Best DUAL SIM android phone?

[bluemask]

Don't buy from EtoTalk - they are deceivers!

i don't agree with this opinion. I bought a Lenovo A789 on Etotalk site: perfect and fast communication, super fast shipping (2 days from China with DHL), phone in perfect condition (rooted and with multilanguage) . I'm very satisfied.
I know a lot of people who bought phones on Etotalk without problem.

Lenovo A789 is a very good phone for price and performance!

 

[hellomnp]

Don't buy from EtoTalk - they are deceivers!

please explain

 

[mikedt]

From what I've read on AF in the last few months, EtoTalk seems to be one of the very few apparently reputable Mainland Chinese dealers that appears to support what they sell. However you still have NO consumer rights if anything goes wrong though, it's caveat emptor.

 

[oldcpu]

Don't buy from EtoTalk - they are deceivers!

I currently don't agree with this either. My dual SIM mobile phone (ZOPO ZP500+) arrived from them (Etotalk) yesterday (but I was not home so missed the DHL delivery).

When I open the package and see what is in place, and how it works, I'll have a better assessment, but I have to say that thus far the correspondence with them has been of a very high quality. Better than many western suppliers I have dealt with in the past.

 

[sostym]

I have been following this thread for a while and I have fount the information provided by the other members informative and valuable. So, thanks guys!

I decided to buy the Huawei U8836D based on the specs and other people's recommendations. I've had the phone for four weeks and I am very happy with it. It is responsive, solid with good battery life (two to three days, depending on usage).

I ordered my phone from Etotalk based on their good pre sales service and I was pleasantly surprised to see the phone on my door step 10 days later! I live in Australia by the way.
However, two application I had requested were not installed. I emailed them and they asked me for a photo! I emailed them back several times and after "mentioning" that I would alert other buyers about their lack of service, they decided to act by sending me links to one of the missing apps with, hopefully, more to follow soon.
I am very happy with my "toy" and I would not hesitate to recommend both the phone and the overall service from etotalk to other users.
Thanks again!

 

[hellomnp]

Qmobile Noir A8 Review
Qmobile Noir A8 Review Part 2
Model : A8,Product : Qmobile,Hardware : MT6577

 

[kingcedz]

Changed my Desire V to Samsung Galaxy S DUOS.

The hardware is neck to neck but the DUOS edges out with slightly more fluid software. It is also on Samsung s upgrade list to Jelly Bean. It has one of the best dual Sim management system i have used so far, quite a pleasant surprise really. Despite having a smaller battery than Desire V, the DUOS battery life is outstanding - i have gone through days of standby with light use on dual sim active. And for Europe based people, it s on sale locally with EU wide warranty.

I can only hope now they ll also bring the Galaxy Note DUOS out soon.

 

[titomi]

Changed my Desire V to Samsung Galaxy S DUOS.

The hardware is neck to neck but the DUOS edges out with slightly more fluid software. It is also on Samsung s upgrade list to Jelly Bean. It has one of the best dual Sim management system i have used so far, quite a pleasant surprise really. Despite having a smaller battery than Desire V, the DUOS battery life is outstanding - i have gone through days of standby with light use on dual sim active. And for Europe based people, it s on sale locally with EU wide warranty.

I can only hope now they ll also bring the Galaxy Note DUOS out soon.

I can confirm that. About battery - ordinary using, some wifi, some talking (max 20 min a day), no mobile data - and it last for 2 days.
Just discovered a strange thing - after browsing on wifi I recieved a SMS of missed call. I thought that Samsung "always-on" si related only tu mobile data. But maybe I got something wrong set up ...
And from time to time the camera is starting by itsetft without any touch to phone. Does anyone have same experience?

 

[hellomnp]

i think Samsung Galaxy S DUOS with these specifications,
(Chipset Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon
CPU 1 GHz Cortex-A5
GPU Adreno 200)
very costly.
and i think zte-t-u960 world's best dual sim mobile.

