Carriers Reportedly Testing nano-SIMs for iPhone 5

We’ve heard that Apple’s next iPhone will use the new nano-SIM standard, but now we have rumors that carriers are actually starting to test the new cards.

According to BGR, U.S. carriers like AT&T are already testing the new nano-SIMs on their networks. The site claims Apple is supplying the carriers with adapters to put the nano-SIMs in test before the iPhone 5 hits the market. The adapters would allow AT&T and others to put nano-SIMs in devices that normally use micro-SIMs or the original SIM cards.

If true, it means that Apple likely designed the iPhone 5 before its nano-SIM design was even approved just a few months ago. Luckily for Apple, its design is the standard design for the nano-SIM. If the ETSI committee chose the design from Nokia and RIM, Apple would have had to tweak its design or just use a non-standard SIM.

Apple wants to make its devices as thin as possible without losing any power, and changing from the micro-SIM to nano-SIM will save some space in the iPhone 5. The rumored “in-cell” screen technology will help make the next iPhone thinner as well.

The iPhone 5 is rumored to have 4G LTE, 1GB of RAM, and NFC. The former two seem relatively obvious given the current state of smartphones and the specs of the new iPad.

Other iPhone 5 rumors include a 4-inch display that’s taller than the current iPhone, but the same width, and a smaller 19-pin dock connector. Bot rumors look likely based on recent leaks, but we’ll have to wait until the fall (likely October) to find out .