Question re. the SIM card in a smart phone.

[John Schmidt]

Is the SIM card different in a smart phone compared to my old flip phone? Considering buying an unlocked phone for much less than they sell for new so wondering how they compare.

[BradValk48237]

Sim Cards can vary from phone to phone, but mainly from Service provider to Service provider....

Sometimes the only way to know is take the phone to the dealer where you are going to get the phone..

I know I used to have a Trac Phone and their sims do not work in any other phone.....

Call your service provider and ask...

B

[Wizzard]

Verizon only uses a sim card for data. Voice they do not have a sim card at all. Its called CDMA.
ATT and trac phone and a few others use a common sim card,, however there are different size SIM cards.
Also if you are buying a used phone, , make sure it is a good ESN number. A phone that was on a contract and the buyer bailed out or a stolen phone will have flagged ESN number and you cannot use it, ,even if its unlocked.
I have repaired and worked with a lot of phones in the past so if you have questions about a specific phone just PM me. Glad to help.

[Pete]

On some flip phones the sim is built in. Example Gusto 1,2 3

[hubcapsc]

It probably works sometimes... a young guy at work yesterday told me
about getting a "new" phone from his parents pawn shop. He figured
he could take out the sim card from his dropped phone and put it in
the "new" phone, but ATT could tell his "new" phone had been owned by
someone who didn't pay their bills and drama ensued...

-Mike