Sony brought eSIM to the Xperia range in the third generation of each line, so the rule is easy to remember: mark three and above, across all three families.
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.
Xperia models that support eSIM
Xperia 1 III, 1 IV, 1 V and 1 VI. Xperia 5 III, 5 IV and 5 V. Xperia 10 III, 10 IV, 10 V and 10 VI.
Xperia models that do not
Anything from the second generation or earlier: Xperia 1 II, Xperia 5 II, Xperia 10 II and the models before them.
Reading Sony's model names
Sony uses Roman numerals, which trips people up. The III in "Xperia 1 III" is three, not two, and it is pronounced "mark three". If you are unsure which generation you have, the model number in Settings → About phone is clearer: an Xperia 1 III is an XQ-BC series, an Xperia 1 IV is XQ-CT, and so on. The universal check below sidesteps the whole question.
How to check your Xperia
Open Settings → Network & internet → SIMs. If your phone supports eSIM there will be an option to add or download one. Sony runs close to stock Android, so the layout follows Google's.
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.
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.