In its headlong quest to save space on its consumer electronics and pump out thinner products, Apple has gone to nearly ridiculous lengths to reduce the sizes of individual components. Its latest bid is to utilize new nano-SIM cards, which could be used in the upcoming next-generation iPhone.

BGR reports that carriers in the United States have already started testing these nano-SIMs ahead of the iPhone 5’s release. According to the website, Apple has provided its partners with adapters that would allow carriers to use the new nano-SIM cards in phones that are otherwise only compatible with micro-SIM or full-size SIM cards.

Apple has constantly pushed its engineers to reduce the size of its components to produce constantly thinner devices. Even its recently-released Retina MacBook Pro features non-standard soldered-in RAM, batteries that are glued-in instead of screwed-in, and a tightly-integrated screen.

If rumors are anything to go by, the iPhone 5 would also feature an in-cell touch screen that would reduce the thickness of the smartphone’s LCD panel. Analysts speculate that as a result of this, the upcoming iPhone will have a thinner chassis. The usage of a nano-SIM could give Apple’s engineers more space to stuff a larger battery into its upcoming smartphone.

The iPhone 5 is expected to be compatible with 4G LTE networks, an updated chipset and at least 1GB RAM. From the outside, the upcoming device would have much the same design as its predecessor, but will be taller to accommodate a larger 4-inch screen.

The next-generation iPhone should be out in the next few months, with most analysts predicting a release in October.