Looking to Consolidate My 2 Phones into 1 (with eSIM and Regular SIM) and Upgrade to 5G - Thoughts?

TwentyTwoCarats on 20/04/2023 - 16:24

At the moment I have a:
- Personal iPhone 11 Pro 256GB which I've had for the past 3+ years. It's still good but I feel like upgrading to the latest iPhone.
- Work iPhone 8 64GB which I've had for 2 years. It's fine but it's really annoying carrying two phones. All I do on this one is get 2FA codes, emails and calls.

SIM cards:
- Personal phone is on a $200 Woolworths 365 day 180GB long-expiry plan which uses Telstra 4G network. I usually run out 3 months before the year is up because I use more than 15GB a month. I don't really know how much I use but probably 20GB a month.
- Work phone is on an Optus plan that has (supposedly) unlimited data on Optus 4G. It's probably a business plan with lots of data.

Solution:
I'm thinking of getting an iPhone 14 Pro 256GB and using an eSIM with 5G for my personal number, and putting in the physical work SIM into the same phone. That way I can cut down two phones into one, start enjoying a new phone, and start enjoying 5G instead of 4G. I live within <10km of Melbourne CBD so surely the 5G networks are good here. There's no special apps or VPN that I use on the work phone and I have already successfully tested setting up email on my personal phone.

Questions (and I did my own research too):

  1. What are the good eSIM 5G prepaid or postpaid plans?

I know Telstra prepaid rolled out 5G last year and also you can get it on eSIM… They have a $300 365-day prepaid option with 200GB which still isn't enough data but it's close, however the data is capped to speeds of 150mbps? Wouldn't mind having uncapped speeds, but then you have to go to a whopping $68/mth SIM-only plan which offers 180GB a month wow.

Optus also does 5G and eSIM, their plans seem a little more reasonable.

  1. Any significant difference between Telstra 5G and Optus 5G?

Apparently Optus wins in peak speeds but Telstra has better reliability overall. What is your experience?

  1. Changing eSIMs when travelling?

So recently I went to USA and just got an eSIM on a 1 month prepaid put onto my iPhone 11 Pro (which previously wasn't using eSIM). It was awesome and my Aussie number (using physical SIM) was still active so I could get those 2FA codes for banking and what not. If I opt for my iPhone 14 Pro set up, could I have 2 eSIMs active at the same time? From what I found I don't think so. So basically I would have to keep my personal Aussie eSIM active and then get a physical SIM in the overseas country, and just ditch my work physical SIM for my travels (which is fine). Any better solution?

  1. Battery impact of eSIM and physical SIM?

Does the daily battery performance decrease signficantly if I'm always using both eSIM (on 5G) and physical SIM (also 5G maybe…)? Or is the iPhone 14 Pro battery good enough that my setup won't really matter?

  1. Should I wait for iPhone 15 Pro?

This one is a personal choice and I don't know, perhaps I can hold out til October. But a new phone and setup now would be sick.

Any thoughts and advice is really appreciated. Cost is not a huge factor tbh, I just want to use one phone rather than two, have the latest and greatest phone, and also move from 4G to 5G.

Mobile

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 16:28
    +3

    So recently I went to USA ….

    How was your holiday?

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 20/04/2023 - 16:46
      +4

      It was f-king sick.

      In a month, I went to LA, San Fran, Boston, New York, Chicago, Austin, Portland. Checked out most of the major attractions within those cities. Also from San Fran I did a daytrip to the Redwoods forest, went to Palo Alto and checked out the Google office and also Stanford. From Austin, I did a daytrip to San Antonio. And from Portland I did one day trip to the famous Oregon national park areas like Multnomah falls and Columbia Gorge, and then did another day trip to Seattle. Also checked out an Intel office in Portland.

      And to top it off, one of my main motivations was NBA. I went to 8 matches across 5 cities, that's 8 out of 29 nights lmao. All the matches I sat near the back in the nosebleeds, but for one of the Boston Celtics games I splashed out for a seat right behind the Celtics bench, literally almost courtside. That was a movie and so freaking awesome, I have zero regrets.

