eSIMs are slowly getting popular with smartphones. In the future, eSIMs will most probably replace physical SIMs altogether.
In this article, we examine how an eSIM affects your phone’s battery life. We discuss whether an eSIM causes a faster battery drain than a physical SIM.
We also explain the battery drain difference in dual SIM and single SIM configurations.
Here’s Whether An eSIM Drains Phone Battery Faster
An eSIM will not cause a faster battery drain than a physical SIM, but a dual SIM configuration consumes more battery power than a single SIM. When a phone uses an eSIM and a physical SIM in a dual SIM setup, the battery will drain faster than with a single SIM.
Does An eSIM Drain Your Phone Battery Faster Than A Physical SIM?
Both eSIMs and physical SIMs use negligible battery power for their operation, and the power consumptions for the internal electronics of eSIMs and physical SIMs are almost the same.
Most dual SIM phones use the Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) configuration, where both SIMs share the same cellular RF transceiver.
Both SIMs in a dual SIM phone consume similar battery power for the same type of network connections: a 4G eSIM connection will consume the same power as a 4G physical SIM connection because they both use the same 4G RF transceiver.
Can The Dual SIM Mode With An eSIM And A Physical SIM Cause Faster Battery Drain?
The dual SIM configuration can increase the battery drain regardless of whether you use an eSIM with a physical SIM or two physical SIMs.
In the dual SIM configuration, your phone has to read the paging messages for two different cellular plans. The cellular transceiver has less idle time and consumes more battery power. This is the case regardless of whether you have eSIMs or physical SIMs for the dual SIM setup.
Does Turning Off eSIM Save Battery Power On Your Phone?
If you have a dual SIM phone with an eSIM and a physical SIM, you can reduce battery consumption by turning off either the eSIM or the physical SIM.
A dual SIM setup consumes more battery power than a single SIM, and by turning off the eSIM, you can disable the dual SIM mode and save battery power. Similarly, you can remove the physical SIM or turn it off and use the eSIM alone to reduce battery consumption.
How To Improve The Battery Life Of A Dual SIM Phone
You can reduce the battery drain of a dual SIM phone by turning off one SIM, but you will no longer receive calls or text messages on the disabled SIM.
Make sure your cellular carriers have good coverage in your area: your phone has to work harder and will consume more battery power when the signal is poor.
Conclusion
An eSIM will not cause a higher battery drain than a physical SIM, but using an eSIM and a physical SIM in a dual SIM configuration increases the battery drain.
The dual SIM configuration increases the battery drain compared to a single SIM, and this faster battery drain is not specific to eSIMs and happens even with two physical SIMs.
If you have a dual SIM phone, you can improve its battery life by turning off one SIM. However, you will no longer receive calls and messages on the disabled line.
