iPhone 5’s nano-SIM, and why you shouldn’t try to cut your SIM down to size

That SIM card in your phone is set to get a whole lot smaller, at least 44 percent smaller, and that’s if you already own a phone with a smallish micro-SIM from the past year or two.

The nano-SIM is now the new standard, with Apple introducing the technology with its iPhone 5, the hot new flagship phone from the company that will be landing locally in about a week

With a smaller design for SIM cards – the only real differentiator inside the phone telling yours apart from everyone else’s – Apple has been able to slim down on the rest of the technology, effectively rearranging the puzzle that is the inside of a gadget and coming up with a new formula that is thinner and better designed.

What that means, though, is everyone will have to switch to the new SIM format.

We’re not just talking people who want to buy an iPhone 5 on release day, but also other manufacturers. In fact, this is likely to help them in the long run, offering companies such as Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, and Sony new ways to make their designs thinner than ever before, while also pushing more modern technologies.

Mind you, it was only last year we started to see manufacturers of other phones jump on the micro-SIM bandwagon that the iPhone 4 brought out in 2010, and Nokia and Motorola were the first to do so.

Meanwhile, the customers come first, and that means anyone who wants to get in line for the iPhone 5 will need a new SIM, but don’t worry, your telco will take care of you here.

When you grab the phone – whether outright or through a plan – head to a local branch of your carrier and tell them that you need a nano-SIM. They should have the fresh SIMs ready and waiting, and provided you bring a touch of identification, the move will be relatively easy.

Don’t try cutting the SIM down to size, as it’s just not worth it.

The level of margin that the nano-SIM has for error makes us believe this would be a bad move, and any extra cuts could damage your SIM irreparably.

SIM cards through the generations, with left to right showing the full-size SIM, the "normal" mini SIM most smartphones used, micro SIM, and the new nano SIM. Image credit: Wikipedia