The best dual SIM phones

Phones that can maintain two carrier network connections at once have been around for a while, lurking in the shadows of mass adoption anywhere but emerging markets, where those are very, very popular. So popular that there are local brands you've never heard of that make boatloads of them.

If you want to take advantage of two good carrier plans at once, use one number for family and friends and another for work, or simply can't resist that great new data plan, but your contract still has mileage left in it, a decent dual SIM phone might come to the rescue.

For the first time in smartphone (or any phone) history, we get to have dual SIM devices that aren't light years behind the market flagships. In fact, we are getting those same flagships outfitted with two SIM card slots this season, and we have the proliferation of Android handsets in dual SIM havens like China and India to thank for that.

There's never been such a choice of dual SIM phones that are actually up for anything you'd use a modern day Android at, or such great value-for-money offerings that can connect to more than one cellular network at once. That is why we are rounding up the best dual SIM handsets money can buy this season, for the times when one Subscriber Identity Module just won't cut it..

The best dual SIM phones

1. HTC One dual SIM ($690)

One of the best phones for this year, the HTC One, gets even better in the dual SIM version, as, besides two SIM cards working in tandem, the phone also offers a microSD slot under the removable back cover - something the "regular" HTC One doesn't get. It is now officially available outside of China, as HTC lists it for sale in its UK store, for instance, with European network support. "Unlike other dual-sim Smartphones, HTC's dual active solution offers complete flexibility:

Receive calls from either sim card at any time
Switch seamlessly between both sim cards while you talk
HTC Sense helps you manage calls, texts and data between sim cards s effortlessly
On-board Dual Network Manager allows you to select a preferred network and personalise the name of each SIM, eliminating any complexity"

Since you still have all the other bells and whistles, like a brilliant 4.7" 1080p display, BoomSound stereo speakers at the front, and 32 GB of internal storage, plus the phone allows you to get a call on the second card while talking on the first, these make it perhaps the best dual SIM device money can buy at the moment.

2. Alcatel One Touch Idol X ($300)

Bright 1080p display? Check. 13 MP camera with Sony sensor? Check. Ultraslim and light 6.9mm body? Check. Two easy to access SIM cards on the sides? Check. The Alcatel One Touch Idol X just got a markdown in the expectation of the Idol X+, making it one of the best value-for-money dual SIM phones you can buy, and it's a looker, too, available in several nice pastel colors.

3. Lenovo P780 ($260)

The other great value for money dual SIM offering besides the Idol X is Lenovo's P780. Armed with one of the largest phone batteries ever, the 4000 mAh unit in the P780 offers full 25 hours of talk time in 3G mode, and 16 hours of video playback - that's twice what most other phones are achieving. Granted, with such a huge battery and metal back cover, the 5" HD Lenovo P780 is not the lightest out there, but if you are looking for an affordable dual SIM handset that will last you at least a weekend away from the charger, this one it is.

4. Samsung Galaxy S4 Duos ($850)

China is usually the market getting first dibs on great dual SIM phones from most major manufacturers, and the Galaxy S4 is no exception. Its dual SIM version ships with gimped Google services, and search is done via Baidu, but this Amazon seller ships to you rooted dual SIM Galaxy S4 with Google Play installed, so there is a workaround. In case you are willing to spend north of $800, that is.

5. Oppo R819 ($300)

Fitting midrange specs in one of the thinnest and lightest 4.7-inchers out there, Oppo has managed to produce a great Dual Active SIM handset with the R819. It sports a very bright 720p screen, 8 MP camera on the back, and ingenious SIM card tray that lets you quickly swap out the second SIM card. At $350 you are getting a well-rounded Android with cool features and svelte looks.

6. Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 Duos ($400)

What was Grand last year, is this year's flagship size, so Samsung just unveiled a Galaxy Grand successor, aptly named Galaxy Grand 2, which sports a higher resolution display, a quad-core processor, larger 2600 mAh battery, plus an additional half a gig of RAM, for a total of 1.5 GB.

