Device compatibility
Does the Galaxy S22 support eSIM?
The Galaxy S22 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
2022
Released
40
Seconds to install, median
What the Galaxy S22 does with a travel eSIM
The Galaxy S22 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 S22 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 S22 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 S22, and where it will not appear
The Galaxy S22 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 S22, 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 S22 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 S22 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 S22
- 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 S22 at a glance
| Specification | Galaxy S22 |
|---|---|
| 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 S22 eSIM questions
Does the Galaxy S22 support eSIM?
How many eSIMs can the Galaxy S22 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 S22?
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 S22 by market
- New Zealand (SM-S901E): Samsung New Zealand sells the Galaxy S22 as SM-S901E, listed with Nano-SIM and e-SIM and a slot type of SIM 1 plus SIM 2 or e-SIM. A travel eSIM can run alongside a home SIM card in the tray.
- Mexico (SM-S901E): The Galaxy S22 on Samsung Mexico is also an SM-S901E, dual SIM with a nano-SIM and an embedded SIM. Its 5G list covers n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n77 and n78, so it can use a travel eSIM on 5G in many countries.
- Hong Kong (SM-S9010): In Hong Kong the Galaxy S22 is model SM-S9010, which Samsung lists with two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM. It cannot take a travel eSIM, so owners need a physical SIM card abroad.
- Taiwan (SM-S9010): Samsung Taiwan also sells the Galaxy S22 as SM-S9010 with two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM listed, so this version relies on physical SIM cards for travel data.
- United States and other markets (SM-S901U, SM-S901U1, SM-S901B, SM-S901B/DS, SM-S901W, SM-S901N): Other Galaxy S22 model codes include SM-S901U and SM-S901U1 for the United States, plus SM-S901B, SM-S901B/DS, SM-S901W and SM-S901N. Only the US version is listed with mmWave 5G.
Networks on the Galaxy S22
- The New Zealand Galaxy S22 SM-S901E lists sub-6 GHz 5G on n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n66, n38, n40, n41, n77 and n78, and LTE bands including 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 and 28.
- The Hong Kong Galaxy S22 SM-S9010 has a short 5G list: n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n41, n78 and n79. It lacks n20, n40 and n77, and adds LTE band 34 for mainland China.
- Samsung Taiwan's Galaxy S22 SM-S9010 lists 5G on n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n41, n78 and n79 only, with no n77 and no n20, and it takes two nano-SIM cards.
- The US Galaxy S22 adds mmWave 5G on n260 and n261 to sub-6 GHz 5G on bands including n5, n41, n66 and n71. The international model instead lists n75, n77 and n78 among its 5G bands.
- Samsung lists the Galaxy S22 series among devices with dual SIM and eSIM support, and says using a nano-SIM and an eSIM together may reduce data speeds in certain areas. On the dual tray, both SIM contacts face outward.
- KDDI customers in Japan get satellite texting, satellite data and earthquake and tsunami warnings on Galaxy S22 and later flagships, a service running since 2025. It comes with a KDDI plan, not with a travel eSIM.
Worth knowing about the Galaxy S22
- Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 on Android 12 with One UI 4.1, and said the entire Galaxy S22 series would get up to four generations of Android OS upgrades.
- The Galaxy S22 is among the devices Samsung named for four generations of One UI upgrades and five years of security updates.
- Samsung's One UI 8 rollout list includes the Galaxy S22 series, so the Galaxy S22 receives One UI 8.
- The Galaxy S22 has moved to Samsung's quarterly security update list, while the Galaxy S23 and newer remain on monthly updates. The phone still gets patches, but less often.
- Samsung Canada lists the Galaxy S22 as supporting eSIM, but warns that eSIM may not be supported depending on the country of origin, so an imported S22 should be checked before relying on a travel eSIM.
- In the United States, Samsung lists the Galaxy S22 series as a Hybrid eSIM dual SIM device, pairing one physical SIM with one eSIM. A physical SIM can be turned into an eSIM in SIM manager with Convert to eSIM.
- A Galaxy S22 needs to be unlocked to receive a number by eSIM Instant Transfer from another Galaxy or Android phone. The transfer runs from SIM manager, then Add eSIM, then Transfer SIM from Galaxy or Android phone.
- An eSIM from a travel provider goes onto the Galaxy S22 through Settings, Connections, SIM manager, then Add eSIM and Scan QR code, or Enter activation code for providers that send a code.
What the Galaxy S22 holds
- eSIM profiles it can store
- 5
- 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 Galaxy S22 compares with other Samsung models
- Galaxy S24
- Galaxy S24, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23 Ultra, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S23, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy S21
- Galaxy S21, 2021, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy Z Fold 6
- Galaxy Z Fold 6, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
- Galaxy Z Flip 6
- Galaxy Z Flip 6, 2024, stores 5, 2 active