Cutting down a sim card

bainbridge

bainbridge

bainbridge

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Bristol
Currently using an s3 and awaiting delivery of a z5 compact.

Can I trim the existing micro sim to fit the nano sim requirements of the new phone?

The site I was reading about this says it can be done on some phones but not on the z5 compact because the slot is too narrow, yet another site says it works fine.

Has anyone done it for the z3 compact? Or tried and failed?
 
I trimmed my regular mini sim down to a micro sim without any trouble, so I see no reason why not.
 
I've cut a micro sim down to a nano sim no problem, just make sure to follow a YouTube video or a guide so you don't damage the sim.
 
Going from Micro to nano is a little nerve wracking, even with a decent sim cutter. (In fact I went from normal sim, to micro, to nano). Worked fine though, just be very careful with alignment.
 
Standard to micro is easy, just go into some big chain stores and they do it and just ask you to whack a quid into the charity box.

Micro to nano I was told by 3 wasn't possible...but obviously it is! Either way, they replaced it on the spot in just a few minutes. Needed proof of address and ID though.
 
hughtrimble said:
Standard to micro is easy, just go into some big chain stores and they do it and just ask you to whack a quid into the charity box.

Micro to nano I was told by 3 wasn't possible...but obviously it is! Either way, they replaced it on the spot in just a few minutes. Needed proof of address and ID though.
Click to expand...

Depends a bit - I've got an older voda standard sim where the metal isn't quite lined up the same as newer ones it would take a bit of creativity to cut it down to micro and nano would be impossible (its also about double the thickness of a standard nano sim). Which reminds me really need to get it changed for a micro but for some reason with voda I actually have to get off my behind and do something rather than just click the mouse a couple of times and have it ordered to my door with no effort like other providers.

I'd have a go at cutting it but I'm fairly sure I won't get 4G with it :S
 
Quick update, the trimming worked perfectly.

Sanded down the thickness before cutting, using a micrometer to check after 20 strokes, alternating the direction of sanding. After about 5 mins the thickness was down from 0.83mm to 0.69mm, apparently the correct thickness of a nano sim is 0.67mm but that was close enough.

After cutting the edges needed a little taken off the ends to fit in the sim tray, but a bit more sanding sorted that.

All done, now on the new phone :-)
 
Results can be mixed, MiniSIM to MicroSIM is just a case of cutting off the plastic surround to get the SIM to the right size, and every SIM should be fine with this as none of the contact/electronics are touched.

NanoSIMs are a slightly different kettle of fish. As Bainbridge already said, the NanoSIM is actually slightly thinner than a MiniSIM or MicroSIM, so it depends how much clearance the phone gives in it's SIM card slot as to whether the thicker cut-down SIM will fit. There's also the potential issue that a SIM/MiniSIM/MicroSIM has eight contacts, where a NanoSIM only uses 6 (the bottom two were dropped as they were never really used anyway). Some newer MiniSIM/MicroSIM cards only have 6 contacts so will be fine if cut down to size. Most 8 contact MiniSIM/MicroSIM cards will simply stop working if the bottom two contacts, and the tiny wires leading from them to the processor, are cut off. Some may be OK with it, but most will stop working.

So, cutting down a MiniSIM to MicroSIM size is easy. Cutting either down to a NanoSIM depends on the design of the SIM if it'll work, and the design of the phone if it'll need sanding to fit too.

Bainbridge - congrats on getting it working successfully, and enjoy your new Sony. :)
 
Did this with my wifes Tesco mobile card when she went from micro to nano, at first I thought i'd borked it as the sides were not quite parallel, but its been happy for the last two years :)
 
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