Will using an eSIM affects battery life?

One common question among travelers and smartphone users is: using an eSIM affects battery life? As more people switch to eSIMs for international trips, remote work, and convenience, it’s natural to wonder whether using a digital SIM drains power faster than a physical SIM card.

Here’s the truth: on modern smartphones, an eSIM does not significantly impact battery performance. In everyday use, there’s almost no noticeable difference in power consumption compared to a physical SIM.

However, in specific situations — especially while roaming abroad or using dual SIM mode — you may feel the difference. That’s when understanding how an eSIM affects battery life becomes important.

Understanding How an eSIM Affects Battery Life

To understand why an eSIM affects battery life only in certain scenarios, it helps to look at how your phone connects to networks. The eSIM chip works just like a physical SIM — the battery impact mainly comes from network behavior, not the SIM type.

✅ Network Signal Strength

Poor or unstable signal — regardless of eSIM or physical SIM — forces your phone to work harder to stay connected. Constant signal searching = more battery drain.

✅ Dual SIM Usage

The most common situation where users see a difference is when running a physical SIM + an eSIM at the same time. Maintaining two active connections means your phone works harder.

This is especially common for travelers who:

• Keep their home SIM active for OTP & calls

• Use an eSIM for international data

Battery impact level: Moderate to noticeable

✅ Heavy Data & Hotspot Use

Streaming, navigation, video calls, or hotspot use will drain your battery quickly. This isn’t because eSIM affects battery life, but because these apps require high power and constant connectivity.

Energy-heavy activities:

Activity	Power Impact
Video calls	High
Google Maps Navigation	High
Mobile Hotspot	Very high
4K Recording / Social Uploads	High

✅ Background Apps

Apps refreshing location data or syncing continuously consume power. Not eSIM-related, but common during travel because apps like Maps, WhatsApp, Gmail, and Translate run constantly.

Fix: Restrict background refresh and location use for non-essential apps.

✅ Display & Brightness

Screen time and brightness are still the top battery drains. Adjusting display settings often saves more battery than anything else.

Read more:

Is it necessary to turn on data roaming for my device?

Is eSIM safer than regular SIM?

Tips to Optimize Battery Life When Using an eSIM

Switching to an eSIM doesn’t require any special battery hacks, but these smart habits can help keep your device powered longer — especially on trips.

1️⃣ Use Wi-Fi Whenever Possible

Wi-Fi consumes less energy than mobile networks. Whenever you’re in a hotel, café, or airport, connect to Wi-Fi to reduce network searches and mobile data usage, especially when roaming.

2️⃣ Manually Select a Strong Network

When abroad, manually selecting a local network with strong coverage can save power. Relying on automatic network switching can make your phone constantly search for better signals, which drains the battery.

3️⃣ Disable Unnecessary Features

Turn off automatic network switching, unused SIM profiles, or cellular data when not needed. These small adjustments reduce background processes that eat into your battery.

4️⃣ Manage Background Apps

Adjust background app refresh settings and limit non-essential notifications. This minimizes data and battery usage, making your eSIM experience more efficient.

Twise Travel Tips

Many Twise travelers use eSIMs abroad to stay connected effortlessly — but a few smart battery habits can make a big difference.

Real Scenario

During a Europe road trip, one traveler noticed rapid battery drain. They assumed the eSIM affects battery life, but after troubleshooting, the problem was that both SIMs were active — their home SIM and Twise eSIM. Once the physical SIM was disabled, battery performance returned to normal.

Why Twise eSIM Helps

Twise partners only with strong, reputable carriers in each destination. Better coverage = less searching = less battery drain.

With Twise eSIM:
✔ Seamless network connection
✔ Higher signal stability
✔ Better travel battery performance
✔ No physical SIM hassle

So even if network conditions might sometimes make it seem like an eSIM affects battery life, Twise’s optimized partnerships help reduce that risk.