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You are probably here because you just got a new device on your hands. And after unboxing it and turning it on you discovered that your SIM card doesn’t fit inside the new slot! This actually just happened to me after upgrading to a Galaxy 6S Edge from my beloved Nexus 5. Been there, done that. I’m with you on this one.

• Nano-SIM only has a contact area and small plastic isolation around the edges. Most carriers now provide SIM cards with “peel-off” rims, so you can make Nano-SIM card from your Micro-SIM card for.
• A nano SIM is the smallest SIM card size, and it’s also the most modern (other than eSIMs, which we’ll get to further down) having been introduced in 2012. This is basically just a small circuit board with almost nothing around it, and it’s the kind used by the vast majority of modern devices.

It doesn’t matter wether you had an old phone with a regular-sized SIM card or a newer phone with Micro SIM – you can cut the SIM card to fit inside your new device in just a few minutes!

Disclaimer: Do it at your own risk. Trendblog takes no responsibility to any damage to the SIM card and/or phone.

Having said that, it’s actually quite easy to do if you follow the guide below.

What you will need:

1. Your SIM card
2. A cutting template (you have to print it yourself)
3. Kitchen knife or good scissors

Optional:

1. Tape (chewing gum will also do the trick)
2. Sand paper or nail file

SIM card cutting template

Cutting a SIM card without a template might lead to you destroying it, so don’t do that unless you have a SIM card cutter. First things first, go ahead and download a template, which the guys over at GoSoftWorks prepared for you.

When printing the cutting guide, make sure to NOT check the option “Fit to page” or any other setting that might change the size of the original document for printing.

How to cut a Micro SIM card to Nano SIM

1. Align your SIM card with the template, contacts up
   • Secure it in place with tape or a piece of chewing gum (yup, it works too)
   • If the SIM card is bigger or smaller than the template – print it again with different settings. This is crucial to making the right cuts.
2. Align your kitchen knife with the guides and press down on the SIM card to make markers for later
   • Start with the 45 degree angle cut (bottom right edge)
3. Complete the cuts with a heavy kitchen knife or good scissors

Slot Nano Sim

Only attempt to cut the SIM card with very good scissors, otherwise you might break it. My preferred method is using a Chef’s Knife, placing it on the markers (from Step 2) and gradually increasing the pressure to make a clean cut. Repeat that 5 times and you will end up with your almost finished Nano SIM card.

Remember: it’s always better to cut off less. Don’t try to be super precise if you fear destroying your card. Cut just a tiny bit less off than you actually need to, you can always sand the edges later for the perfect fit. If you need to sand down your new Nano SIM to make it fit, only sand the edges. Don’t sand the gold contact!

Some SIM card’s gold contact will be larger than others. This means that some of you will actually need to cut a part of the gold contact to make the SIM card fit into the new slot. Don’t worry though. Just follow the guides from the template and your SIM card will be just fine. If your SIM card happens to have a larger than usual gold contact and you’re afraid of cutting it – just do it. Your card will work just like it’s supposed to.

SIM Card Dimensions

There are three standards of SIM cards that are commonly used in phones: Mini-SIM (we know it as the “regular” SIM card), Micro-SIM and Nano-SIM.

• Mini-SIM – 25 mm x 15 mm x 0.76 mm (height x width x depth)
• Micro-SIM – 15 mm x 12 mm x 0.76 mm
• Nano-SIM – 12.3 mm x 8.8 mm x 0.67 mm

As you can see, Nano-SIM cards are slightly thinner than Mini- and Micro SIMs. Nevertheless, even if you cut a Micro-SIM to fit into a Nano-SIM tray, you should be just fine.

Which SIM card fits into your device?

Not sure which kind of SIM you need to use? Here’s a list of popular devices and which SIM cards you need to have.

• iPhone 4 & 4S – Micro SIM
• iPhone 5, 5S, 6, 6S (also all Plus models) – Nano SIM
• LG Nexus 4 & 5 – Micro SIM
• LG G X – Micro SIM
• Samsung Galaxy A3, A5 & A7 – Nano SIM
• Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, S5 – Micro SIM
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (edge) – Nano SIM
• Sony Xperia E3, E4, M, M2, S, T, Z, Z1, Z2 – Micro SIM
• Sony Xperia Z3 – Nano SIM

Huawei launched Nano Memory last year, a proprietary memory solution of its own design. It was an intriguing prospect: a newer, smaller memory card for increasingly compact phones. Yet it was hard to get excited about this format without the backing of major memory card developers and other OEMs. How many of us would ever have a chance to use these cards, anyway?

