Standard, Mini or Nano? Here is you’re A-Z SIM card guide

1. An overview of SIM Card Types

2. What is a SIM?

3. The difference between Standard, Micro & Nano SIM cards

4. The type of SIM card required for handsets of the most used brands

5. How to change a Standard SIM to smaller ones (Micro or Nano)

An overview of SIM Card Types

In recent years many manufacturers have optimised their collection of mobile devices from Standard SIMs to smaller SIMs. If you are buying a mobile phone made in the last 8 years, chances are you’ll require at least a Micro SIM to use it.

However, higher-end phones by big brands like Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Sony, and Blackberry manufactured from c. 2015 use Nano SIMs. If you ever wonder why, it is because phone manufacturers are constantly updating their devices with new features and large batteries. So, they reduce the amount of space SIM cards occupy to create more room for these upgrades.

What is a SIM?

SIM, an abbreviation for Subscriber Identity Module, is a chip-like component that allows your mobile phone to connect to a mobile network that you are subscribed to. Apart from the 3 general types of SIM cards, mobile networks may also offer 2-in1 or 3-in-1 separable SIM cards that incorporate the Micro, or Micro and Nano types.

A SIM card user has the advantage of changing their networks anytime they want without having to change devices. You can also change your device without having to change your network.

The difference between Standard, Micro & Nano SIM cards

• The Standard SIM card is by far the most popular among the three types of SIMs. It made its appearance in 1991, around the time when cellular technology (GSM) was created by in Finland. It is the biggest of the three SIM types. It is 25 mm long, 15 mm wide and 0.76 mm deep. It goes with the alternative name 2FF.
• The Micro SIM card is significantly smaller than the first generation SIM card. High end brands like Apple and Samsung are the first to introduce the Micro SIM chip into the market. It is also called 3FF; has a length of 15 mm, width of 12 mm and depth of 0.76 mm.
• The Nano SIM has a measurement of 12.30 mm x 8.80 mm x 0.67 mm (l x w x d). Smaller than the Micro SIM by almost 50%, it made its first appearance in the Apple iPhone 5. Since its introduction, many phone manufacturers have made numerous devices that are only compatible with the Nano SIM.

Here’s a table below that shows the dimensions of each of the SIM types