Currently, only the Apple iPhone series and Google Pixel smartphones support eSIM cards in the United States. Although Samsung phones already support this function on the hardware, it is not yet active for use. Recently, T-Mobile took the lead in providing eSIM card support for Samsung mobile phones. The first Samsung smartphone to receive support is the Galaxy Note 20 series.
This feature is very convenient for users who need to use multiple SIM cards. US users can use dual-SIM standby without installing a physical SIM card in the phone. At present, the Galaxy Note 20 Standard Edition and Note 20 Ultra are receiving the OTA update. This update adds eSIM and dual-SIM standby support.
In addition, the system update also brings security patch repairs to improve the stability of the device. The Galaxy S21 series of smartphones have not yet received eSIM card support in the United States. However, there are reports that the OTA update for this series will be available soon.
Samsung’s new wafer production line to start production soon
According to reports from South Korea, the second production line of Samsung’s wafer processing plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea will be complete soon. The company will immediately put this foundry into production. From the latest schedule, the foundry will be complete in early June 2021. The production line is named Pyeongtaek Plant 2 (P2), which is close to the P1 production line built earlier.
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Samsung Electronics’ P1 production line in Pyeongtaek City began production in 2017. Since the second half of 2020, it has been using the EUV process to produce 10nm LPDDR5 memory and other products. The new P2 production line began construction in 2018, and it also has the manufacturing capabilities of advanced process chips, which will be used to manufacture V-NAND flash memory chips. Officials said that the P2 production line will start production in the second half of 2021.
According to recent reports, Samsung Electronics’ previous wafer foundry in Texas, USA had to suspend production due to power outages, exacerbating the global chip shortage. The completion of the P2 production line in Pyeongtaek is expected to alleviate the current global chip shortage. Samsung officially stated that this year’s “uncertainty” will continue, but global chip demand will increase, and it will focus on the development of fourth-generation 10nm-class DRAM chips and seventh-generation V-NAND.
