Technicians in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market district have modified Apple’s iPhone Air to support a physical SIM card slot, according to videos circulating online since January 22.
The modification involves machining space at the bottom of the motherboard to install a SIM tray taken from an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Taptic Engine is replaced with a custom component to free up internal space.
Test videos show the modified iPhone Air, including U.S. models, can place calls and access mobile data using a physical SIM card. [IThome, in Chinese]
