Dual-SIM phones are also useful for maintaining two personal contracts, whereby one might offer a good rate on calls and texts and the other offers unlimited data. Or perhaps you frequently travel abroad and would like to carry your usual SIM for when you’re at home and another that’s local to the country you’re visiting. These days you don’t even need two physical SIMs to achieve this dual-SIM functionality. Some phones, for example Google’s Pixel 7, support physical dual-SIM along with eSIM, which means you can have one standard SIM installed in the phone and subscribe to another network via its eSIM. For more on this, see what is an eSIM?
Best dual-SIM phones 2022
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Excellent camera Phenomenal display Stylus support
Bulky Expensive Slower charging than key rivals
The camera is one of the best in any phone, with a 108Mp main shooter backed up by an ultrawide and two telephoto lenses at different zoom levels – with the zoom performance particularly improved on previous models. The expansive 6.8in LTPO AMOLED display delivers both high WQHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and with S-pen stylus support it comfortably fills the productivity niche of the former Note phones.
Superb display Incredible, versatile cameras Strong battery life Exclusive software features
Divisive design Big and heavy Slow charging
It’s bolstered by AI smarts driven by Android 13 and Google’s second Tensor chip, along with a few exclusive software features only found in Google’s Pixel phones. That means this offers pretty much the best Android experience around, from a software perspective at least. You’ll have to put up with slow charging (and buy your own charger to boot), and accept the fact that this is a big phone with a divisive design – you may well love it, but there are plenty out there who don’t.
(Maybe) the best camera around Fast wired & wireless charging IP68-water resistance Great battery life
Expensive No Gorilla Glass Frustrating software
With excellent main, ultrawide, and dual telephoto lenses on the rear, this is a camera built for any situation. Image quality is exceptional all-round, but especially at night, with market-leading low light photography. Top specs, a great display, fast charging, and long-lasting battery round out the phone’s appeal, but bear in mind that the company’s Android skin holds it back a little – hardware this good deserves software to match.
Top drawer performance Smaller size Outstanding camera Guaranteed software updates
Rear plastic scratches easily Charges slow and hot Only 60Hz display
It boasts the same design and chipset as its flagship siblings, but is smaller and more affordable – without giving up dual-SIM support. The cameras here aren’t the same as in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but they’re still impressive, and you also get Google’s excellent software support. The big downsides are sluggish charging and a disappointing 60Hz display, but everything else about the 6a impresses.
144Hz OLED display Best-in-class performance Excellent value Phenomenal battery & charging
Camera is good, but not great Poor IP rating
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra stands out because it offers the best of an Android flagship while costing a lot less than most of the competition. The 144Hz OLED display is pretty much unheard of outside gaming phones, the 125W charging is among the fastest around, and the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is blisteringly fast. Oh, and the battery lasts for two full days, easy. All that, and it costs just £749/€899, making it an absolute bargain. You’ll have to live with IP54 rather than IP68 water-resistance, and a camera that’s good but not quite great, but those feel like small concessions to make for a phone as good as this.
Beautiful, unique design Powerful camera combo Brilliant display Great software
Big and heavy No periscope lens Expensive
Compared to other recent flagships, this feels like an all-rounder: you get an excellent display, strong performance, decent battery and charging, and a powerful camera – all wrapped in a fairly unique design.
Distinctive, compact design Fantastic battery life Strong specs Excellent low light photography
Overheating issues Only two Android updates promised No mmWave support
The 5.9in display makes this one of the smallest phones on the market, especially on the Android side, and comfortably the smallest with specs this strong. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and up to 16GB of RAM mark this as a serious performance phone, though cooling problems do leave that power slightly throttled. The 8+ Gen 1 is also partly to thank for the excellent battery life however, which puts other compact smartphones to shame. The gimbal-stabilised main camera impresses, especially at night, though with a few visual glitches and issues in bright environments it’s clear Asus has some software tuning to do. Some may also miss the variety offered by rivals, especially the lack of a telephoto lens here. Given the phone is so good, it’s frustrating that Asus is only promising two years of support, so this will only suit those who know they’re on a regular upgrade schedule. The lack of mmWave support will also limit the 5G performance for US buyers. The overall experience is excellent though, with smart software and welcome touches like the IP68 rating and headphone jack.
Excellent software Great design Strong all-rounder
Only 90Hz display Slightly thick
What the OnePlus Nord 2T really demonstrates is the company’s ability to prioritise the features that users are looking for right now and wrapping them up in an attractive package with a compelling price point. The Nord 2T misses out on flagship niceties like wireless charging and waterproofing, but those are really the only compromises made here.
Strong camera Beautiful, compact design Long-term software updates
Middling battery life Only 25W charging Poorer value than rivals
As a result, you get some of the best performance found in an Android phone currently, a glass-bodied design, and the latest Android 12 (dressed in Samsung’s own One UI 4.1, at launch) with a commitment to years of software support. The battery life is a little inconsistent, and some of the camera features will likely benefit from firmware fixes over time, but this remains an excellent example of an Android flagship.
Affordable Stunning design Flagship-level 120Hz AMOLED display Capable 108Mp camera
Plastic body Occasional lag
While the refresh rate isn’t adaptive like premium alternatives, the phone can still comfortably last more than a day with average use, and when it does need a top up there’s 67W fast wired charging (with the necessary charger supplied in the box). The 108Mp camera is a real treat too, offering impressive detail and colour representation in well-lit environments, although the lack of OIS means night photography could be improved. The accompanying 8Mp ultra-wide is handy, but the same can’t be said for the 2Mp macro lens. The internals are mid-range, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 leading the show, but performance is very decent for the money. A tempting option for the cost-conscious. You can never assume; you’ll need to contact the manufacturer or check spec tables, reviews, or forums to find out this information. In all the dual-SIM phones we’ve tested, both SIMs are on standby at all times (known as dual-standby phones), but you can actively use only one SIM at a time. This means that either SIM can accept a phone call or text at any time, without you having to actively swap between them or reboot the phone. However, if you get a call on one number while a call is active on the other, it won’t start ringing in your ear or give you the option to put the first caller on hold – the call will simply not be successful. If it’s you who wants to make a call or send a text, Android has a standard SIM Management menu that lets you specify which SIM should be used for voice calls, video calls, messages and mobile data. You can either specify a particular SIM for each of these tasks, or leave the setting as ‘Always Ask’. The data connection is where there seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to dual-SIM phones. Whereas both SIM slots on some dual-SIM phones are capable of supporting 4G or 5G connections, you can use data connectivity on only one SIM at a time. Unlike with calls and texts, typically speaking the data connection can’t be on standby for both SIMs; you must specify which SIM you want to use rather than select one when prompted – though some phones will let you set them to switch to the other SIM when the first can’t make a connection. By default, when you are using the data connection on one SIM and a phone call comes in to the other, it will pause the data connection on the first. While most phones with expandable microSD storage also offer dual-SIM, typically the SD card has to use that second SIM slot, forcing you to choose between storage and the SIM. If this is a priority for you, make sure to check reviews and specs carefully for phones that support two SIMs and a microSD card simultaneously – there are some out there – or look out for a combo of microSD and eSIM support. However, every iPhone that supports eSIM – those from the XS and XR onwards – allows you to use a single physical SIM card along with an eSIM, and those from the iPhone 13 onwards even allow you to set up dual-SIM with two eSIMs. Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he’s a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