      Overall, the trip was pretty insane. Saw so much basketball, so many cities and states, and caught up with some family members. The only part that was lacking was sending it. I stayed sober the entire month because my brother was not 21 yet (ffs America).

      Overall = 9.5/10

      The -0.5 was simply beacuse everything costs a shit ton. You'll get smashed because of:
      - AUD being weaker than USD
      - Tipping which is expected everywhere, anywhere between 15-20%

      • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 16:58
        -3

        Saw Watched so much basketball

        FTFY

  • deme on 20/04/2023 - 16:29
    +1

    I've attached ChatGPT but I wanted to say keep your work phone and your personal phone separate.

    It sounds like a good plan to upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro and use an eSIM for your personal number while keeping the physical SIM for your work number. Here are my answers to your questions:

    Good eSIM 5G plans: Telstra and Optus both offer eSIM plans with 5G connectivity. In addition to the plans you mentioned, Optus has a $39/month plan with 60GB of data and uncapped speeds, while Telstra has a $65/month plan with 160GB of data and uncapped speeds. Other providers such as Vodafone and Boost Mobile also offer eSIM plans with 5G, so it's worth checking out their options as well.

    Telstra vs Optus 5G: Both Telstra and Optus have extensive 5G coverage in major cities such as Melbourne, so you should be able to get good 5G speeds on either network. In terms of speed and reliability, the differences are likely to be marginal and may depend on your specific location and usage patterns. It's worth checking the coverage maps of both providers to see which network has better coverage in the areas you frequent.

    Changing eSIMs when traveling: Unfortunately, iPhones only support one eSIM at a time, so you won't be able to have two eSIMs active simultaneously. If you travel frequently and want to keep your Australian number active while using a local SIM overseas, you may want to consider using a physical dual-SIM adapter that allows you to use two physical SIM cards simultaneously. These adapters are available online and can be used with the iPhone 14 Pro.

    Battery impact of eSIM and physical SIM: Using both eSIM and physical SIM is unlikely to have a significant impact on battery life, especially on the iPhone 14 Pro, which has a large battery and power-efficient components. However, having both SIMs active may consume slightly more power than using just one SIM.

    Should you wait for the iPhone 15 Pro? It's always a personal decision whether to wait for the next iPhone or upgrade now. The iPhone 15 Pro is likely to have some improvements over the iPhone 14 Pro, but if you need a new phone now, the iPhone 14 Pro is a great choice.

    Overall, it seems like your plan to upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro and use an eSIM for your personal number while keeping the physical SIM for your work number is a good one. Just make sure to choose a plan that suits your data needs and check the coverage maps of different providers to ensure good 5G coverage in your area.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 16:31
      +1

      Does ChatGPT do TL;DR version?

      • deme on 20/04/2023 - 16:32
        +1

        TL;DR: Upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro and using an eSIM for your personal number while keeping the physical SIM for your work number is a good plan. Both Telstra and Optus offer eSIM plans with 5G connectivity, and you should choose a plan that suits your data needs. iPhones only support one eSIM at a time, so you won't be able to have two eSIMs active simultaneously when traveling. Using both eSIM and physical SIM is unlikely to have a significant impact on battery life. It's a personal decision whether to wait for the iPhone 15 Pro, but the iPhone 14 Pro is a great choice if you need a new phone now.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 16:36

          Does ChatGPT have Twitter mode?

          • AustriaBargain on 20/04/2023 - 17:08

            @[Deactivated]: 💩

          • deme on 20/04/2023 - 17:57
            +2

            @[Deactivated]: Time to upgrade to the #iPhone14Pro and enjoy 5G connectivity with eSIM. Goodbye to carrying two phones! 📱💨 #TechUpgrade #OnePhoneLife

            • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 17:59

              @deme: Love it!

