Samsung supports eSIM across its flagship range and has done since the Galaxy S20. The catch, and it is a real one, is that Samsung sells the same model in different configurations depending on the country, and some of those configurations leave eSIM out.
Check this phone in one tap
Let the page work out which handset you are on, or type the model. It answers straight away, and it tells you how sure it is.
Galaxy models that support eSIM
Galaxy S20 and every S-series generation after it, up to and including the current one. Galaxy Note 20. Every Z Fold and every Z Flip, from the first generation onwards. In the mid range, the A54, A55 and A56.
Galaxy models that do not
Galaxy S10 and older, Note 10 and older, the A-series below the A54 including the popular A51, A52 and A53, and the M series.
Why the region matters on a Galaxy
This is the single most common source of confusion with Samsung. A Galaxy S21 bought in one country can have eSIM while the same S21 bought in another does not. Historically the models sold in the United States through some carriers, and certain variants sold in parts of Asia, shipped without it.
Because of that, the model name on its own is not proof either way for a Galaxy. Run the check below before you buy a travel plan. It takes ten seconds and it is definitive.
How to check your Galaxy
Open Settings → Connections → SIM manager. If you see an option to Add eSIM, your phone supports it. On older software the path is Settings → Connections → SIM card manager.
The check that always works
Open your phone's dialler and type *#06#. You do not need to press call. A panel appears with your device identifiers. If one of them is labelled EID, a 32-digit number, your phone has eSIM hardware. No EID means no eSIM.
This works on any phone, any brand, any region, and it is the only check that cannot be thrown off by a model name that was sold in several different versions.
A note on Samsung foldables
Z Fold and Z Flip models are the most reliably eSIM-capable phones Samsung makes, across every region. If you are carrying a foldable, you can be confident before you even check.
What if your phone does not support eSIM?
Then a travel eSIM is not an option for that handset, and no app or update will change it: the eSIM chip is physical hardware. Your realistic choices are a local physical SIM bought on arrival, your own operator's roaming package, or using an older eSIM-capable phone as a second device. If you are close to replacing the phone anyway, every current flagship and most current mid-range models have eSIM built in.