Samsung eSIM Compatible Phones: Every Galaxy Model Checked

Editor’s Note: Samsung’s eSIM support depends on three things at once — the model, the region it was sold in, and the firmware it runs. This page is compiled from Samsung’s own Galaxy eSIM device list and GSMA standards, last checked October 2026. Every model below is grouped by the answer you actually need.

The short version: in the Galaxy A series, eSIM starts at the A54 (2023) and appears only on the A35, A36, A54, A55, A56, A57, A37 and A27 — some of those in specific regions only. The A52, A52s, A51, A53, A32 and A33 do not support eSIM, and no software update will change that. In the flagship line every S21 or newer works, the international Exynos S20 works, and the US S20 plus the whole S20 FE line do not.

Dial *#06# and look for a 32-digit EID to confirm the exact handset in your hand. The model-by-model breakdown starts below.

Does Your Samsung Galaxy Support eSIM?

The short answer: if you own a Galaxy S21 or newer — S21, S22, S23, S24, S25 or S26, including the FE and Ultra variants — yes, it is eSIM compatible in every region, the US included. In the A series the cut-off is the A54 (2023): everything from there up has the hardware, everything below it does not. The S20 is the awkward generation where the answer depends on which chip your unit shipped with.

Why this matters: eSIM lets you add a plan without a physical SIM card, so travelers can buy a local data plan before leaving home and activate it the moment they land.

Still not sure? Grab a free trial eSIM — it takes 2 minutes and confirms your phone is ready without spending a penny.

How to Identify Your Samsung Model Number

Samsung is the trickiest Android brand for eSIM because the same phone name behaves differently by region. Three things determine whether your Galaxy has eSIM: the model number suffix, the CSC code, and the chipset (Exynos vs Snapdragon).

Find Your Model Number

Go to Settings > About Phone > Model Number. You’ll see something like SM-S918B or SM-S918U.

Decode the Model Number Suffix

Check Your CSC Code

The CSC (Customer Service Code) tells you which region’s firmware your phone runs:

1. Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information.
2. Scroll to Service Provider SW Ver.
3. Read the last three letters of the CSC:

Exynos vs Snapdragon on the Galaxy S20

The chipset is the single biggest factor on older flagships:

• Exynos (international) S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, and Note 20 Ultra — have eSIM, enabled by the One UI 3.1 update.
• Snapdragon (US) S20 and Note 20 Ultra — no eSIM, and no fix: Samsung disabled it in firmware, so even “unlocked” US models lack it.
• S21 and newer — both Exynos and Snapdragon versions support eSIM, so the chipset no longer matters.

The bottom line: a model ending in U (US) on an S20 = no eSIM. A model ending in B or E (international) = digital SIM available. A China model (0 or CSC CHC) = no eSIM, no fix.

For a comparable Android alternative, see our Google Pixel eSIM compatibility guide.

Which Samsung Series Supports eSIM

Want to test without buying? Try a free trial eSIM first.

Complete Samsung eSIM Compatibility Table

The questions behind that table are almost always the same three. Samsung S21 eSIM compatible — yes, every variant including the Ultra. Samsung S22 eSIM compatible — yes, and the S22 Ultra works globally. Samsung S20 FE eSIM compatible — no, in every region. Older flagships are a different story: the S10 only in rare Exynos units, and the S9 or Note 9 never.

If your question is about an A-series model rather than an S-series one, the table a few sections down answers each of them by name.

Why the Galaxy S8 cannot do eSIM

Searches for galaxy s8 esim and samsung s8 esim arrive here because the S8 is the phone people still have in a drawer, and the answer is a hard no. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ launched in 2017 — a year before the first eSIM-capable handsets — and Samsung never shipped an eSIM secure element in that generation. No CSC code, firmware region or software update changes that; the S8’s only SIM path is its nano-SIM tray. The first Samsung phones with eSIM were the S20 series in 2020, with the regional exceptions this guide spends its time on, which is precisely why the question keeps getting asked. If an S8 is what you have and you want an eSIM trip, the workable routes are a physical travel SIM or a data eSIM installed in a second device.

S Series, A Series, and Z Series in Detail

The tables above tell you yes or no. This section explains why the line falls where it does, because the reason determines whether a workaround exists.

Why the S20 is the only flagship with a question mark

The S20 was the first Galaxy with eSIM hardware, but Samsung shipped it with the feature switched off in some firmware. International Exynos units got it back through the One UI 3.1 (Android 11) update; US Snapdragon units never did, and there is no setting, update or CSC flash that brings it back. From the S21 onward Samsung stopped gating the feature by chipset, which is why no flagship since has this problem — including the S26.