              I should join Twitter

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 20/04/2023 - 16:47

      Wow ChatGPT doing it all hey. What's your reasoning for keeping work and personal phone separate? I can guess some obvious reasons…

    • stirlo on 20/04/2023 - 20:11
      +3

      Unfortunately, iPhones only support one eSIM at a time, so you won't be able to have two eSIMs active simultaneously

      ChatGPT lies. This is incorrect. On Apples official website they say "iPhone 13 models and later also support two active eSIMs. iPhone models without a physical SIM tray support two active eSIMs."

  • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 16:50
    +2

    There's no special apps or VPN that I use on the work phone and I have already successfully tested setting up email on my personal phone.

    Usually companies require an app that provides them with administrator access (like remote lock/wipe) and requires a minimum level of security, in accordance with their IT Security policy (for eg. min of 6 digit PIN, etc) to prevent potential leakage of confidential company information.

    Your company doesn't reinforce those policies?

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 20/04/2023 - 16:55

      Huh. That’s very true. I would think they definitely do have those policies. Maybe I should try my work SIM on my personal iPhone. I always just assumed it would work.

      • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 17:22

        It's usually the apps on the phone (and the administrator settings), not the sim card itself. Every time email refreshes, the server checks that the phone meets the company's minimum security requirements.

        The whole thing with two phones.. normally, I would install the 2FA stuff and setup emails on my personal phone and then call-forward my work calls to my personal number (so that I'm not giving out my personal number). But then I turn caller ID off for outgoing calls on my personal number so that if I have to return a call, my personal number doesn't show up. The downside to that is, some people don't answer calls if a number doesn't show up.

        For the emails, I set a schedule so that it doesn't notify me if emails are received after hours.

        And I leave the work phone at home most days.

        • TwentyTwoCarats on 20/04/2023 - 17:36

          The 2FA is all via SMS to my work number, not an app. But yeah cool idea for sure, didnt know people did call forwarding like that

          • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 17:40

            @TwentyTwoCarats: ah, if it's SMS, there's no reason the 2FA won't work then. The companies I've been at use the RSA or Symantec VIP apps to generate the codes, so my personal handset is registered on the company systems for that purpose.

            I usually make myself available 24/7, but if you want, you can un-forward the work calls on weekends or when you're on holidays.

            But if you need an excuse to upgrade to an iPhone 14 Pro, then go ahead! 😋 If your company allows salary sacrifice, then even better!

  • AustriaBargain on 20/04/2023 - 17:07

    It is nice to be able to turn off your work phone when outside of paid ours and then turn it on again when your next shift starts. There's probably a way to virtually do it with dual sim but being able to forget your work phone and all work apps is very nice. Unless you are obliged to be contactable on your work phone outside of work hours, or to read and respond to work emails and texts outside of work hours, then the physical separation between work and personal phones can be psychologically worthwhile.

    • md333 on 21/04/2023 - 12:16

      just turn off the work sim then?

      • AustriaBargain on 21/04/2023 - 13:30

        Maybe. But how do you turn off just the work apps? And silence just the work emails?

        • bcYield on 25/04/2023 - 17:27

          You can create a workspace or island which can separate work apps from main phone similar to VMs

  • sumyungguy on 20/04/2023 - 17:15

    is there a data usage restriction on your work phone? Does your employer allow reasonable personal use? From the historical point where employers started issuing phones to key employees I've only ever used one phone - theirs. There are simple ways to separate your work and personal life on a single handset

    • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 17:31

      Does your employer allow reasonable personal use?

      Yeah …. nah!

      • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 17:53

        I've contracted around quite a few places and I can't say that I've ever come across a company that doesn't allow reasonable personal use on their phone. Especially since most plans come with unlimited local calls nowadays. And where it's a multi-user corporate plan, the data allowance is often pooled, so unless someone is streaming video all day long, I don't think the personal usage would even be noticeable.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 17:57
          -1

          Oh they do & then when they want to 'performance manage' employees, they go through their company mobile logs looking for stuff to assist with performance managing them out.

