Apple Announces Updated iPad 10 With eSIM Support in China - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Announces Updated iPad 10 With eSIM Support in China

Apple today announced an updated version of the cellular 10th-generation iPad with eSIM support in mainland China. Apple says the device will be available to pre-order in mainland China starting October 19 and released on October 25.

10th Gen iPad Feature Fanned Gray
China Unicom is currently the only supported eSIM carrier for the iPad in mainland China, according to a new Apple support document. eSIM support in mainland China requires a 10th-generation iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with model number A3162. All other iPad and iPhone models do not have eSIM support in mainland China.

Apple's support document offers more details on how to set up an eSIM on the updated 10th-generation iPad in mainland China, and how to activate eSIM cellular data plans on the device from carriers in other countries while traveling.

An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a physical nano-SIM card.

(Thanks, Apollo!)

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

CC77 Avatar
32 months ago
What a sad, strange time to be an iPad
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboi Scaphandre Avatar
32 months ago
You know this begs the question why can't the Macbooks get eSIM support? I know a lot of business customers would love cellular on their Macbooks without needing to use a hotspot.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
So the other rumors weren't exactly wrong?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
This really shows that we’ve hit a plateau with tech in these products. Apple isn’t even spec bumping these anymore because user experience really is almost the same.

A14 vs A15 in the base iPad isn’t going to change much and just more cost out of switching the internals as such. A15 vs A16 for iPad mini probably isn’t even worth it for Apple either. They’d rather keep the same chips and milk them as long as they can and I don’t really blame them.

I have an iPhone 12 Pro with the A14 and despite it being a 3 year old phone, I have never once even considered that this phone is slow or too slow for anything that I do. I don’t plan on upgrading until software stops getting updated. Seems like chips from A14 and on have been so good there isn’t much difference in overall experience for most people.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
Between the Pen-C and this, it all looks terribly underwhelming for Xmas.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
At least now we know the 11th gen iPad isn’t coming soon.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)