 

[kingcedz]

I can confirm that. About battery - ordinary using, some wifi, some talking (max 20 min a day), no mobile data - and it last for 2 days.
Just discovered a strange thing - after browsing on wifi I recieved a SMS of missed call. I thought that Samsung "always-on" si related only tu mobile data. But maybe I got something wrong set up ...
And from time to time the camera is starting by itsetft without any touch to phone. Does anyone have same experience?

I have my dual sim "always on" switched off, as one of my SIM is an international roaming sim that doesn't support local forward. I know that "always on" feature utilise phones call forward setting, perhaps check the call forward setting on the line that u receive the SMS miss call? In any case, the dual sim management system in Samsung DUOS is very well constructed.

I ve not experienced the camera switch on by itself. it sounds silly but perhaps try reset your phone?

the only strange thing I experienced on my Galaxy S DUOS is that after I switch on full encryption, when i reboot the phone the warning message asking if i want to have the "Always On" feature on or off is in German. though as soon as I booted everything is back in English. so that's a bit strange. Also there s some strange unicode setting in SMS message which means all non english SMS wont be sent properly, but all that needs is a check box to be checked in the setting and that's all.

All in, its a very pleasant and reliable Dual Sim phone. I cant wait for them to roll out the Jelly Bean OTA. Samsung is going down the list, should be soon.

 

[kingcedz]

i think Samsung Galaxy S DUOS with these specifications,
(Chipset Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon
CPU 1 GHz Cortex-A5
GPU Adreno 200)
very costly.
and i think zte-t-u960 world's best dual sim mobile.

it's not really all about hardware I have to say. The DUOS hardware is not screaming but its not bad. The software has been very well optimised for it, and the overall experience is very good.

One of the problems with Android Dual Sim phones in general is that unless the user has good knowledge of Androids (rooting, customization etc), its very difficult to get the best out of any device. Not to mention most of the good ones are targeted for Chinese release, which makes then hard to use unless installed with customised ROM. and the Galaxy S DUOS (and international version of Desire V) has taken that hassle away from users.

Also worth mentioning that Galaxy S DUOS is made for European market.

U960 is a great dual sim phone but it's just a bit too dated, and lack of manufacturers support. In contrast, Galaxy S DUOS is considered latest line of device from samsung and is scheduled to be upgrade to Jelly Bean OTA soon.

Samsung rolling Jelly Bean out across most of its smartphone, tablet lineup 'soon' -- Engadget

 

[oldcpu]

One of the problems with Android Dual Sim phones in general is that unless the user has good knowledge of Androids (rooting, customization etc), its very difficult to get the best out of any device. Not to mention most of the good ones are targeted for Chinese release, which makes then hard to use unless installed with customised ROM. and the Galaxy S DUOS (and international version of Desire V) has taken that hassle away from users.

Fortunately many reputable Chinese suppliers will provide customization, either for free or for some nominal fee such as $5.00 US. With the custom PROM Google store is often installed and Chinese apps removed. Plus one has root permissions. Thus Chinese phones can be very nice in this respect. One need not be an Android expert.

Hence having to figure out how to root the phone is not an issue (for the phone comes rooted and already setup for western users with such custom proms).

But it IS important to select the custom PROM when ordering. Etotalk for example, offers such a custom PROM service.

The Chinese ZOPO ZP500+ is my 1st Android Smartphone. IMHO it is very easy to use and from what I have seen no different in operation between this Chinese brand and that of a Samsung or HTC or other Android manufacturer phone. Android 4.0.4 is Android 4.0.4 independant of what phone it is installed ON. With the custom PROM (cost $5 upon phone purchase ) there are no Chinese apps to remove. Googlestore is installed.