We get a slightly increased screen diagonal - 5.25" vs 5" for the original Grand - and the svelter, 8.9mm profile of the Grand 2, compared to the 9.6 mm of the Galaxy Grand. The second edition is taller but slightly narrower than the original, which on theory should help one-handed navigation, but we'll know more when we get a review unit. The Grand 2 sports a faux leather back cover, similar to what Samsung did with the Note 3, indicating that this soft touch material is here to stay on Sammy's phones.

Other than those you get an 8 MP camera again with an LED flash, 8 GB of internal memory plus a microSD slot for expansion, HSPA+ and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. The device is, naturally, a dual SIM phone, targeting it at emerging markets, and runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box.

7. HTC Desire 601 dual SIM ($370)

Sharing decent midrange specs with the Desire 601, its dual SIM version sports a 4.5" qHD display, dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 5 MP camera with flash, and a pretty good for the specs 2100 mAh battery. The Desire 601 is a bit on the pricey side, but you get the BoomSound stereo speakers from the flagship HTC One, along with Sense 5.0.

8. LG G Pro Lite ($315)

The LG G Pro Lite phablet keeps the screen size of its namesake at 5.5", but with a much lower 540x960 resolution. The processor is also slimmed down to an entry MediaTek level, dual-core and clocked at 1 GHz. The G Pro Lite sports 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage plus a microSD slot, and an 8 MP rear camera. The beefy 3140 mAh battery should do endurance wonders with this screen and specs. The G Pro Lite is comparatively thin at 9.4mm, and weighs the reasonable for a 5.5" phone 164g.

A stand-out feature are the dual speakers "for excellent audio performance with or without headphones," which is not something you see on a phone every day, let alone an affordable phablet.

Not only that, but the phablet comes with an embedded stylus, similar to Samsung's Note line, and dual SIM capability, which hints that it is targeted towards emerging market customers which are jonesing for a phablet with two SIM cards and on the cheap. The stylus is tucked at the top, not the bottom like with the Galaxy Notes. but like them comes with dedicated Notes app for handwriting, and the dual SIM functions also gets an accompanying Hot Key for quick switch between networks.

9. Samsung Galaxy S4 mini Duos ($380)

Samsung outed a rather ho-hum "mini" version of its flagship S4, outfitting it with a qHD display at 4.3" diagonal and just 8 GB of storage. That didn't prevent it from charging an arm and a leg for the specs, counting on the instant Galaxy S4 brand name recognition. The situation becomes much better when you get the dual SIM version of the Galaxy S4 mini, though, as then the extra functionality fits the price of the otherwise well-rounded offering.

10. Sony Xperia C ($340)

The Xperia C sports a large 5" 540x960 pixels display, quad-core chipset, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of storage plus a microSD slot, and has an 8 MP Exmor RS sensor on the back. Not too shabby for the price, which gets you instant brand name recognition and dual SIM functionality in one.

11. Nokia Asha 210 dual SIM ($72)

A lot of people can't call even a two or three hundred USD Android midranger with two SIM cards cheap, and for those the cutsy Nokia Asha 210 dual SIM fits the bill. Built tough and painted in jolly colors, it rocks the almost forgotten portrait QWERTY style, has the battery endurance of a feature phone and will run you only about $70 without any contract subsidies. It can't get much better than that.

12. Nokia 107 dual SIM ($30)

Asha 210 not cheap enough? "The Nokia 107 Dual SIM comes with speaking clock, FM radio, MP3 player, free games and a flashlight. On top of that the tough dust and splash-proof keymat is designed to withstand a lot, and the characters on your keys won’t fade, no matter how long you use them. What more can the dual SIM warrior want for this kind of cash.

13. Xiaomi Red Rice ($190)

Xiaomi is the next status quo challenger from China, outing very well-rounded phones at rock bottom prices, and its affordable dual SIM Android, codenamed Red Rice, comes to prove why Google's Hugo Barra moved from Mountain View to Xiaomi's headquarters not long ago. How about 4.7" HD screen, quad-core processor, and an 8 MP camera on the back at this price tag? Not bad, we'd say, proving that a phone doesn't have to be expensive to get decent specs anymore, dual SIM ones notwithstanding.