Dual SIM smartphones are without a doubt a la mode in today’s market, and with multinational as well as Indian manufacturers continually populating their range of phones with dual SIM offerings, the consumer’s conundrum is that of plenty. With 2012 nearing its end, it is a good time to reflect on the 5 best dual SIM smartphones of the year. The rest of this article endeavours precisely to that end.
1 Samsung Galaxy S Duos: The Samsung Galaxy S Duos is, on the merit of its specifications, one of the very best dual SIM, dual standby smartphones money can buy. It has a 4-inch TFT capacitive touch-screen display (480 x 800 pixels, ~233 ppi), is 10.5 mm thick and is quite light at 120 grams. The S Duos boasts of a 5 MP, 2592X1944 pixel camera with auto focus LED Flash, Geo tagging and VGA video recording at 30 fps, apart from a VGA secondary at the front. At the heart of this phone is a 1 GHz Cortex-A5 CPU, running Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), up-gradable to v4.1. Connectivity options, apart from 3G, consist of Wi-Fi (with hot spot capability), Bluetooth v3.0, micro USB v2.0 and GPS. The S Duos has 768 MB worth of RAM, and offers 4 GB internal storage (expandable to 32 GB via micro-SD . Multimedia in all major formats is supported by the default players, and Stereo FM Radio with RDS is also available. The battery is a standard Li-ion 1500 mAh affair, with up to 7 hours 25 minutes of 3G talk time and up to 330 hours of 3G standby. The S Duos price in india is INR 14714.
2 HTC Desire V: The HTC Desire V is a high-quality dual SIM phone running close on the heels of the S Duos. It is 9.3 mm thick, weighs 114 grams, and has a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 480×800 pixels and pixel density of ~233 ppi. There is a single rear camera rated at 5 MP and 2592 X 1944 pixels, with LED Flash, Geo tagging and video capability. The Desire V runs on a 1 GHz Cortex-A5 processor, and offers 512 MB RAM. Apart from 4 GB internal storage, micro-SD addition up to 32 GB is permitted. Both the SIMs can use 2G networks, while 3G is available for SIM 1 only. Standard features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (v3.0), micro USB (v2.0) and GPS (with A-GPS support) are expectantly available. The Desire V sports Android ICS, laid over with HTC’s acclaimed Sense 4.0 UI. In the multimedia department, all major audio and video formats are supported, and the phone features Beats Audio sound enhancement. The battery is Li-ion, 1650 mAh. The Desire V is available for a best price of INR 14265.
3 Motorola Defy Mini XT321: The dual SIM version of the Motorola Defy Mini, the XT321, is a rugged piece of work, resistant to dust and water ingress, and suitable for everyday use with minimal care. It features a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touch-screen display with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels (~180 ppi). The primary camera is a 3.15 MP, 2048 x 1536 pixel specimen with LED Flash and VGA video recording, and the secondary camera is VGA. The XT321’s 600 MHz processor is loaded with Android v 2.3.6 (Gingerbread), with the MotoSwitch 2.0 UI that offers home-screen prioritization and other enhancements. 3G is available only on SIM1, while both SIMs can make use of 2G, EDGE and GPRS. Features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (v2.1) and micro-USB 2.0 are built-in. The XT321 has 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM, and supports up to 32 GB of storage with micro-SD card. Multimedia options are diverse, and a standard 3.5 mm audio jack is present. The battery is Li-ion, rated at 1650 mAh. The Motorola Defy Mini XT321 is available for a lowest price of INR 9799 .
SEE ALSO: Top Value For Money Smartphones in 2012
4 Micromax A110: The Micromax A110 is a dual SIM smartphone with a larger-than-life heart. Be it the 5-inch display (IPS LCD capacitive touch, 480 x 854 pixels, ~196 ppi), the 8 MP camera (3264 x 2448 pixels, with Auto-focus dual-LED Flash, touch focus and face detection), the 1 GHz dual-core CPU, the 2000 mAh Li-ion battery, or the super-affordable price tag of INR 9405, the A110 delivers heavily on Micromax’s promise of value-for-money. At this price, there is not much to fault with the phone’s specifications, which also include 9.7 mm thickness, Bluetooth v3.0, Wi-Fi, micro-USB v2.0, GPS, and in addition to the swashbuckling primary, a front-facing VGA secondary camera. The phone runs Android v4.0.4 (ICS), offers 2 GB of user-available internal storage (micro-SD-expandable up to 32 GB) and 512 MB of RAM. The A110 is also up-to-the-mark on the multimedia front, supporting all common formats like MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV among audio, and MP4, H.263, H.264 and WMV among video.
5 Sony Xperia Tipo Dual: The Sony Xperia Tipo Dual is the smartphone equivalent of a dwarf: small, solidly built and more powerful than it looks. It weighs 99.4 grams, and has a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels (~180 ppi). The screen is constructed of scratch-resistant glass. The Tipo Dual’s 800 MHz Cortex-A5 CPU powers Android v4.0.3 (ICS), with Sony’s proprietary skin. 3G network is accessible from both SIMs, and all other connectivity options, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro-USB and GPS are packed in. The rear camera weighs in at 3.15 MP, 2048 x 1536 pixels and offers VGA video recording. The standard Li-ion, 1500 mAh battery supports up to 6 hours of 3G talk-time and 360 hours of 3G standby. The browser on the phone supports HTML and Flash, and Java support is also enabled through Java MIDP emulator. Apart from supporting all the mainstream multimedia formats, the Tipo Dual also sports Stereo FM Radio with RDS. It is available for a best price of INR 9000.
The choices are diverse, and each model above offers its own set of alluring specifications – extraordinary cameras, resilient batteries, powerful processors, great sound or brilliant displays, and in a few cases, a complete package. The specifications described, along with the one common thread – dual SIM – make these phones the epitome of modern telephony, offering a versatile user experience with focus on maximal connectivity and divergent utility.
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