Take two phones into the shower? No need, with a dual SIM handset you can have two numbers on the same mobile, so one for pleasure and one for business.
They’ve been in other countries for years, and there are a few on sale in the UK, though the networks haven’t been pushing them. To find out what they don’t want you to know, and see three handsets with a total of six phone numbers, read on.
Dual SIM phones are one to watch, according to industry experts. A few are on sale now, but they’ll be on the rise in the near future, especially towards the budget end. Why? Well, as well as letting you have business and personal numbers on the same phone, they let you bypass the networks.
If you’re a regular traveller, just pack a SIM native to the country you’re visiting, and hey presto, you’re free of those crippling roaming charges. If you’re really smart about it, you could load it up with two pay as you go SIMs from different networks, and choose whichever charges the least depending on who you’re calling. It may take some doing, but there are some serious savings to be made.
Which is why the networks aren’t shouting about them. “Operators aren’t really keen to push dual SIM, as it lets people save money by effectively bypassing the networks,” says Ian Fogg, an independent mobile analyst.
“You can switch off your work number when you’re not working, and your personal when you need to take care of business, so they’re very convenient,” he adds. They’re big in developing countries, as they’re cheaper than having two handsets, but he says to look out for them becoming more popular in the UK as people tag on to the savings to be made.
And if Nokia’s second quarter results are anything to go by, it’ll be making more dual SIM phones. This was hidden away towards the end: “In Mobile Phones, early results of the Dual SIM product launches are very encouraging, and we are on track to deliver more products this year.” So expect to be juggling two numbers soon.
But what can you buy right now? Take a peek at these dual SIM phones.
Samsung B5722, £131.95
This Sammy lets you flick between two numbers at the touch of a button, thanks to the SIM management feature, and it’s a full touchscreen affair, with all the usual smartphone functionality, including Facebook and MySpace shortcuts, and Google search app. Ok, so you might not be using that MySpace one too much, but anyway. There’s a 3-megapixel camera on board too – just careful which SIM you use to send the pics to, or you may have some explaining to do.
LG GX 500, £176
Another full touchscreen effort, with icons on its 3-inch TFT screen. Again, it’s specced like a high end phone from three years ago, with a 3-megapixel camera as well as an FM radio, and MP3 player. The Opera 5 browser comes as standard, for tabbed browsing, and the phone’s expandable up to 4GB with an SD card, which is plenty of room for business and personal dealings. This one’s brown, but it comes in other colours too.
Samsung C6112, £102.99
This may not have a touchscreen like the other two, but it still takes two SIMs for twice the fun. It’s a slider (remember them?), with a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM radio, and everything you’d expect from a basic handset. Not the most feature-heavy phone around, but a great money saver.
