Device compatibility
Does the Galaxy A54 support eSIM?
The Galaxy A54 is what decides whether a travel eSIM installs, not the Samsung 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
2023
Released
40
Seconds to install, median
What the Galaxy A54 does with a travel eSIM
The Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54, and where it will not appear
The Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54, 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 Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54
- 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 Galaxy A54 at a glance
| Specification | Galaxy A54 |
|---|---|
| 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.
Galaxy A54 eSIM questions
Does the Galaxy A54 support eSIM?
How many eSIMs can the Galaxy A54 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 Galaxy A54?
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 Galaxy A54 by market
- United Kingdom (SM-A546B): The Galaxy A54 5G sold in the United Kingdom, SM-A546B, has a nano-SIM slot, a hybrid SIM or microSD slot and an eSIM. It is the European version that accepts a travel eSIM next to a home SIM card.
- Philippines (SM-A546E): Samsung Philippines lists the Galaxy A54 5G, SM-A546E, with nano-SIM only: one SIM slot and one hybrid SIM or microSD slot, and no eSIM. Owners of this version cannot install a travel eSIM and need a physical SIM abroad.
- Canada (SM-A546W): The Canadian Galaxy A54 5G is SM-A546W. Its 5G list is short, with n2, n5, n66 and n71 plus n41 and n78, and it adds LTE bands 29, 30, 46 and 71 used in North America.
Networks on the Galaxy A54
- The UK Galaxy A54, SM-A546B, lists 5G bands n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77 and n78, plus LTE band 32. It does not list 5G bands n5 or n66.
- The Philippine Galaxy A54, SM-A546E, lists 5G bands n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n66, n40, n41, n77 and n78, but it does not list n20 or n38.
- The Canadian Galaxy A54 does not list 5G bands n1, n3, n7, n28 or n77. Its LTE list still covers bands 1, 3, 7 and 20, which gives 4G on many networks outside North America.
- On every Galaxy A54 with eSIM, the eSIM is the alternative to a second physical SIM in the hybrid slot. Travellers who keep a microSD card in that slot can still pair a home SIM with a travel eSIM.
Worth knowing about the Galaxy A54
- Samsung states that eSIM on the Galaxy A54 works only on models for Europe, North America, Korea and Japan. A54 phones bought in other regions, such as the Middle East or Southeast Asia, will not take a travel eSIM.
- The Galaxy A54 5G launched on Android 13 with One UI 5.1, and Samsung guarantees up to four generations of OS upgrades and five years of security updates.
- The Galaxy A54 5G stays on Samsung's monthly security update list among its enterprise models, so it still receives Android and Samsung security patches.
- On an eSIM-capable Galaxy A54, the SIM card can be converted to an eSIM from SIM manager where the carrier supports it. Samsung notes that eSIM may not be supported depending on the country of origin.
- eSIM Instant Transfer moves a number from an older Galaxy or Android phone onto an eSIM-capable A54 without the carrier's help. The receiving phone must be unlocked, and only some carriers allow it.
What the Galaxy A54 holds
- eSIM profiles it can store
- 5
- Active at the same time
- 2
- Released
- 2023
- Form factor
- Phone
- Network generation
- 5G capable where the network carries it
- Physical SIM tray
- Has a tray as well as eSIM
How the Galaxy A54 compares with other Samsung models
- Galaxy Z Flip 6
- Galaxy Z Flip 6, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 5, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy A55
- Galaxy A55, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy Note 20
- Galaxy Note 20, 2020, stores 5, 2 active