iPhone 5 Sim Tray Material?

Probably "liquidmetal" combining strenghts of metal with properties of plastics. So its probably insulated. http://www.liquidmetal.com/

If your carrier is an Apple Carrier Partner (offical carrier offering iPhone), they should have a nano SIM available for you by the time the iPhone 5 is released in your country. If they do not, you may want to explore your options with other carriers.

The OP said:-

"My problem is that my provider can't deliver Nano-SIMs.

He mean it is possible at January 2013."

So problem for OP is using his (cut down) micro SIM right now.

I am in this same situation, the "official" Apple partner cannot say when the SIMs will be available even though the phone is released 21st Sept! They refer to some vague dates "around October".

If your carrier is a supported carrier, believe me, they will have NanoSIM's for phone sold by them or by Apple specifically for them on release day. What they may not have is a surplus of SIMs to give to people who purchased an iPhone 5 elsewhere.

The material the tray is made of doesn't matter as you can NOT cut a MicroSIM down to work in the NanoSIM slot. The NanoSIM is thinner as well as smaller. You would have to sand it down, which will most likely destroy the electronics in it.

So how do you know that your SIM will work since the only device on the planet that uses the NanoSIM at the moment is the iPhone 5 and you don't have one?

When the iPhone 5 is released in your country, the supported carriers there will have NanoSIMs for phones sold in your country.

iPhone 5 confirmed to use nano-SIM, current SIMs not compatible.

The "Micro SIM" is too thick to fit in the iPhone 5.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identity_module#Formats

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/mobile-phone/3380824/apple-iphone-5-nan o-sim-what-you-need-know/

But the difference in thickness, even just 0.09mm, may cause problems when a cut-down micro-SIM is inserted into an aperture designed for a nano-SIM.

I knop that 0.09 mm is not a large difference in thickness, but will add up to be too thick if you try "jamming" one in the iPhone 5.

This chart was copied from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identity_module#Formats

This is info that I have found using Google.

Message was edited by: b j t

I have a feeling that when you get your iPhone 5 and "try" to put the "butchered" chip in your phone,

you will be coming back here saying that it is jammed / stuck and you have damaged the phone and need help, and will the warranty cover this ?

I'll save you the hassle. No, the warranty on Apple products does not cover stupidity.

Do what you want to do.

Everything I have read about the iPhone 5 says that it will only work using a proper nano SIM, not a "butchered" Micro SIM.

If, after the iPhone 5 is released, a "butchered" SIM does work in the iPhone 5, I will gladly ask the host / moderator to remove my answer.

The SIM has the Nano-Specs

Only the chip is a little bit bigger and has no plastic stripe.

You are contradicting yourself. If the chip is bigger and has no plastic surround, then it has not got the same specs as a NanoSIM has it?

You may have butchered it to the same physical size, but that does not mean it will work.

Guess you'll find out when your iPhone 5 arrives.

This is not very helpful to the OP as all he/she wants to know is if the carrier in the iphone 5 will short the contacts at the edges of the "nano SIM".

It is my educated guess that the material the SIM carrier is made of is the same as the iphone 4S albeit that it now carries a NANO not a MICRO SIM.

It will therefore be insulated as that would make sense given the very close proximity of the NANO SIM's contacts at all edges.

The thickness may be an issue, but SIM cutters have been available for the NANO size for a while and all the information seems to be that once sanded down a little (less than 1/10th of 1mm) the SIM is of an identical spec electrically as carriers for NANO SIM to convert to MICRO and full size SIM are already available.

This is so that if you wanted to move your SIM (either permanently or temporarily) to say an Android phone (as I often do because the data allowances etc are different on the 2 contracts I have for our phones) you will be able to do so. I note the NANO SIM carrier/convertor is plastic and insulated, gives a clue as to the iphone 5's SIM carrier status.

Still no promise from Orange (UK) to provide NANO SIMs for Apple purchased iphone 5's. I note that not many "official partners" have the 64GB model. Therefore if you want the 64GB model on Orange/T-Mobile then you have no option but buy from Apple and then ask for a SIM from Orange.

However, they are saying elsewhere that if you go to an Apple Store on Friday they will have plenty of NANO SIMs for the '5 that can easily be activated within 24 hours on your chosen carrier.

In the UK Three (3) will send you a NANO SIM "within 5 working days" and as they do 1 month contracts that may be an option for those UK customers of Orange/T-Moobile who feel badly let down by the whole experience (Apple Partners or not they screwed up badly with this).

It does not help to know that Vodafone UK has 500,000 of the NANO SIMs stockpiled!

Should Apple have not made sure that their "partners in crime" were well stocked with SIMs and an active upgrade option in place BEFORE selling the '5 to an unsuspecting public? After all, would a non techy purchaser be expected to know the new device has a new spec SIM fitted? No, probably not. So doubly important that the customer experience be smooth and without glitch.

Apple CS at their stores is supposed to be legend, so I expect that is were they willl be doing the CS work for several major networks that were either too lazy or too stupid to do it themselves on Friday!