What does nano sim 4ff mean? Differences between SIM card formats and how to change their sizes

No mobile device can operate on a carrier's network without a small chip commonly called a SIM card. This is a small chip surrounded by plastic. It contains all the necessary data for the network, and also allows you to save some user information - for example, a list of telephone numbers.

The SIM card is an intermediate link between the subscriber and the telecom operator

There are several types of SIM cards, differing in size. Moreover, the newer the standard, the smaller the card. The latest models increasingly use smaller SIM cards, so when buying a new phone, the issue of adapting the SIM card becomes relevant. In this article, we propose to familiarize yourself with the standards of SIM cards, understand what the difference is between them and how to reduce them for use in a new device.

Types of SIM cards

There are three main formats: mini, micro and nano. What are they?

Mini-SIM

Standard card format. Used in most modern phones. In everyday life, the name without the prefix “mini” is popular. The dimensions of this card are 25×15 mm. It does not need to be adapted, even if it is more than one year old. Just insert and use.

Micro-SIM

Compared to the previous type, micro-SIM has smaller dimensions - 15x12 millimeters. It was first used in the iPhone 4. Recently, this format has been increasingly supported. When buying a new phone, it’s easy to cut it off from a regular SIM card.

Nano-SIM

The latest, smallest SIM card used in the latest iPhones, iPads, and flagship Android models. The nano-SIM looks like a chip without any plastic around it. The card dimensions are small - 12x5 mm, so it is more difficult to adapt from larger formats.

How to change SIM card size

There are several options for changing the size of a SIM card: order a new one from your operator, contact a telephone repair shop, or cut a regular card yourself. In the latter case, there is a risk of damaging the card due to inexperience, and then responsibility for its damage will fall on you.

Contact your telecom operator

The simplest and surest way. You just need to come to the communication store with your phone and passport and order a SIM card replacement service. You will receive a new card of a suitable format, while your phone number, balance and connected services will be saved.

Recently, operators have been offering subscribers multi-format SIM cards that are suitable for all types of phones. The outer shell is a mini-SIM, from it you can use a nano-SIM along the indicated dotted line. You risk nothing and use communication services without any problems.

This service is completely free. In some cases, you need to pay a small amount, which will remain in your account. This option is offered by the operator Tele2.

Let's go to the workshop

If for some reason you cannot contact a communication store or do not want to wait for a new card to be sent, then you can cut it at any workshop. This will be done using a device similar to a stationery stapler, into which a SIM card is inserted, and with one click the excess ends are cut off. This service is inexpensive, and in some workshops it is completely free.

Cut by hand according to the template

If the previous two methods are not available to you, try doing it yourself. To do this, you will need scissors, double-sided tape, a ruler, a pencil or felt-tip pen and the SIM card itself. You don’t have to calculate anything, just use a template popular on the World Wide Web. Download it from the link and print it at 100% scale on an A4 sheet. It can be used to make micro and nano-SIM.

Using double-sided tape, carefully stick the SIM card onto the marked area, making sure that it completely matches the drawing. Don't press too hard, otherwise you won't be able to peel it off later.
Draw long horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines with a pencil or felt-tip pen. The dimensions of the format you need will be marked on the SIM card.
Trim the excess plastic as carefully as possible along the drawn lines.
Using sandpaper or a file, carefully trim the cut areas and round the edge as indicated in the diagram.
Remove the tape and insert the SIM card into the phone.

The whole process will take a few minutes, so take your time so as not to cut off too much. To make your work easier, there is a photo on the same template showing how to properly attach the SIM card. Don't be afraid, you will succeed.

Conclusion

Now you know how SIM card formats differ and how you can adapt them. Of course, contact a communication salon. But if you don't want to wait a long time, try cutting by hand using a template.

What SIM card format does your device support? How did you change the dimensions? Did you manage to do everything yourself? We are waiting for your answers in the comments.

The Nano SIM card came into use in 2012 with the advent of the first iPhone 5S and iPad 4 mini with Retina tablets, without which the operation of these devices is impossible. It was not so easy to get it back then, and even now such a SIM costs money. Below we will look at ways to turn a regular phone card into a nano SIM card using tools that many people have at home.

A standard SIM card is not much different from a nano SIM card. The chip itself, on which the information is stored, has not changed, which is the most important thing. We will turn a regular SIM into a nano using the following tools:

caliper (regular or digital) - a device for accurately measuring values, will be needed to measure the difference between cards and mark the marks along which we will cut;
if you don’t have a caliper, use a ruler, a sheet of paper and a pencil;
sandpaper or file - for grinding the edges of the cut SIM card in order to reduce the thickness of the original card;
very sharp scissors.

SIM card sizes:

nano SIM card: width – 12.3 mm, height – 8.8 mm, thickness – 0.67 mm;
micro SIMs: width – 14.9 mm, height – 12.03 mm, thickness – 0.81 mm.

Comparing these values, it is clear that the difference in parameters is small, and it is quite possible to eliminate it with the help of scissors.

We take a caliper and set the parameters of the nano SIM card on it one by one: width and length. And we transfer it to a regular SIM card, noting the lines along which we will cut with a pencil, and also do not forget to measure and notice the cut.

If you don’t have a caliper, proceed as follows:

take a sheet of paper, a ruler, a pencil;
using a ruler as a measuring device, draw a nano SIM card template on paper;
cut out this template;
Place it on top of the micro SIM card and carefully trace the outline of the template with a pencil.

