Apple users in China wanting to buy the iPhone Ultra may have a longer wait than the rest of the world, all apparently due to issues with carriers.
The release of new Apple products tends to bring them out to major markets first before expanding into others. However, while China is an important market, it may not be among the first to get the latest device.
According to Weibo leaker Instant Digital on Tuesday, Apple's shipping timeline for the iPhone will lag behind other markets. While it will prioritize based on market demand, it has another problem in China.
It appears that eSIM support is the stumbling block for the iPhone Ultra, which has been a regulatory nightmare for Apple so far. China is a territory that still relies on physical SIM cards instead of supporting eSIM, but it is slowly becoming more popular in the country.
The iPhone Ultra will be only the second Apple smartphone to be sold without physical eSIM access in China, following the iPhone Air. At the time, the iPhone Air faced delays because of regulatory issues, despite Apple working closely with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the issue.
To Instant Digital, the iPhone Air launch had a user-unfriendly process for activation, transfers, and replacement processes with carriers. This is something that Apple would want to improve before using it with such a major product launch.
While Weibo leakers are relatively mixed in terms of their rumor accuracy, but Instant Digital is one of the more prominent accounts out there.
Given the issues Apple had in 2025 on the topic, and other rumors suggesting tight supply at launch, this rumor seems likely to us.
