14 DAY TRIAL // iPhone 12 already offers dual-SIM capabilities, but Apple is using a different approach depending on the market where it’s selling the device.
For example, China is getting traditional dual-SIM support, meaning that users can connect two physical SIM cards just like we were able to do in the good old times.
Everywhere else, however, the dual-SIM support of the iPhone 12 combines a physical SIM with eSIM, meaning that you can still insert just one card into your mobile phone. This particular configuration is sold everywhere outside China, including in the United States.
U.S.-based iPhone with two physical SIMs
Hugh Jeffreys, however, has managed to convert a standard U.S-based iPhone 12 from a SIM + eSIM setup to a 2 x SIM model, all using nothing more than a module ordered for China.
So basically, what he did was to order a SIM module built specifically for an iPhone 12 sold in China and then installed it on a version of the device available in the United States.
Surprisingly, the whole thing worked, and as you can see in the video embedded below, the process was as straightforward as it gets, simply because the iPhone automatically recognized the new module and allowed for two physical SIMs without the need for any other modifications.
Installing the new module didn’t seem a major pain in the neck either, especially because the iPhone’s internals are pretty much the same, so replacing the SIM modules isn’t necessarily too difficult. So at the end of the day, converting an iPhone 12 into a dual-SIM model with support for two physical cards is totally possible, obviously as long as you know exactly what you do.
The entire project is detailed below, but of course, you’d better not try this at home.