Why the A series changed at the A54

Samsung held eSIM back from its volume line for years, then added it to the A54 (2023) and has kept it on every upper-midrange model since: A35, A36, A55, A56, A37, A57. Nothing below that tier got the chip retroactively, which is why the A52 — Samsung’s best-selling A phone of the 2021 cycle — still cannot use eSIM in any region.

Two traps are worth naming, because they account for most of the “but my friend’s A-series works” reports:

• Region gating on cheaper models. The A27, A26, A17 5G and A16 5G only carry eSIM on North American units; the A25 5G and A23 5G only on Japanese units. A European A26 is a physical-SIM phone.
• 5G is not the marker. The A15 5G and the 4G A16 have 5G or near-5G modems and no eUICC. Judge by model name and region, never by the network badge.

Foldables and the Note line

Foldables have the best hit rate of any non-S series: Z Fold2 through Z Fold8, Z Flip3 through Z Flip8, the Z TriFold and the Z Flip7 FE all support eSIM, with dual eSIM from the Fold5/Flip5 generation. Carrier-locked US units are the exception — AT&T in particular has been known to hide the eSIM menu. The Note line ends at the Note 20 Ultra, which follows the same Exynos-only rule as the S20.

Galaxy S Series eSIM and Dual SIM

The S-series table above tells you whether a phone has eSIM. This one adds the second question people actually ask: can it run two lines at once? “Dual SIM” on Samsung means two of the following three things, depending on the model.

The practical upshot: on an S21 or S22 you can keep your home physical SIM and add one travel eSIM. From the S23 onward you can go further — keep two eSIMs and no physical SIM at all, which is handy if your home carrier is already digital-only.

Galaxy A Series eSIM List

The A series is Samsung’s biggest seller, so it is the line we get asked about most — and almost every question has the same answer. People arrive here searching for one specific model, usually something like “Samsung A52 eSIM compatible” or “does Samsung A32 support eSIM”, so the table below answers each of them directly, newest first.

Three things to remember. First, 5G does not mean eSIM — the A53 5G, A52s 5G and A15 5G all have 5G modems and no eUICC. Second, the ✅ models are gated by region, not just by name: a European A26 and a North American A26 are different phones inside. Third, if your model is on the ❌ list, no update, root or CSC change will add eSIM — the chip is not there.

The four questions that bring most people to this table all have the same answer: Samsung A51 eSIM compatible — no. Samsung A32 eSIM compatible — no. Samsung A12 eSIM compatible — no. Samsung A13 eSIM compatible — no. For the A52 and A53, see the rows above; both are also no.

Your realistic options after a ❌ are a physical travel SIM, a pocket hotspot, or upgrading to one of the ✅ models. A used A54 or A35 is the cheapest route into an eSIM-capable Samsung.

Galaxy Z Fold and Flip eSIM

Samsung’s foldables are the most reliably eSIM-capable non-S phones. Here’s the full picture:

International and US-unlocked foldables are reliable; the main trap is carrier-locked US models, where AT&T in particular has been known to strip or hide the eSIM menu. If you’re buying a used Fold or Flip for travel, factory-unlocked is the safe choice.

Exynos vs Snapdragon eSIM Support

If you’ve read that “only Exynos Samsung phones support eSIM,” that’s half true — and only for phones from 2020. Here’s the complete history:

• Galaxy S20 and Note 20 Ultra (2020): the one generation where the chipset decides. International Exynos models got eSIM through the One UI 3.1 (Android 11) update; US Snapdragon models never did, and there is no fix — the hardware is present but Samsung disabled it in firmware.
• Galaxy S21 and S22 (2021–2022): both chipsets support eSIM. The US used Snapdragon, Europe used Exynos, and both work fine.
• Galaxy S23 (2023): Samsung moved the entire S23 line to Snapdragon worldwide — every S23 has eSIM, no Exynos variant exists to worry about.
• Galaxy S24 (2024): the split returned — Exynos 2400 in Europe for the S24 and S24+, Snapdragon in the US and on the S24 Ultra — and once again, both support eSIM.
• Galaxy S25 (2025): all Snapdragon 8 Elite worldwide, all with eSIM.

The rule of thumb: the chipset only matters for the S20 and Note 20 Ultra. For anything newer, ignore the Exynos-vs-Snapdragon debate entirely and look at the model number suffix and CSC code instead.

CSC Codes Explained

What a CSC actually is

The CSC (Customer Service Code) is a three-letter tag baked into Samsung’s firmware that tells the phone which region and carrier it was built for. It controls more than eSIM — it also gates which bands are enabled, which bloatware is preloaded, and which carrier features appear. For eSIM, the CSC is the switch that hides or shows the “Add eSIM” menu.

