The iPhone 15 series only uses eSIM in the US, the SIM tray is still available everywhere

Apple first adopted eSIM with the iPhone The new iPhone 15 models follow the same path, again only in the USA.

There are a total of four variations. US models support dual eSIM and are the only ones with mmWave. Another version is sold in the rest of North America, Canada and Mexico, as well as Japan. This is similar to the global version in that it has a physical nano-SIM slot and an eSIM (dual eSIM operation is still an option).

American iPhone 15

iPhone 15 Canadian

European iPhone 15

Chinese iPhone 15

Then there’s the Chinese model (also sold in Hong Kong and Macau), which is the only one without an eSIM, but instead has a dual nano-SIM tray. eSIMs require carrier support and are more common (and easier to use) in some regions than others.

This is probably what stops Apple from going all-in on eSIM (and in the future on iSIM, probably). For now, all iPhones are built the same, those without a SIM tray just have wasted space.