in China will have to use two physical SIM cards — one inserted on each side of iPhone's SIM card slot — as Apple does not have approval to launch its eSIM in the country.
Unfortunately for those looking forward to the dual SIM capabilities, a small footnote on Apple's site reveals eSIM functionality will be disabled at launch. The company says it will activate the feature through a future iOS 12 software update, but fails to provide a specific timeline for release.
Wireless charging
On an unrelated note, the new iPhone XS and XS Max will be capable of charging at faster rates than iPhone X when paired with compatible wireless chargers. The exact increase in power is still unknown, but could likely be 9W or 10W, both of which are common output levels for Qi chargers.
Apple didn't mention the speed increase — or wireless charging at all — on stage during the event, likely due to what is presumes to be problems getting its AirPower mat to market. The device, which was announced at last year's iPhone event, but has yet to see release, was completely scrubbed from Apple's website post-event.
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18 Comments
Could it not be the fault of the FCC? Apple’s website, before AirPower was scrubbed, noted that AirPower was still awaiting FCC approval.
I’m not an FCC expert nor product release expert, but not many people seem to mention the lack of FCC approval.
Dual SIM support seems like a pretty big improvement, since it means I won’t have to carry around 2 iPhones when I travel. I dare say it’s more useful than Animoji, studio lighting or even wireless charging, at least for me.
2018 really is a poor year for Apple. They need to get out of the gate early in 2019.