To start, I haven't had an iPhone since the 6s because they dropped the headphone jack. Now that they added USB-C and have MagSafe charging I am finally ready to move back.

I woke up at 5am last week to preorder an iPhone 15 Pro Max and it arrives today!

Now late last night I discovered that US models of iPhone don't have SIM slots?

This is a problem for me because I like to travel internationally 1-2 times a year and I prefer to buy local SIMs because they are WAY cheaper. (I went to Israel and got 50gb + mins and texts for $15 for 30 days. An eSIM for data only is $47 for 14 days without mins). I like to have a local number so I can use it for reservations at restaurants.

Then I found out that the Canadian models still have a SIM slot.

It looks like I have 14 days to return the iPhone, and I have a friend in Toronto that is willing to pick one up and ship it to me. (They even have pickups available tomorrow).

Before I do this I have some questions I am hoping y'all can answer to assist in making this decision.

1. I have seen mixed opinions regarding getting an eSIM from a US Carrier website with a non US IMEI. I have AT&T but am considering switching to TMobile. My goal is to have my US number be eSIM so I can buy SIMs in other countries. Can anyone confirm that they have gotten an eSIM on a non US iPhone from either of these carriers?

2. It looks like the US model has additional extremely high frequency antennas that I would be missing out on. Does anyone live in NYC who can describe the difference I might feel / what I might be missing out on?

3. Has anyone switched to eSIM only since the iPhone 14 that can describe their experience travelling? Have they had a problem leaving a phone number at a restaurant/bar for a call back? Are there other options to get a virtual number cheap?

4. Has anyone else bought a non US iPhone and tried getting Apple Care to repair in the US? Any issues?

5. It looks like you can get eSIMs (for a higher price) for countries that don’t have pay-as you-go eSIM through travel MVNOs (like the Israel example). Does anyone know if the data rate would be capped / if my data would be lower priority on one of those MVNOs vs pre-paid SIMs?

6. Has anyone had success getting prepaid physical sims converted to eSIM? When I’m in the UK I like EE and it looks like they only allow eSIM for post-paid.

7. Is there anything I missed that might be a concern?

Thanks in advance for all your help and suggestions! (And sorry for the long post)