dual sim?

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jonnyboy

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Well-informed all....

After a day where I inadvertantly b*ggered my s4 mini and had to make a very rash decision on immediate upgrade (lots of business comms that were way past urgent), I am now in possession of a brand spanking Samsung s5 full size in copper gold. No s5 mini's in stock so had to take full size. Note - i cannot get on with Apple products.

My s4 mini is a dual sim one, very effective, somewhat limited camera-wise and was only 3g, but perfect as opposed to 2 x phones which was the prev arrangement.

Now potentially suffering some buyers remorse but have a cooling off period. In the meantime I have a new LCD on way for the s4 mini.

So, s5 is big and only single sim, I am size conscious (lol). Landscaper so dirt/dust/drop etc etc etc. On the whole I find the s4 mini dual really easy to use, not too clunky to switch between sims, and fairly trouble free apart from when I inadvertantly press envelope 1 instead of 2 (there are two text message "envelopes" - you press whichever sim you wish to use ie 1 or 2). For info, sim 2 is sporadic usage but relevant and a necessary evil.

A suggestion has been made to repair and move on the 4 duos, and get one of these dual sim converter/interface thingys, and keep the s5. Or stick with the repaired s4 mini dual for a while. Has anyone any experience of these converter thingys and could report back?

Or should I have dodged Samsung altogether (don't waste time trying to convert me to Apple please, never gonna happen!!!) ?

Thx
 
Stick to (repaired) dual-sim s4 mini for now, give back the s5 if you can, then see what you think of the s6 when it is released next month?
 
I was reading about the s6 last night but apparently no removable memory card slot nor removable battery. A real step backwards I think (obviously trying to compete with iphone.....)
 
I was reading about the s6 last night but apparently no removable memory card slot nor removable battery. A real step backwards I think (obviously trying to compete with iphone.....)

I do not see how introducing what, for me, a retrograde step is competing with Apple?

The non removable battery and lack of memory card on the S6 edge is , according to reports, because of the curved screen necessitating a much stronger casing.
 
Like car manufacturers, mobile phone manufacturers concentrate their efforts on those customers who buy the latest model every year (for cars, it's every 2-3 years).

Those who buy a phone that will serve them only until the next model is out, don't worry to much about battery replacement and memory upgrades.
 
I do not see how introducing what, for me, a retrograde step is competing with Apple?

The non removable battery and lack of memory card on the S6 edge is , according to reports, because of the curved screen necessitating a much stronger casing.
I said that because it is effectively competing with the spec of the iphone with Apple's insistence on making them throwawayable if you know what I mean. Markjay is correct - lifespan built into the design.

I totally agree it is a retrograde step, and I do not really want to give them more business because of it (usually keep phone for 2/2.5 years).

Markjay - the review I saw said both models (edge and non-edge) were built in battery/memory?
 
I said that because it is effectively competing with the spec of the iphone with Apple's insistence on making them throwawayable if you know what I mean. Markjay is correct - lifespan built into the design.

I totally agree it is a retrograde step, and I do not really want to give them more business because of it (usually keep phone for 2/2.5 years).

Markjay - the review I saw said both models (edge and non-edge) were built in battery/memory?

I think it certainly helps to produce more sales, virtually all 'phones are repairable and can have a battery replaced either by the approved service centre or a local specialist, if it needs to be sent away though most people would rather then buy a replacement than be without a 'phone.

I always keep a suitable (Often previous 'phone) around as a back up but do tend to see them as disposable objects.
 
I think it certainly helps to produce more sales, virtually all 'phones are repairable and can have a battery replaced either by the approved service centre or a local specialist, if it needs to be sent away though most people would rather then buy a replacement than be without a 'phone.

I always keep a suitable (Often previous 'phone) around as a back up but do tend to see them as disposable objects.

Agreed, so do i but of course all blasted phones have diff sizes of sims so it gets more complicated....
 
Agreed, so do i but of course all blasted phones have diff sizes of sims so it gets more complicated....

