Top 5 dual SIM Android smartphones

Dual SIM smartphones are no longer rare. All smartphone vendors have options to offer. Here are the five best.

Dual SIM smartphones are a relatively new segment, which no smartphone vendor is ignoring. Almost all the smartphones from Indian brands come with dual SIM feature, and even MNC players like HTC, Sony, LG and Samsung are offering dual SIM phones within Rs 25,000.

With too many options arises the problem of confusion and this is where we come into picture. So here are five great phones in the dual SIM Android category.

1. Samsung Galaxy Grand

Samsung Galaxy Grand is a mid-level phablet for Samsung and comes with software that is similar to the famed Galaxy SIII, offering great value for money at Rs 21,300.

The dual SIM handset is powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system and runs on a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. It has a healthy 1 GB RAM as well, and comes with a 5-inch TFT screen with WVGA resolution.

Besides, the phone has an 8 megapixel rear camera with flash and a 2 megapixel front camera, which supports zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up. It includes a backside illumination sensor to ensure clear shots even in the dark, as well as full HD video recording.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Grand

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Apart from that the Galaxy Grand has GPS and Glonass for navigation, 3G, DLNA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. It comes with a powerful 2,100 mAh battery and internal memory of 8 GB, of which 4 GB is available to the user.

One can also use a micro SD to expand the memory to 64 GB. The device is available in Elegant White and Metallic Blue colour options. We have used and reviewed the Galaxy Grand and we were really impressed with its performance and features.

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2. Xolo Q800

Xolo recently launched its first quad core Android phone called Xolo Q800, priced at Rs 12,499. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean phone has a 4.5-inch IPS panel display with qHD (540 x 960 pixel) resolution.

Though it's not an HD display like the one on Micromax Canvas HD A116, due to its small screen size, Xolo Q800 has a decent 245 ppi pixel density compared to 293 ppi of the Micromax handset.

Xolo Q800 comes with a 1.2 GHz quad core Mediatek chipset and 1 GB RAM as Micromax Canvas HD.

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The Q800 has a 4 GB ROM. It has an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with backside illumination CMOS sensor for better low light photography at the back, which sounds better than the camera of Micromax Canvas HD.

Q800 has a 1.2 megapixel camera in the front. Besides, the Xolo Q800 has 3G (up to 21 Mbps speed, which is again much higher than almost all other phones from Indian brands,) and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, a proximity sensor, and accelerometer.

The Xolo smartphone has a 2100 mAh battery with a claimed 16 hours of talktime, which is definitely great as Micromax Canvas HD provides only 5 hours of talktime. Since Micromax Canvas HD is not readily available this one is a pretty good option and is in no way a compromise deal except if you want a larger display.

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3. Salora Powermaxx Z1

This is Salora's first Android phone with dual SIM, called PowerMaxx Z1. And why do we have a handset from a new brand in this list?

A look at the specifications will suffice too. It has a 3200 mAh battery, which is the largest-even some tablets don't get that big a battery. And that's not all, it is slim even with that size of battery thanks to a 4.5-inch qHD IPS display made with zero gap technology, which means better readability in the sun, a wider viewing angle, and a slimmer phone.

That's not all. You also get noise cancellation for better call quality and on top of that very decent hardware with a Cortex-A9 1 GHz dual core processor and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with planned upgrade to Android Jelly Bean shortly.

The smartphone is made by forging aluminum alloy with a special fiber drawing technology.

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The phone has 4 GB of internal memory and 512 MB RAM (1 GB would have made the phone all the more desirable,) and external memory is expandable up to 32 GB. The smartphone gets a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera and 8.0 megapixel auto focus rear facing camera.

The camera also supports features such as optical image stabilisation, panorama view, multi shot and time lapse video, facial beautify, smile shutter and automatic ambient light detection etc. And you get all this from Rs 9,999.

While we had our doubts regarding after-sales support, the company communicated to us that it will offer an after sales support network of top notch handset vendors, and already has 170 service centers in 123 cities across the country.

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4. Sony Xperia Tipo Dual

As per Sony, this phone is one of the most successful devices from the company in recent times. And there are reasons for that. One, it is the only Android 4.0 phone from an MNC player in the low budget segment, and Android 4.1 update is on its way already.

Sony has done well to optimise the user interface to suit the small display of the phone with some applications placed in the corners of the phone for easy reach. And despite its meagre hardware its performance is really smooth.

The Sony Tipo Dual comes with a hardware button, using which one can easily switch between the two SIMs.

The Sony Xperia Tipo runs on an 800 MHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, Adreno 200 graphics processing unit and 512 MB RAM. The phone has a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with HVGA resolution of 320 x 480 pixel. The phone also comes with Sony's Timescape user interface, and has a 3.2 megapixel primary camera.

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Sony Xperia Tipo is a good looking handset and at 99.4 grams, it is quite lightweight as well. Sony Xperia Tipo comes with 2.5 GB of internal memory, as well as an expandable memory card slot with support for up to 32 GB.

The phone is powered by a 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery with promised talktime of up to 4 hours. It offers regular features common on most Android phones, like 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, proximity sensor and gravity sensor.

Sony has also used its xLOUD audio filter technology, which claims to improve audio experience for the user. And while a price tag of Rs 9,400 sounds a bit too much for this specification, the performance of this handset will convince you that it is worth the money.

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5. Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530

For those people who like a really big display, Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 is a very good choice. It not only comes with dual SIM but supports 3G on both the SIM cards, which is unique.

This 5.3-inch qHD IPS display phone also has one more unique feature, a 5 megapixel camera in the front, which is great for self portraits.

You also get an 8 megapixel rear camera. The phone is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, which is well complemented by 1 GB RAM. The built in memory is 16 GB, which can be expanded further to 32 GB through a microSD card.

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Other features include 3G/HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB, a Li-Po 2550 mAh battery and dual mic noise suppression.

We have been using the device for almost a month now and can safely say that it is a very good buy for anyone who wants a large screen phone with good performance.

The phone is priced at Rs 13,999 and for what it offers (its not quad core, but its performance is good for almost all types of usage).

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