How to Find Your CSC

1. Via Settings: open Settings > About Phone > Software Information, then look at the Service Provider SW Ver line. It typically reads something like XAA/XAA/XAA — the last three letters are your CSC.
2. Via the dialer: type *#1234# and read the “CSC” line (this shows the firmware build rather than the active region, but it’s a useful cross-check).

Common CSCs and what they mean for eSIM

A word of warning: there’s no safe, supported way to change your CSC to “unlock” eSIM on a China or US-carrier model. The guides that tell you to flash a different CSC risk tripping Samsung’s Knox security and can brick the phone. If your CSC doesn’t support eSIM, a physical SIM is the realistic fallback.

Dual SIM on Samsung

Most eSIM-capable Galaxies run DSDS (Dual SIM Dual Standby) — one physical nano-SIM plus one eSIM at once, with your choice of which line handles calls, texts, and data. Newer models (S23 and later) also support dual eSIM. The full setup walkthrough lives on the dual-SIM explainer — the principle is identical across platforms. On the fence between embedded and physical? See our eSIM vs physical SIM comparison.

eSIM Plus Physical vs Dual eSIM on Samsung

• eSIM + one physical SIM (DSDS): every eSIM-capable Galaxy from the S20 onward. This is the traveler’s sweet spot — keep your home number on the physical SIM and add a travel eSIM for data.
• Two eSIMs at once (dual eSIM): the S23 and newer, plus the Fold5/Flip5 and later. No physical card needed at all.
• One phone number per line: Samsung doesn’t let you clone one number onto two SIMs. Each line needs its own number.

To pick which SIM handles data, calls, and texts, open Settings > Connections > SIM Card Manager and set the “Primary SIM” for each function.

Activating eSIM on Your Samsung

After you’ve confirmed support, open Settings > Connections > SIM Card Manager > Add eSIM, scan the QR code from your provider, and turn on Data Roaming when you travel. The menu path is the same across recent One UI versions:

For the complete step-by-step (QR, manual entry, and the carrier app), see our how to activate an eSIM guide.

Pro Tip: install your eSIM on stable Wi-Fi before you leave home — the profile sits inactive until you turn on Data Roaming on arrival.

Switching phones later? Most travel eSIMs are one-time installs — see our guide to transferring an eSIM.

Samsung eSIM Activation from Purchase to First Signal

Here’s the Samsung-specific flow, step by step:

1. Confirm support first. Dial *#06# and look for a 32-digit EID. No EID = stop here; your phone can’t do eSIM.
2. Buy your plan and find the QR code. Start with a free Roami eSIM trial so it costs nothing to test. Your provider emails you a QR code (and usually an SM-DP+ address plus activation code for manual entry).
3. Connect to Wi-Fi. The eSIM profile downloads over the internet, so do this before you leave home or on hotel Wi-Fi — not on the plane.
4. Open the menu. Go to Settings > Connections > SIM Card Manager > Add eSIM.
5. Scan the QR code. Point the camera at the code. If scanning fails, choose “Enter details manually” and type the SM-DP+ address and activation code from the email.
6. Label and set the plan. Name it something like “Roami Europe,” then confirm which SIM handles data. Set your primary SIM for calls/texts to your home line if you want to keep receiving them.
7. Turn on Data Roaming for the travel line under SIM Card Manager > [your eSIM] > Data Roaming — this is the step most people forget, and it’s why “no signal” happens on arrival.
8. Test it. Toggle Airplane Mode on and off, then open a browser. Most Samsung phones connect in 1–3 minutes.

If the “Add eSIM” button is missing or grayed out, jump to the troubleshooting table below.

5G and eSIM on Samsung

From the S21 onward, every Galaxy (and the international Exynos S20) supports 5G on eSIM, with no performance difference versus a physical SIM. If 5G won’t connect, check Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Mode is set to 5G/LTE/3G/2G auto, confirm your plan includes 5G (some travel eSIMs are LTE-only), and restart. Remember: 5G does not mean eSIM — the A15 5G and A16 5G prove the point.

Troubleshooting eSIM on Samsung

For the full error-by-error reference (including the complete APN table), see the eSIM Deep Troubleshooting Guide 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About Samsung eSIM

Does the Galaxy S21 series support eSIM? Yes — the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra support eSIM in all regions. The S21 FE is the exception: some European units got eSIM with One UI 4, US carrier models generally did not, and Samsung’s own device list leaves it out. Check *#06# before assuming.

Does the Galaxy S22 Ultra support eSIM? Yes, globally, including US carrier versions.

Does the Galaxy S23 support eSIM? Yes — the entire S23 series has full eSIM support.

Does the Galaxy S24 Ultra support eSIM? Yes — dial *#06# to see its EID.