          A secondment in HR was an eye-opener.

          • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 18:10

            @[Deactivated]: The phone usage goes through the telco and not the the company servers, so the company will only be able to see the 'time' and 'volume' of the calls/data use from the billing. The specifics of the phone usage (such as individual websites) is held by the telco. Unless the usage is totally unreasonable, what else could they use for 'performance management' purposes?

            • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 18:27

              @bobbified: In the one case that I was privy to, it was the time, length & number of calls. They actually asked the poor guy to account for a series of late night calls, a year after they were made. I recall the manager requesting if there were any NSFW hits. I was surprised at the lengths they were prepared to go to and the nastiness.

              And HR folks sure like to tell you war stories too.

              • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 19:50

                @[Deactivated]: That's pretty bad! They would've been grasping at straws if that's what they were trying to rely on to fire someone!

                I recently worked in HR for about a year at one of the larger multinationals with the people at the very top (C-suite and Directors) and from what I saw, they really tried to do things properly and be fair. They actually cared about their staff. I didn't get to see the happenings at the working-level though, so I don't know if that 'care' filtered all the way down.

                • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2023 - 20:59

                  @bobbified: I think it was more of a personality clash with the new people manager. HR rep. was doing her utmost to diffuse the situation however the manager seemed to want to make a point in their new role.

                  So much depends upon the culture of each business area.

            • sumyungguy on 20/04/2023 - 20:30
              +1

              @bobbified: Companies using MDM have access to absolutely everything. Those unable to restrict their impulses while using their employer-provided mobile device should certainly have a second phone. But really this is no different to using your work notebook or desktop - your IT security provider is logging everything

              • bobbified on 20/04/2023 - 21:31

                @sumyungguy:

                Companies using MDM have access to absolutely everything

                They can, but they don't often collect all the data such as individual websites, etc. It's usually focused only on the protection of the company data. They can't be collecting every single detail, especially if they offer the BYO service for other staff, otherwise noone would use their own mobile. You can actually see what the company collects by looking at the app permissions.

                • sumyungguy on 20/04/2023 - 22:11

                  @bobbified: For security and confidentiality reasons, I reckon many employers won't disclose what they monitor. Back in the days before MDM was invented, I got a directive from HR to counsel one of my direct reports for google search terms farm and management. We didn't operate in the agricultural sector but my employee co-owned a family farm. There was an IT security person who manually pored over a search log report and advised HR of any suspected misuse of company resources.

  • akred on 21/04/2023 - 07:16

    Check if your employer’s MDM allows dual SIM before you go too far. It can be blocked.

  • vince088 on 21/04/2023 - 19:59

    would you consider battery life a problem? having a esim and physical sim drains battery more than normal

    its connecting to 2 cellular networks constantly

    • bcYield on 25/04/2023 - 17:20

      It might use slightly more power. It sets one sim as primary cellular and the other sim as a backup

  • tonester on 25/04/2023 - 16:58

    What are the good eSIM 5G prepaid or postpaid plans?

    Changing eSIMs when travelling?

    amaysim 5G 60GB 28-days $55 - $35 cashback + international roaming 5GB 365-day $70

    Using a Mobile phone Overseas – eSIM, Travel SIM, International Roaming

    I know Telstra prepaid rolled out 5G last year and also you can get it on eSIM… They have a $300 365-day prepaid option with 200GB which still isn't enough data but it's close, however the data is capped to speeds of 150mbps? Wouldn't mind having uncapped speeds, but then you have to go to a whopping $68/mth SIM-only plan which offers 180GB a month wow.

    telstra have uncapped 5G 65GB 28-days $65

    If I opt for my iPhone 14 Pro set up, could I have 2 eSIMs active at the same time? From what I found I don't think so.

    you can have multiple esims installed, but only 2 active at the same time

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