Having now compared my ZOPO ZP500+ to the brand new Samsung Galaxy S Duos, I am glad I saved the extra money did not go for the Samsung Galaxy S Duos (and I obtained a functionally superior phone). Having typed that I wish the owners of the Samsung the best with their wonderful phone ... as the Samsung Galaxy S Duos IS a nice phone (albeit relatively poor performance). I simply prefer the dual core CPU (with better performance) and North American 850MHz 3G coverage that I can get with the Chinese ZOPO ZP500+ that I can not get with the Samsung.

Having typed the above, I definitely agree that it is caveat emptor with Chinese phones and Chinese suppliers. One MUST research the quality/reliability/stability of the Chinese phones, and one MUST research the reputability of the Chinese supplier before purchase, where that research goes a long ways (and saves money).

IMHO the equivalent of that research is what one gets by paying the $100 US or more for a lower performance/less capable Samsung duos, is the significant benefit of the Samsung reputation.

 

[EmilF]

Just ordered the UMi X1 - beautiful phone, only 8,5 mm thick

It has 4,5" IPC 1280 x 720, 1/4 GB RAM/ROM, 8.0 Mpix camera. The size is just 129 x 68 x 8.5mm, which is pretty sleek

Only possible weak spot, is the battery is only 1750 mAh, but so far the review of battery life is good, rating it at least one day, and some two days.

 

[ZippoM]

Hi all! Great forum! I am in the process of buying a dual-sim phone. I have been following this thread and other similar forums for some time and I am still confused about the active/stand-by term. From what I have understood, the ZTE U690 is the only android mobile in the world having real active capabilities, due to it having two separate receivers/transmitters for the two sims carried. Can anyone owning such a phone, please confirm this?

 

[Crake]

Hi all! Great forum! I am in the process of buying a dual-sim phone. I have been following this thread and other similar forums for some time and I am still confused about the active/stand-by term. From what I have understood, the ZTE U960 is the only android mobile in the world having real active capabilities, due to it having two separate receivers/transmitters for the two sims carried. Can anyone owning such a phone, please confirm this?

That is true, but you also have two more choices:

- HTC T528w One SU Dual Sim Full Active DSFA Beats Audio Dual Core 1GHz 4.3" WVGA
- CoolPAD 7728 Cheer DSFA Dual Core 1.0GHz Android4.0 Dual Sim 4.0"WVGA 3G WCDMA

Hope to help you.

 

[hellomnp]

Hi all! Great forum! I am in the process of buying a dual-sim phone. I have been following this thread and other similar forums for some time and I am still confused about the active/stand-by term. From what I have understood, the ZTE U690 is the only android mobile in the world having real active capabilities, due to it having two separate receivers/transmitters for the two sims carried. Can anyone owning such a phone, please confirm this?

ZTE becomes world's fourth largest smartphone maker

 

[htc_desire_]

Apologies for this message as I recognize it is not relevant to the topic of discussion but I did not find any appropriate forum/thread to post.

If you have dumped your Motorola XT532 (dual sim phone), would you mind selling me the battery cover? Mine is slightly cracked and I have not been able to purchase a replacement anywhere. I intend to continue using the phone for a while and so would greatly appreciate if anyone can help. My cover has a slight crack (~6mm) near the mini-USB port.

I am willing to swap my cover (so that you have one), pay for the postage and also willing to pay something extra. I am in the UK. Please send your offer via private message.

Many thanks and apologies once again for the spam!

 

[ZippoM]

Thanks for the replies!


From what I have read the two models mentioned by Crake -
the HTC T528w and the CoolPad 7728
are dual stand-by phones like the Samsung Galaxy S Duos.

I would very much like to know how the ZTE U960, or alternatively the ZTE V970 behave in practice.
Has anyone actually used either of them handling two calls simultaneously?

One other thing I like to know is, that since most of these phones are intended for the Chinese and far eastern markets, do the European branches/dealers of these makers give any kind of support, or even guarantee these models?

