Device compatibility
Does the OnePlus 12 support eSIM?
The OnePlus 12 is what decides whether a travel eSIM installs, not the OnePlus 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.
5
Profiles stored
2
Active at the same time
2024
Released
40
Seconds to install, median
What the OnePlus 12 does with a travel eSIM
The OnePlus 12 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 OnePlus 12 holds 5 profiles, which is at the low end of everything we have checked. Delete the dead profiles from old trips before you install, or the sheet will simply refuse.
Active is how many lines run at the same time, and on the OnePlus 12 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 OnePlus 12, and where it will not appear
The OnePlus 12 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 OnePlus 12, 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 OnePlus 12 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, Network and internet, SIMs, the Orbislo line, Roaming on. Then set Orbislo as the SIM for mobile data and turn off automatic 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 OnePlus 12 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 OnePlus 12
- Open the Orbislo app and tap Install
- Confirm the eSIM download prompt
- Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, select Orbislo
- Turn on Roaming and set Orbislo as the SIM for mobile data
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 OnePlus 12 at a glance
| Specification | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|
| Takes an eSIM | Yes |
| Profiles stored | 5 |
| 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.
OnePlus 12 eSIM questions
Does the OnePlus 12 support eSIM?
How many eSIMs can the OnePlus 12 hold?
Will I lose my own number?
Do I have to turn roaming on?
Can I install before I fly?
Does tethering work on the OnePlus 12?
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.
The OnePlus 12 by market
- United Kingdom and Europe: OnePlus UK lists eSIM and a dual nano-SIM slot for the OnePlus 12, with a note that availability depends on local carriers. A European unit can add a travel eSIM next to a home SIM card.
- North America: The OnePlus 12 sold in North America lists eSIM along with a dual nano-SIM slot, so a US unit can hold a travel eSIM while the home SIM card stays in the tray.
- India: OnePlus India states that eSIM is not supported on the Indian OnePlus 12. It takes two nano-SIM cards only, so owners of an Indian unit cannot install a travel eSIM and need a physical SIM card abroad.
- China mainland: The China mainland OnePlus 12 runs ColorOS 14 and lists dual nano-SIM cards with no eSIM. A travel eSIM cannot be used on this version, so a local physical SIM card is the option abroad.
Networks on the OnePlus 12
- The global OnePlus 12 supports 5G on bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28A, n28B, n30, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77 and n78, with no mmWave band listed.
- The Indian OnePlus 12 lists 5G on n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28A, n38, n40, n41, n66, n77 and n78 only, and LTE FDD on bands 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28A and 66, dropping bands such as 2, 12 and 71.
- The Indian OnePlus 12 lists DSDA, meaning both SIM cards can stay active at once, with the note that availability may vary with local carriers. It supports up to LTE Cat 18 downloads and Cat 13 uploads.
- The China mainland OnePlus 12 lists VoLTE with China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and China Broadcasting Network, and dual SIM dual active on 5G. Its 5G list runs n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28A, n38, n40, n41, n66, n77 and n78.
- The North American OnePlus 12 covers LTE bands 2, 12, 13, 17, 25, 30, 66 and 71 alongside the international bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 and 28, and uses 4x4 MIMO with up to LTE Cat 20 downloads.
Worth knowing about the OnePlus 12
- OnePlus declares a five-year defined support period for the OnePlus 12 model CPH2581 in the United Kingdom, ending on 1 February 2029.
- The OnePlus 12 launched with OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14, according to the global spec sheet, which notes that operating system details may change after updates.
- OnePlus notes on the global OnePlus 12 spec sheet that eSIM availability may vary with local carriers, so a travel eSIM works where the provider supports eSIM on this model.
What the OnePlus 12 holds
- eSIM profiles it can store
- 5
- Active at the same time
- 2
- Released
- 2024
- Form factor
- Phone
- Network generation
- 5G capable where the network carries it
- Physical SIM tray
- Has a tray as well as eSIM
How the OnePlus 12 compares with other OnePlus models
- OnePlus 13
- OnePlus 13, 2025, stores 5, 2 active
- OnePlus 11
- OnePlus 11, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
- OnePlus Open
- OnePlus Open, 2023, stores 5, 2 active