Device compatibility

Does the iPhone SE 3rd generation support eSIM?

The iPhone SE 3rd generation is what decides whether a travel eSIM installs, not the Apple name on the box. Storage, radio and market variant all change from one model to the next, so every figure below was checked on this model.

Yes. The iPhone SE 3rd generation stores up to 8 eSIM profiles and can keep 2 active at the same time. Installing a travel eSIM takes about 40 seconds and does not touch your normal SIM.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2022

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone SE 3rd generation does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone SE 3rd generation is a phone, so the travel profile is a data line and your existing line stays the voice line. Calls and texts to your usual number keep arriving while Orbislo carries the browsing.

Installing writes the profile. Nothing is spent until it attaches to a network at the destination, so an install three weeks early costs exactly the same as one at the gate. Do it at home, on wifi, while you still have a connection to fix anything.

Storage and active lines

The iPhone SE 3rd generation holds 8 profiles, which is enough that most people never reach the limit. It still fills up if a provider issues a fresh disposable eSIM for every trip.

Active is how many lines run at the same time, and on the iPhone SE 3rd generation that is 2. Storage is how many profiles sit on the device waiting, and that is the number that runs out without warning.

Each destination's line installs in one tap from the Orbislo app, and while it is valid every refill lands on that same line. Most of Europe runs on a single line, so a trip through several neighbouring countries takes one slot rather than one per country.

Home line: calls and texts, so bank codes still arrive on your usual number.
Orbislo line: mobile data, with roaming switched on.
Automatic data switching: off, or the phone borrows the expensive line in a tunnel.

5G on the iPhone SE 3rd generation, and where it will not appear

The iPhone SE 3rd generation has a 5G radio and the travel profile uses it. Where a partner network runs 5G, you get 5G, on the same profile and at no extra cost.

88 of our 197 destinations are 4G only on the networks we buy from. On those the icon reads LTE whatever the handset can do, and no setting changes it.

Speed belongs to the network rather than to the profile.

What goes wrong on the iPhone SE 3rd generation, and the fix

Data roaming has to be switched on for this line. Your profile is issued outside the country you are standing in, so the device treats every attachment as roaming. Leave it off and the iPhone SE 3rd generation finds a network and then refuses to use it.

If the profile will not download at all, the order refunds automatically inside 60 seconds, with no ticket. Install again from the same order, because the profile is reissued to your account rather than lost.

On this device the sequence is Settings, Cellular, tap the Orbislo line, turn on Data Roaming. Then Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data, choose Orbislo, and turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching.

No service on the Orbislo line: roaming is off on that line.
Connected but nothing loads: mobile data still points at the home line.
Works, then stops after an hour: automatic data switching moved you back.
Still searching: airplane mode on for 20 seconds, off, then restart.

Your SIM tray, and tethering

Your physical SIM stays exactly where it is. Adding an eSIM does not touch the tray, does not wipe the card and does not need it taken out. Remove it and you lose your own number, which is the opposite of the point.

Tethering is included on every Orbislo plan at no extra charge. The iPhone SE 3rd generation can share the travel data with a laptop, a tablet or a watch, and nothing behind the hotspot needs a profile of its own.

What an Orbislo plan does once it is installed

Data never expires. A gigabyte you do not use in Lisbon is still there in Bangkok next year, metered plans have no throttle, and every customer gets 100 MB of free rescue data once a month on the line in use when the balance runs out. Unlimited runs full speed to 2 GB a day and then 1 Mbps.

One balance pays in all 197 destinations, and most of Europe runs on a single line, so a rail trip through three neighbouring countries is one install and one balance rather than three of each. Refills arrive on the line you already have, with no new plan or expiry date. Where a destination has more than one partner network, the line can move between them without you touching a setting.

How to install a travel eSIM on the iPhone SE 3rd generation

Open the Orbislo app and tap Install
Confirm in the Add Cellular Plan sheet iOS shows you
Leave the label as Orbislo
Turn on Data Roaming for the Orbislo line

Data roaming sounds like it will cost you money. On the Orbislo line it cannot, because it is how that line reaches partner networks abroad and there is no charge beyond the data you already bought.

The iPhone SE 3rd generation at a glance

Specification	iPhone SE 3rd generation
Takes an eSIM	Yes
Profiles stored	8
Active at the same time	2
5G on partner networks	Yes, where the network runs it
Physical SIM tray	Yes, and it keeps working
Voice on the travel line	Data only
Tethering	Included, no extra charge

Stored is how many profiles the device keeps. Active is how many run at the same time. Checked on this model rather than assumed from the brand.

iPhone SE 3rd generation eSIM questions

Does the iPhone SE 3rd generation support eSIM?

Yes. It stores 8 profiles and runs 2 at the same time. Installing an Orbislo profile takes about 40 seconds and does not touch the SIM you already have.

How many eSIMs can the iPhone SE 3rd generation hold?

8 stored, 2 active at once. Storage is the number that runs out, because a provider that issues a new profile for every trip fills it in a few holidays.

Will I lose my own number?

No. Keep the home line as the voice line and point mobile data at Orbislo. Calls and texts keep arriving on your usual number, as long as your home carrier delivers them abroad.

