Device compatibility

Does the Galaxy S24 Ultra support eSIM?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra 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.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2024

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the Galaxy S24 Ultra does with a travel eSIM

The Galaxy S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra, and where it will not appear

The Galaxy S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra, 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 S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra

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 S24 Ultra at a glance

Specification	Galaxy S24 Ultra
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 S24 Ultra eSIM questions

Does the Galaxy S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra 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 S24 Ultra?

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 Galaxy S24 Ultra by market

United Kingdom and Europe: The Galaxy S24 Ultra sold in the UK takes a nano-SIM and has an embedded SIM, and Samsung lists three layouts: two nano-SIMs, nano-SIM plus eSIM, or Dual eSIM. A travel eSIM can join either a physical home SIM or a home eSIM.
United Arab Emirates and the Gulf: Samsung Gulf's Galaxy S24 Ultra is Dual-SIM with a nano-SIM and embedded SIM and supports Dual eSIM. Its 5G bands include n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n77 and n78, all sub-6 GHz.
Hong Kong: In Hong Kong, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is sold with two nano-SIM slots and Samsung lists no embedded SIM. A travel eSIM cannot be added to this version, so a physical SIM card is needed on trips.
United States (SM-S928U, SM-S928U1): The US Galaxy S24 Ultra, SM-S928U and SM-S928U1, has one nano-SIM slot and supports two eSIMs, two at a time in use. It is the S24 Ultra version with mmWave 5G.
Other markets (SM-S928B, SM-S928B/DS, SM-S928W, SM-S928N, SM-S9280, SM-S928E, SM-S928E/DS): The Galaxy S24 Ultra is also sold as SM-S928B, SM-S928B/DS, SM-S928W, SM-S928N, SM-S9280, SM-S928E and SM-S928E/DS. SIM layout differs by market, and the Chinese version is dual nano-SIM with no eSIM.

Networks on the Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung states that every Galaxy S24 series variant supports 5G and can store several eSIM profiles, and that an eSIM plan comes from a network provider that supports eSIM on the phone.
The UK Galaxy S24 Ultra supports 5G bands n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77 and n78, plus n75 for supplementary downlink, and LTE bands including 3, 7, 20, 28 and 32. It lists no mmWave.
Samsung Canada's Galaxy S24 Ultra keeps 5G bands n1, n3, n7, n8 and n20 alongside n2, n5, n25, n66 and n71, and n38, n41, n77 and n78. It does not list 5G bands n12 or n28, or LTE bands 17, 26, 28 and 32.
The Hong Kong Galaxy S24 Ultra adds 5G band n79 and LTE band 34 next to n28, n77 and n78. It is a dual nano-SIM phone with no eSIM, so it cannot use a travel eSIM.
The US Galaxy S24 Ultra adds mmWave 5G on bands n257, n258, n260 and n261 to sub-6 GHz 5G on n1, n7, n25, n28, n41, n66, n71 and n78. Outside the US, a travel plan uses its sub-6 GHz 5G.
On the Galaxy S24 series, the dual SIM tray takes two cards with the gold contacts facing outward, and Samsung warns that using a nano-SIM and an eSIM together may give slower data in some areas.
KDDI in Japan has offered satellite text and data plus earthquake and tsunami warnings since 2025 on Galaxy S22 and later flagships, which covers the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The service belongs to KDDI subscribers and is not part of a travel eSIM.

Worth knowing about the Galaxy S24 Ultra

A travel eSIM goes onto the Galaxy S24 Ultra through Settings, then Connections, then SIM manager, then Add eSIM. With a QR code from the provider, choose Scan QR code and point the camera at it.
Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series, including the S24 Ultra, on Android 14 with One UI 6.1, and offers seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is on Samsung's list of models getting monthly security updates, which carry Google's Android patches and Samsung's own fixes. Some carriers only release them quarterly.
The Galaxy S24 series is named on Samsung's rollout list for One UI 8, so the S24 Ultra receives that major update.
eSIM Instant Transfer moves a number from an older Galaxy or Android phone to a Galaxy S24 Ultra without calling the carrier. The S24 Ultra must be unlocked, and carriers must support it; transfer from an iPhone also works with supported carriers.
Live Translate on the Galaxy S24 series translates voice calls in both directions as they happen, inside the built-in phone app, which helps when ringing a hotel or restaurant abroad. No third-party app is needed.
A physical SIM in a Galaxy S24 Ultra can be converted to an eSIM from SIM manager with Convert to eSIM where the carrier supports it. Samsung notes eSIM may not be supported depending on the phone's country of origin.

What the Galaxy S24 Ultra 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 Galaxy S24 Ultra compares with other Samsung models

Galaxy S25 Ultra: Galaxy S25 Ultra, 2025, stores 5, 2 active
Galaxy S25 Plus: Galaxy S25 Plus, 2025, stores 5, 2 active
Galaxy S25: Galaxy S25, 2025, 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 S23: Galaxy S23, 2023, stores 5, 2 active