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Almost everyday new mobile phones are landing in market. Every phone tries to beat competition by offering more and more new features to customers. Nowadays, hybrid SIM card slots are becoming a trend in some of the popular smart phones. A friend recently bought Asus Zenfone 3 which came with such a hybrid slot. But he had no idea what it is. So, he asked me the meaning of hybrid sim card slot and thus I looked into it. In this article I will discuss what is a hybrid SIM card slot, its feature and its advantages and disadvantages.
The word hybrid mean a combination of features from two or more different entities. Hybrid SIM card slot allows you to use your phone as a dual-SIM phone or as a single-SIM phone with a microSD card in the second slot to expand the phone’s memory. As the end user you can decide what you want:
Best Dual SIM phones with dedicated MicroSD card slot In India Hybrid dual SIM slots are a clever way for OEMs to drop the separate MicroSD card slot without facing consumer ire. Hybrid slot and dedicated slot is a newly used term. Most of Mi brands have hybrid slots. But, firstly I tell you that a hybrid slot has only two card capacity means you can either use only a sim and a micro SD card or use two Sims without SD card. Let me explain dedicated ability slots. What I mean is that if you have 15 ability slots available on your hot bar. It's sectioned off into different ability types. The best example I can give is a Wizard class. Lets say the Wizard has 15 ability slots but 6 of them are dedicated to damage spells, 4 of them are dedicated to utility, 3 of.
- a dual SIM phone or
- a single SIM phone with expanded memory.
The choice is yours!
Advantages of Hybrid SIM Card slot
Actually speaking there is no advantage to the user whatsoever except that you do not need to open the phone’s hard case anymore. You can simply slide in the tray with the SIM and microSD. This gives you the convenience of changing your phone’s SIM configuration very easily.
But hybrid slot gives a clear advantage to the phone’s manufacturer. For the phone manufacturers, hybrid slot saves space. This saved space will help produce a slimmer phone — or maybe with a larger battery, additional RAM or a powerful camera.
SEE ALSO:How to Convert micro SIM to nano SIM
So, instead of removing existing features to accommodate new features, phone manufacturers have opted for the additional slot and coupled it with the dual SIM tray. As a manufacturer they are offering you both — dual SIM option as well as extra storage.
The above image displays how the hybrid SIM card slot is used in a mobile phone.
Disadvantages of Hybrid SIM Card slot
The Hybrid SIM Card slot feature does not allow you to use the features together. That’s obvious! You can use it either as a dual SIM or as a single SIM + microSD. This feature limits your phone’s functionality and that is the major disadvantage of hybrid SIM slot. It would have been advantageous to the user if a third slot was also provided. In that case you could have had a dual SIM phone with an expandable memory.
Mobile Phones with Hybrid SIM Card Slots
Following is the list of some of the smartphones that offer hybrid SIM slot.
- Asus Zenfone 3 and 3 Ultra
- Gionee S6, S6 Pro, S6s
- Huawei Honor 5c, 7, 8
- Huawei Honor Note 8
- Huawei Honor V8
- Lenovo Vibe X3
- Micromax Canvas 6
- Oppo F1 and F1 Plus
- Samsung Galaxy A3, A5, A7, A8
- Samsung Galaxy C7, E5, J1 Nxt, S8, Z3
- vivo V3Max and X7 Plus
- Xiaomi Redmi 3, 3s Prime, 3s Pro, 3x, 4
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and 4
- ZTE Axon 7 and 7 mini
- ZTE nubia Z11
Conclusion
Users who like to have a SIM for voice calls and a separate SIM for data usage along with extra storage, they will not like the hybrid SIM card feature. There are hybrid SIM card hacks available that may meet your requirement. However, those are not easy or safe solutions. Many popular smartphone models are available with this feature but instead of buying a phone because of its popularity, it is better to buy one that meets your requirement.
Should you have any question on this topic, please feel free to ask in the comments section. We at TechWelkin and our reader community will try to assist you. Thank you for using TechWelkin!
You’ve got a swanky new phone, you want to put your old SIM card in and you’ve realised it doesn’t fit…. Alternatively you’re pretty new to smartphones and don’t have a clue what the SIM card is or where it even goes. This predicament isn’t unheard of but fear not, it’s all simple to sort out.
For those unaware, SIM cards are supplied by your smartphone service provider, such as BT Mobile.
What does SIM means?
SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module.
SIM cards are effectively mini circuit boards which identify your service provider and your mobile phone number. To find out more read our feature: How does a smartphone SIM work?
But as technology has advanced, the size of some SIM cards has gone down. In the UK three different types of SIM card now exist.
We talk you through each one and where you might find the SIM card slot to get your phone up and running.
Standard SIM Card
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The standard SIM card is the original SIM and largest of the three. Standard SIMs are mainly used on older phones these days such as the Samsung Galaxy SII but also very basic phones such as the Nokia 105.
This SIM measures 25x15mm.
Micro SIM card
The Micro SIM card is essentially a standard SIM card with the extra plastic around the circuit board trimmed off.
This SIM is more likely to be used for smartphones introduced from 2010 till today, such as the Galaxy S5 and LG G4.
Some Micro SIM cards are attached within a Standard SIM-sized unit which you can pull off. This SIM is known as a Combi SIM as you can use it for both.
Micro SIM cards measure 15x12mm.
Nano SIM card
The Nano SIM card is the most recent type of SIM card which only measures 12.3x8.8mm. It's used for newer smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Where do I find the SIM card slot on my smartphone?
The hardest part of installing a SIM card can be finding where it has to go in the first place. Your phone’s instruction manual should tell you where you can find it. If it doesn’t have a manual, visit the manufacturers website.
If you’re still struggling it’s probably in one of these places:
1. Behind the battery
The majority of older phones have their SIM card slot behind the battery.
Remove the phone's outer case and take the battery out. Look for an empty slot and a SIM card icon.
If it’s something like the slot above, all you have to do is lay it flat and slide it behind the small metal bar.
Ensure that your SIM card is facing down so that the circuit touches the metal pins on the phone.
2. Next to the battery
Some SIM card slots can be found near the battery, which will require you to remove your phone's outer case and the battery to fit it in.
As you can see in the image above, you’re looking for a small slot where the SIM card can fit.
Make sure you push it in so that the circuit can touch the metal pins. Usually the perfectly straight part hangs out of the bottom until you put the battery back in.
3. The hidden outside slot
Some smartphones feature SIM-card slots on the outside, so there’s no need to take the back off.
However, you may need to use a small tool that looks a bit like a blunt pin to push the SIM holder out. The tool should come with your phone when you buy it.
The slot holder can be found around the edge of your smartphone like above and will have a hole.
Put the tool into the hole and the holder will pop out, allowing you to place your SIM card inside and put it back in. Just make sure you keep the tool safe.
Don’t get confused with the microSD slot
The microSD slot is for microSD cards which you can use to expand your smartphone’s storage capacity for pictures, apps and more. The SIM card and microSD card have nothing to do with each other, but you may get their slots mixed up as they look quite similar.
Usually, you’ll find a microSD logo like below to tell you where micro SD card goes.
I’ve got the wrong SIM size for my phone - what should I do?
You can speak to your service provider and they will send you out a replacement SIM card, BT Mobile customers need to go to bt.com/replacesim.
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Alternatively, you can do a bit of DIY and chop your SIM down to size yourself. Be careful – you don’t want to break your SIM.