Do I have to turn roaming on?

Yes, on the Orbislo line only, and it cannot cost you anything. The profile is issued outside the country you are in, so every attachment counts as roaming.

Can I install before I fly?

Yes, and you should. The plan starts counting when the profile first attaches to a network abroad, so an install three weeks early costs the same as one at the gate.

Does tethering work on the iPhone SE 3rd generation?

Yes, on every plan and at no extra charge. Share the travel data from the hotspot with a laptop, a tablet or a watch. Nothing behind it needs a profile of its own.

Pick the destination, then install its line in one tap

Take the metered wallet for maps and messaging, because the balance never expires. Take unlimited if you tether a laptop or stream, and read the 2 GB a day figure before you do.

Get an eSIM for your trip Full install guide See pricing Check coverage

The iPhone SE 3rd generation by market

United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Mexico and Saudi Arabia (A2595): Model A2595 has Dual SIM with a nano-SIM and an eSIM, and Apple also lists Dual eSIM support. A travel eSIM can therefore sit next to a physical SIM card, or next to a second eSIM that holds the home number.
Japan (A2782): The Japanese iPhone SE (3rd generation) is model A2782. It takes a nano-SIM and an eSIM, supports Dual eSIM, and its spec sheet adds FeliCa and LTE bands 11 and 21 to the list.
United Kingdom, Hong Kong and other countries and regions (A2783): In the United Kingdom the SE is model A2783, with Dual SIM from a nano-SIM and an eSIM plus Dual eSIM support. A UK SIM card can stay in the tray while a travel eSIM handles data abroad.
China mainland (A2785): The iPhone SE (3rd generation) sold in China mainland is model A2785. Its spec sheet lists a single nano-SIM and no eSIM, so a travel eSIM cannot be installed and a physical SIM card is the only way to get local service abroad.

Networks on the iPhone SE 3rd generation

The iPhone SE (3rd generation) model A2595 lists 5G bands n29 and n71 and LTE bands 14, 29 and 71, on top of bands such as n1, n3, n28 and n78. All of its 5G runs on sub-6 GHz, with 2x2 MIMO.
Model A2783 covers 5G bands n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77 and n78 among others, but leaves out n29 and n71, and LTE bands 14, 29 and 71.
On the Japanese model A2782, the LTE list gains bands 11 and 21 while 5G bands n29 and n71 are absent. It keeps n77, n78 and n79 for sub-6 GHz 5G.
Model A2785 lists 5G bands including n1, n28, n41, n78 and n79, without n29 or n71, and connects to sub-6 GHz 5G only.
The iPhone SE (3rd generation) supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling. Both are offered in select markets and through select carriers, so whether a travel plan carries voice depends on that plan.
With two lines on, an iPhone uses mobile data from one line at a time. Allow Cellular Data Switching lets data follow a call on the other line, but Apple notes this switching does not work while Data Roaming is in use.
If a home carrier does not support 5G roaming, Apple says the iPhone can use 4G or LTE networks instead, or you can get a local SIM or eSIM with 5G where available. On the SE, a travel eSIM that includes 5G is one such option.
Satellite features on iPhone start with iPhone 14. The iPhone SE (3rd generation) has no Emergency SOS via satellite, so it needs mobile or Wi-Fi coverage to reach emergency services.

Worth knowing about the iPhone SE 3rd generation

In Hong Kong and Macao, Apple lists the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation) among the models that use Dual SIM with an eSIM, while many other iPhones sold there take two nano-SIM cards. A Hong Kong SE can take a travel eSIM.
To load a travel eSIM from another provider, the SE must be unlocked. Under Settings, General, About, the Carrier Lock line reads No SIM restrictions on an unlocked phone. Apple cannot unlock it; only the original carrier can, and that can take a few days.
Apple notes that eSIM on the iPhone SE (3rd generation) may be disabled when bought from some carriers, and that a plan may restrict roaming or switching providers even after the contract ends.
The iPhone SE (3rd generation) is on Apple's list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 27, so the latest major iOS version and its travel eSIM features are available on it.
On iOS 26 and later, turning on a travel eSIM through the arrival prompt also offers Low Data Mode or Not Now. Once back home, the iPhone can switch the travel eSIM off and the home line on again, depending on the country or region.
A travel eSIM can go onto the SE with no second screen: on iOS 17.4 or later, touch and hold a QR code in an email or browser and tap Add eSIM, or tap a setup link from the provider.
Numbers can move to an iPhone SE (3rd generation) by eSIM Quick Transfer when both iPhones run iOS 18.4 or later. On iOS 26 and later, more than one number can come across in the same transfer.

What the iPhone SE 3rd generation holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2022
Form factor: Phone
Network generation: 5G capable where the network carries it
Physical SIM tray: Has a tray as well as eSIM

How the iPhone SE 3rd generation compares with other Apple models

iPhone 13 Pro: iPhone 13 Pro, 2021, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 13: iPhone 13, 2021, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 12: iPhone 12, 2020, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 11: iPhone 11, 2019, stores 5, 2 active
iPhone XR: iPhone XR, 2018, stores 5, 2 active
iPad Pro M4: iPad Pro M4, 2024, stores 8, 1 active