Before cutting the main SIM card, it is recommended to practice on old micro SIM cards, since one careless move can cost you a hopelessly damaged SIM card. When cutting off excess edges, try to touch the chip and contacts as little as possible. Your goal is maximum accuracy in resizing the micro SIM. If you are not sure that you can cut the card, then Chinese manufacturers have foreseen the need to adapt a micro SIM card into a nano SIM card and have invented a special cutter to remove excess from a regular SIM card, this is what it looks like.

Now the most difficult thing remains: eliminating the difference in the thickness of SIM cards, which is 0.16 mm. Before starting the nano SIM thinning procedure, we recommend wearing a medical mask, since the dust generated during grinding has a rather unpleasant odor and texture. Take sandpaper or a file and carefully, slowly, sand the card on the back side of the contacts (where the picture is). If you overdid it in reducing the thickness of the micro SIM card, place a sheet of plain paper under the adapted nano SIM card.

Before changing the size of a micro SIM card, it is recommended to watch training videos on the topic of adapting a regular card to the nano format. Also, before starting work, you must keep in mind that the changeable micro SIM card, as well as all the information that is on it, can be lost forever.

A SIM card is an important part of your smartphone that is responsible for the mobile network. Your phone will not be able to work within the mobile operator's network area. Representing a small chip surrounded by plastic, it allows you to identify a subscriber in the operator’s network and, in addition, it also stores the user’s telephone numbers.

All mobile telecom operators use the SIM card to identify the subscriber. Thanks to this, any user can easily change their mobile devices, leaving the same number and services. It is enough just to rearrange the SIM card.

At the moment, after the presentation of the iPhone 5, it became known that the new iPhone does not accommodate a standard micro sim, but uses a smaller version of it, nano-sim. This presentation became the point of popularization of the new SIM card, and at the moment almost every smartphone uses exactly this format.

Differences

The first and most important difference between nano-sim and micro-sim is the size.

SIM card size:

Micro-sim – 15 x 2.5 and thickness 0.81;
Nano-sim - 12.3 x 8.8 and thickness 0.67.

The difference is insignificant and consists of excess plastic around the chip. Thus, the appearance of nano-sim is a clearly expressed desire of the manufacturer to reduce the weight and size of its smartphone. As you can see, nano sim and micro sim have differences.

Contacting the operator

Replacing a card with an operator is easy and hassle-free, so if you don’t want to risk cutting your card yourself, contact the operator. To do this, you will need, along with your passport and phone, to visit the mobile operator’s communication shop and ask for a replacement of your Sim card. You will receive a new card in the format you need, your phone number, connected services and balance will remain the same.

The operators also made sure that you don’t run to them every time to change the SIM card format and offered multi-profile SIM cards. They can be used in absolutely all phones. Their outer shell is a mini-sim, from which micro and nano-sim can be easily squeezed out along the marked dotted line. Without the risk of damage, you can safely use the services of your operator.

Telephone workshop

If you do not have the opportunity to contact your operator or come to a communication shop, any telephone repair shop will help you out. In the workshop there is a special device for SIM cards that resembles a stapler. Your SIM card is inserted inside this device, and with one click the excess plastic is cut off. The service is inexpensive, and in some workshops it is completely free. This method is the simplest.

Hand cutting

If the previous two methods are not available to you, you can cut out the SIM card yourself. To do this, you will need a nano-sim template or drawing showing how much to trim the plastic edges around the chip.

It’s easy to get a new SIM card, all operators have already adapted to providing nano-SIM, and now everyone can get it quickly and for free. This SIM card will help reduce the weight of the smartphone and make it more compact.

In order to be able to make and receive calls from your smartphone or tablet, and use other services of cellular operators, you must have a SIM card. In fact, each SIM card is a miniature chip that contains all the information necessary for normal operation in the cellular network: subscriber identification number, etc.

Navigation

IMPORTANT: We can say that the Sim card is the interface between the subscriber and his mobile operator.

Just a few years ago there was one standard for SIM cards. Today there are several of them. And the main difference between SIM cards from each other is their size. The newer the standard of such a card, the smaller it is. Below we will talk about what sizes of SIM cards exist and how they can be changed if necessary.

Today, there are three main SIM card standards used in cellular communications: Mini, Micro and Nano.

Mini-SIM

This is the oldest format to date and consists of standard-sized SIM cards. Their dimensions are equal 25 × 15 mm. Such cards are used on most mobile phones. New smartphones practically do not support this size of SIM card, but if necessary, using improvised means, you can cut a card of the required size from an old SIM card.

Micro-SIM

As the name of this standard implies, the Micro format differs from Mini primarily in size ( 15 × 12 mm). For the first time, such a standard was used by Apple in its iPhone 4 smartphones. And the overwhelming number of new smartphones use exactly this SIM card format.

If you bought a smartphone that works with a SIM card of this format, then do not rush to your operator’s mobile phone store. In most cases, you can trim the card to the desired size at home. But more on that below.

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM is the smallest size SIM card available today. As in the case of Micro-SIM, Apple started a “revolution” by developing this standard for its new iPhone and iPad models. But, some developers of devices on the Android operating system supported the company from Cupertino and also use Nano-Sim in their devices, saving space and reducing the size of gadgets.

Nano-SIM Dimensions 12 × 5 mm. If you look at such a SIM card, you will notice that this is a chip without the plastic that was previously used around it.

How to change SIM card size?

The easiest way to change the size of a SIM card is to replace it with your mobile operator. But, this can be done at home. You also need to know that in services, salons selling mobile phones, etc. You can order the card to be cut to the desired size.