Several months after its launch, we’re taking a look at the current state of the format, and where it’s heading in the future.

Don’t miss: Huawei Mate 20 Pro review Huawei P30 Pro hands-on

What is Nano Memory?

Nano Memory is an expandable storage format developed by Huawei. It’s similar to microSD, though it’s smaller. These cards are the same size as a Nano SIM card (about 45 percent smaller than microSD). They fit into Huawei’s dual-Nano SIM card trays rather than a separate card slot.

Huawei has three of these cards available currently in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB sizes, though the 64GB model is fairly hard to come by. They all feature 90MB/s read speeds.

What are the advantages of Nano Memory?

Nano Cloth Scratch Remover Reviews

Nano Memory cards are functionally the same as microSD cards, so outside of size and speed, consumers will have the same experience with either. Device manufacturers, however, may see a larger benefit in using Nano Memory.

The best microSD cards available right now

If OEMs adopt the tech, they could free-up space inside their smartphones for other components. That doesn’t just mean a smaller version of the (already small) microSD card slot, though; Nano Memory cards fit in Huawei’s dual-Nano SIM trays, removing the need for an extra memory slot entirely.

That may seem like a small advantage, but physical space is a commodity in phones, and microSD card support itself dictates decisions about a smartphone circuit board’s design and placement. Utilizing the SIM tray for expandable memory may give manufacturers more options in how they design their devices and the components they use.

All of that being said, microSD is already slight, and it doesn’t interfere with other physical aspects of the phone like how you hold it, or its IP rating. We also don’t yet know what advantages, if any, Nano Memory has offered Huawei in smartphone design.

Without a big incentive, manufacturers will be reluctant to adopt a patented technology from one of their major mobile competitors.

What are the disadvantages of Nano Memory?

Nano Signal Slot

Nano Memory is expensive for the comparative performance of a similar microSD card. At the time of writing, Huawei’s 128GB Nano Memory card costs around 49 euros (~$55) on Amazon and eBay. MicroSD cards can cost less than half that for the same memory and higher read speeds.

You also have far fewer options when it comes to the gigabytes of storage they offer, and their write speeds. MicroSD card storage goes up to 512GB (and will soon be available in expensive 1TB versions), and there are numerous options with 90MB/s read speeds and above — some with more than double that.

The best Android phones with expandable memory

However, possibly the biggest Nano Memory card disadvantage, which we’ll discuss further below, is support. It’s quite easy to find an Android phone that works with the microSD cards you may have picked up over the years, but if you invest in a Nano Memory card, you’ll only be able to use it on select Huawei phones.

Nano Security Slot

Further, since these cards currently occupy a SIM tray slot, you’ll have to choose between using a second SIM card or expandable storage. That’s fine if you only use one SIM card, but it might be a bind for those who need two.

Which phones support Nano Memory?

Nano Lot

So far, your only options for Nano Memory is to buy a Huawei phone, and your choices there are limited to the higher-end. Below is the list of supported devices:

Which OEMs support Nano Memory?

Huawei is currently the only company to support the Nano Memory format. Huawei’s Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu said last year Huawei was in talks with other companies to produce Nano Memory chips in the future — Huawei wants them to be the industry standard — but so far we haven’t seen any here in the west.

I contacted memory card industry leader SanDisk about its potential to sell Nano Memory cards down the line and Ruben Dennenwaldt, the Senior Manager of Product Marketing at Western Digital, said:

We currently don’t have / support the Nano [Memory] Card standard from Huawei. While we obviously closely monitor the market, there are currently no plans to support this standard.

Until it’s supported on more phones, that market will grow at a snail’s pace.

Today, Nano Memory is just an expensive expandable storage format only a handful of phones support. There’s no reason to buy a Nano Memory card unless a person requires one for a specific Huawei smartphone.

In the future, if it helps OEMs produce phones, Nano Memory might become much more commonplace. But progress in the last five months has been marginal. It’s only available on a handful of phones, and as long as it’s reserved for higher-tier devices, it may struggle to reach mainstream appeal.

Because, critically, this is not a high-end feature. Something that belongs inside the device has been made smaller — it’s hard to sell that to consumers. Huawei will have to convince OEMs of the technology’s potential first, and if its early progress is any indication, it’s going to struggle to do this.

Read next:Best Android phones with expandable memory