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Device compatibility

Does the Galaxy S23 support eSIM?

The Galaxy S23 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.

Yes. The Galaxy S23 stores up to 5 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.

5

Profiles stored

2

Active at the same time

2023

Released

40

Seconds to install, median

What the Galaxy S23 does with a travel eSIM

The Galaxy S23 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 S23 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 S23 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 S23, and where it will not appear

The Galaxy S23 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 S23, 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 S23 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 S23 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 S23

  1. Open the Orbislo app and tap Install
  2. Confirm the eSIM download prompt
  3. Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, select Orbislo
  4. 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 S23 at a glance

SpecificationGalaxy S23
Takes an eSIMYes
Profiles stored5
Active at the same time2
5G on partner networksYes, where the network runs it
Physical SIM trayYes, and it keeps working
Voice on the travel lineData only
TetheringIncluded, 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 S23 eSIM questions

Does the Galaxy S23 support eSIM?
Yes. It stores 5 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 Galaxy S23 hold?
5 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 Galaxy S23?
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.

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The Galaxy S23 by market

Networks on the Galaxy S23

Worth knowing about the Galaxy S23

What the Galaxy S23 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 S23 compares with other Samsung models

Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
Galaxy S24
Galaxy S24, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Galaxy S23 Ultra, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
Galaxy S22
Galaxy S22, 2022, 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