A SIM card reader in the iPhone Air? The Chinese have done it.

YouTuber Linzin Tech has a problem. He loves his iPhone Air, but since he travels a lot, he often switches phones and needs to be able to quickly transfer his SIM card from one to the other. The problem is, the iPhone Air only works with eSIMs (digital SIM cards), forcing the traveler to sign up with a different carrier each time he travels. A SIM card reader in the iPhone Air? The feat in video! The solution? The Huaqiangbei electronics market in Shenzhen, and its host of ingenious tinkerers, including Changlong Technology, to whom Linzin Tech entrusted his iPhone Air to have a SIM card reader inserted, no matter what. The YouTuber recounts this adventure in a video, in Chinese, but with beautiful visuals. The technical feat required replacing Apple's Taptic Engine with a less powerful but more compact third-party model (a rare commodity in the ultra-thin iPhone Air), as well as precision drilling into the device's ultra-thin edge and some microsoldering to connect the reader to the motherboard. As if that weren't enough, Linzin Tech requested that their device be made transparent, necessitating the laser removal of the paint layer on the back of the iPhone. The result of all these drastic modifications: loss of water resistance, deterioration of the cooling system, and the voiding of the Apple warranty. Regardless, the feat is accomplished, and the YouTuber can finally use his SIM card!