 

[oldcpu]

One other thing I like to know is, that since most of these phones are intended for the Chinese and far eastern markets, do the European branches/dealers of these makers give any kind of support, or even guarantee these models?

You could, I suppose, contact ZTE and see what they say.

I note the English language ZTE website is here: ZTE Corporation - English lanaguage web page

And I note the English language support page from the website is here: ZTE Corporation - support

 

[cha_indian]

hello guys... did anyone buy the Jiayu G3 phone ?? apparently it is available for as little as $207 on many stores on aliexpress. The thing managed to get my attention because of the 'claim' of 2750mah battery...was wondering if this is true ?

And how do we measure and verify the actual capacity of the battery if it appears low ?

 

[mikedt]

hello guys... did anyone buy the Jiayu G3 phone ?? apparently it is available for as little as $207 on many stores on aliexpress. The thing managed to get my attention because of the 'claim' of 2750mah battery...was wondering if this is true ?

And how do we measure and verify the actual capacity of the battery if it appears low ?

It appears to be quite a thick chunky phone, I would say that it does have a large capacity 2750mAh battery. The battery in my Lenovo is only slightly less than that, at 2500mAh. Don't know who the manufacturer is though. Seems to be distributed by quite a few Shenzhen trading and wholeale companies. Also it more than likely has Chinese software and is Googleless.

 

[mikedt]

Thanks for the replies!


From what I have read the two models mentioned by Crake -
the HTC T528w and the CoolPad 7728
are dual stand-by phones like the Samsung Galaxy S Duos.

I would very much like to know how the ZTE U960, or alternatively the ZTE V970 behave in practice.
Has anyone actually used either of them handling two calls simultaneously?

One other thing I like to know is, that since most of these phones are intended for the Chinese and far eastern markets, do the European branches/dealers of these makers give any kind of support, or even guarantee these models?

It all depends on the individual makes, how they handle international warranties, and if the European repair offices and agents even have information and spare-parts for phones that were originally meant for sale in China and SE Asia.

Samsung and HTC possibly, but you'd have to check. I don't know if ZTE does phones in Europe. I'm pretty sure Coolpad is China and Far East only, no European presence at all.

There is an issue with the ZTE U960 and V970 though. These are specifically meant for use on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA 3G network, which is unique to China. They're incompatible with 3G in Europe, they'll work but it will be GSM/EDGE only.

 

[zumtotal]

There is an issue with the ZTE U960 and V970 though. These are specifically meant for use on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA 3G network, which is unique to China. They're incompatible with 3G in Europe, they'll work but it will be GSM/EDGE only.

This may be true for the U960 (I don't know), but it is certainly not true for the V970. I have one, I live in Europe and 3G works just fine on WCDMA/HSDPA. It even has a custom ROM, and a very good one, created by a European, which can be found on XDA-developers.

 

[EmilF]

There is an issue with the ZTE U960 and V970 though. These are specifically meant for use on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA 3G network, which is unique to China. They're incompatible with 3G in Europe, they'll work but it will be GSM/EDGE only.

Absolutely NOT TRUE... I have had the U960, and currently use the V970, both phones works fine on 3G in Europe (WCDMA). Please try not to spread false information.

 

[ZippoM]

Thank you mikedt!

The more I read about these dual-sim phones, the more I get the picture that the "Chinese" models' buyers from the rest of the world, are more or less on their own, as far as guarantees and servicing goes.

What has puzzled me is the policies of the bigger brands like Samsung, HTC etc. with the dual-sim models.They seem too reluctant to introduce such models in European or N.America markets, and when they do, they do it half-heartedly.
I understand the priorities of promoting their multi-media loaded models and targeting the younger customers, but I don't understand the neglecting of the (quite large I believe) market segment, which still uses these contraptions as..... phones!!!
What would it cost to them -I often wonder- to have just added dual-sim active features to, let's say, the Galaxy S III or, (God forbid!).... the iPhone 5??