Does the Galaxy S20 FE support eSIM? No. Unlike the rest of the S20 family, the S20 FE has no eSIM hardware in any region.

Does the Galaxy A52 support eSIM? No. Neither the A52, the A52 5G nor the A52s 5G has an eUICC, so there is no “Add eSIM” option to enable — not with an update, not with a CSC change. It is the single most common Samsung eSIM question we get, and the answer is hardware.

Does the Galaxy A51 support eSIM? No. The A51 is a 2020 model with a physical-SIM-only design. The same applies to the A50 and A70 from that generation.

Does the Galaxy A32 support eSIM? No — and the 5G version does not change that. Galaxy A32 eSIM compatibility is one of those cases where the network badge misleads people: 5G hardware and eSIM hardware are separate components.

Does the Galaxy A12 or A13 support eSIM? No. Both are entry-level models built without an eUICC. If you need eSIM on a budget Samsung, the A35 or a used A54 is the cheapest route.

Does the Galaxy A53 support eSIM? No. The A53 5G sits one generation below the A54, which is where Samsung introduced eSIM to the A line.

Does the Galaxy A71, A72 or A73 support eSIM? No. Despite being the premium A models of their years, none of them shipped with an eUICC.

Does the Galaxy A23 or A27 support eSIM? It depends on where you bought it. The A23 5G has eSIM on Japanese units only; the A27 has it on North American units only. Any other region is physical SIM.

Does the Galaxy A15 or A16 support eSIM? The A15 does not, in any version. The A16 is split: the A16 5G sold in North America has eSIM, while the 4G A16 and most other regions do not.

Does the Galaxy A35 or A54 support eSIM? Yes. These are the two most common eSIM-capable A-series models on the used market, with support in Europe, North America, Korea and (for the A54) Japan. Carrier-locked units may still hide the menu.

Does the Galaxy S10 support eSIM? Mostly no. A small number of international Exynos S10 units and the Korean S10 5G can use eSIM; the S10, S10+ and S10e sold elsewhere cannot.

Does the Galaxy S9 support eSIM? No. The S9, S9+ and Note 9 predate eSIM support in the Galaxy line entirely.

Do Galaxy Z Fold or Z Flip devices support eSIM? Yes for most models from the Z Fold2 and Z Flip3 onward — confirm with *#06#.

Does the Note 20 Ultra support eSIM? Only the international Exynos version; US Snapdragon models do not.

Which Samsung phones are definitely eSIM compatible? The safest list of eSIM compatible Samsung phones is: every Galaxy S21 through S26 (Ultra included), the international Exynos S20, the Z Fold2 through Fold8 and Z Flip3 through Flip8, the international Note 20 Ultra, and the A35 / A36 / A54 / A55 / A56 / A57 / A37. If your model is not on that list, verify with *#06# before you buy a plan.

How do I check if my Samsung is carrier-locked? Settings > About Phone > Status > SIM Lock Status — “Network Locked” means carrier-locked; request an unlock from your carrier.

What does “eSIM not supported in your country” mean? Your CSC (region code) doesn’t support eSIM — common on China and US carrier models. There’s no easy fix.

Can I use an eSIM and a physical SIM at the same time? Yes, on every eSIM-capable Galaxy (DSDS). Keep your home number on the physical SIM and use the eSIM for travel data.

Can I use two eSIMs at once on my Samsung? Yes, on the S23 and newer and the Fold5/Flip5 and later. Older models are eSIM + one physical SIM only.

How many eSIM profiles can I store? Most Samsung phones can store several eSIM profiles (often 5 or more), but only one or two can be active at a time depending on the model.

Why does my S20 show eSIM in settings but it’s grayed out? You almost certainly have a US Snapdragon S20. Samsung disabled eSIM on those models in firmware, and no update or setting re-enables it.

Can I change my CSC to enable eSIM? Not safely. Changing CSC requires flashing firmware, which trips Knox and can brick the phone. If your CSC doesn’t support eSIM, use a physical SIM.

👉 Planning to travel with your Samsung? See eSIM for the USA or eSIM for Japan.

Test with a Free eSIM

If your Samsung shows an EID after dialing *#06#, try a free trial eSIM to confirm everything works before buying a paid plan.

👉 Claim your free eSIM

Based on Samsung’s Galaxy eSIM supported-device list, GSMA standards and carrier documentation. Last checked October 2026. Regional availability is quoted from Samsung’s own list — if your unit does not match, trust the EID over this page.

Sources

• GSMA — eSIM (SGP.22) specification
• Samsung Support — Galaxy eSIM and supported devices
• Apple Support — Set up eSIM on iPhone
• Google Support — Android eSIM