For years, buying a Vivo phone meant accepting that eSIM might be somebody else’s feature. Apple made it familiar, Google built it into Pixel devices, and Samsung expanded it across premium Galaxy models. Vivo offered it on selected phones in selected markets, with enough regional variation to make a simple compatibility question awkward.

That picture is changing. Vivo’s official support pages now identify a growing range of eSIM-capable devices across the X, V and selected Y families. Examples include the X90 Pro, X100 Pro, X200 series, X Fold5 and X300 family, alongside models from the V29, V40, V50, V60 and V70 generations. The important word is “examples”. A phone name on a global list does not guarantee that every regional version supports the same configuration. Vivo repeatedly warns that availability can differ by country, region and carrier.

That matters for travellers. A European Vivo X200 FE may support eSIM, while an imported variant may have different software, network certification or SIM behaviour. Before buying, check the exact model number, regional product page and operator device guide. “Vivo X200” is not precise enough.

Which Vivo phones support it?

Vivo’s strongest eSIM coverage sits in its premium X series, still the safest part of the range for buyers who consider eSIM essential. The X90 Pro and X100 Pro established the pattern, while newer X200 and X300 models broaden it. Vivo also lists the foldable X Fold5 among supported devices.

The V series is more complicated, but better than it was. Vivo includes carrier-specific eSIM guidance for the V29, V29 Lite 5G, V40, V40 Lite, V40 SE, V50, V50 Lite 5G, V60, V60 Lite 5G, V70 and V70 FE. The Y31 5G also appears in Vivo’s eSIM support structure.

READ MORE: List of phones with eSIM support

Still, do not treat an entire family as compatible. A V-series badge does not automatically mean eSIM, and lower-priced Vivo phones often remain physical-SIM products. This is not necessarily a problem for someone who keeps one domestic number for years. It is less attractive for frequent travellers, business users or anyone who wants to add temporary data without opening the SIM tray.

A useful check is to open Settings and search for “eSIM”. Depending on the version of Funtouch OS, the option may sit under Network and internet, SIM card and mobile network, or SIMs and mobile network. If no add-eSIM option appears, confirm the model with Vivo before purchasing a plan. Software updates can change menus, but they cannot add missing eSIM hardware.

Setting up a Vivo eSIM

The activation process is straightforward, although operators still make it more bureaucratic than necessary.

Three UK, for example, allows customers on eligible Three Your Way plans to use eSIM and lets existing customers replace a physical SIM through the Three app, My3, customer support or a store. On Android, Three sends a QR code and a separate confirmation code by email. The customer connects the phone to Wi-Fi, opens the SIM settings, selects Add a mobile plan, and scans the code. Three says activation is normally immediate, although it can occasionally take up to seven hours. Its QR and confirmation codes are single-use.

Three Ireland offers eSIM with Bill Pay and Prepay plans. Compatible devices may use on-device activation or transfer, while other phones receive a QR code and manual instructions. Its standard Android guidance follows the familiar route through Settings, Connections, SIM Card Manager and Add Mobile Plan, although Vivo’s wording may differ slightly.

On a Vivo phone, the practical sequence is: connect to Wi-Fi, open the mobile-network settings, choose Add eSIM, scan the operator or travel-provider QR code, then label the new line. “Travel data” is more useful than leaving it named “SIM 2”.

Do not delete the profile because activation appears slow. Some QR codes cannot be reused, so removing the eSIM may force you to request another one. Install a travel eSIM before leaving home, but check whether its validity starts at installation or only when it first connects abroad.

Using Vivo eSIM abroad

The most useful setup is often a physical home SIM plus a travel eSIM. Keep the home line active for incoming calls and verification texts, but choose the travel eSIM for mobile data. Turn data roaming on for the travel profile and off for the home SIM unless your domestic plan includes roaming.

This is where dual-SIM controls matter more than marketing. Check which line handles data, calls and messages. Disable automatic mobile data switching to prevent the phone from quietly returning to an expensive home network when the travel line weakens.

Three UK highlights dual-SIM use for business and travel, while Three Ireland notes that an unlocked compatible phone can combine plans from two networks and add a local data plan abroad.

Vivo eSIM is less convincing for people who change phones constantly. Apple and some Android ecosystems increasingly support smoother device-to-device transfer, but QR replacement remains common on Vivo. Imported models are another risk, particularly when the seller describes a phone as “global” without identifying the exact regional version.

Conclusion

Vivo is no longer an eSIM outsider, but it has not yet made compatibility as predictable as Apple, Google or Samsung. Google says every Pixel from Pixel 4 onward supports eSIM, while Samsung publishes broad, generation-by-generation Galaxy lists. Vivo’s documentation is improving, yet customers still have to cross-check model, market and carrier more carefully than they should.

The direction of the market leaves little room for ambiguity. GSMA Intelligence estimated global eSIM smartphone penetration at 5% at the end of 2025 and expects it to reach 10% by the end of 2026. That is still a minority, but it is doubling quickly.

Vivo’s opportunity is not merely to add eSIM to more phones. It is to make support obvious: publish model numbers, regional differences, carrier status and transfer options in one place. Until then, Vivo can be an excellent eSIM travel phone—but only for buyers who verify before they scan.