Ah!

I thought Android 'phones tended to be either full size or mini SIM? Of course a full size one has the Mini version "within" that can be broken out. I know Apple use the Nano SIM just to be "different" :)

At least USB chargers are now universal, except of course for...................!!:)
 
At current, an original Samsung replacement battery costs around £5-£10 in the UK (less in other parts of the world), and takes seconds to swap over. It makes perfect sense to extend the life of an old handset for this cost.

However once you need to pay a technician to do this, plus leaving the phone at the shop and collecting it later, it becomes inconvenient and expensive and many will prefer to just write-off older handsets.

The main benefit from using fixed battery and memory is in that it allows for thinner and lighter handsets, as the various miniature machanisms required to enable user access plus the internal cradle/sockets for user-replaceable parts take up valuable space and add weight. And, by not including these in the design there is also some cost saving for the manufacturer.
 
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I'm with you on wanting to hang on to the Duos (mines the S3 variant), but I looked at the Motorola Moto G a short while back, and was very tempted. That's dual SIM too and in the old days Motorola used to make good reliable phones. Don't know about build quality / reliability of their latest offerings for the UK market - but it does get good reviews.

IIRC from when I was looking at it, you need to get the 2nd Generation non-4G version - like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NBSZ56C/?tag=amazon0e9db-21

Just another option you may want to consider.
 
Daughter just got Moto G 1st gen. Happy with it although I suspect both are too basic for me......
 
I have absolutely no use for a dual sim phone. Yet now I have seen them I want one. There is something a bit James Bond about them.
 
I have used dual sim converters in the past like those sold on Magic Sim.

They are a little clunky. For example only one sim is active at a time. For calls thats not a problem because you can just set up call diverts. But for txt's you have to keep switch which sim is active (via an app on the phone).

I also found on my phone Samsung Ace2 if you switched back too quickly it would get confussed and the phone would have to be reset.

I then switched to a S4 Mini Duos and having 2 active Sims is far more effective.
I don't think I could go back to sim converter. Saying that my s4mini has seen better days, but trying to find a good dual sim replacement is difficult.

I have narrowed it down to
HTC M8 One
Sony Z3
S5
All available as Dual Sim, but all a little larger that I want or need.
 
Gents

I need to resurrect this thread (annoyingly!!!!!).
I ended up handing back the single sim s5 full size and repaired my s4 mini dual sim screen.
The damnable thing is now playing up again - it needs a new charger port which is frustrating as I had to take it out to replace the screen.
It seems "long in the tooth" and I suspect it is time to move on.
We've had a real issue locally with 3G on o2, yet my wife who has a 4g phone has managed fine.
The problem is the apparent dearth of 4g dual sim "mini" phones.

Anyone got any thoughts based on developments over the last few months?
For reference - I am not looking to spend £5-800 on a handset. Don't mind spending up to about £300 if I am getting something for my money.
Still concerned at the size of a full size s5 (which is available dual sim 4g for about £275, annoyingly).
 
4g dual SIM phones are not easy to come by.

I believe there is a moto 4g but I can't remember if the dual SIM variant is 4g.

There is the Honor 6 which comes in 4g dual SIM, but due to the frequencies the 4g only works with EE.
Honor also do a 6plus which is dual SIM but I don't know the specs as I dismissed it for my use because it's too big.

There are the Samsung a3 and a5 dual SIM but I don't believe they are 4g. I had dismissed these as you if you use 2 x sims you can't use a micro SD card

Im also looking to upgrade my S4 mini dual SIM but 4g is not important for me as I live out in the sticks.
 
A friend from another forum has one of these and reckons it is stunning:-
Mi 4i - Mi Global Home

Biggest selling phone in far east, 4g, and better spec than anything else. £180 !!
 
Just purchased a new Mi4i - from someone who brought it in from Hong Kong (so it is kindof uk spec with Play store etc).
Will let you know how I get on
 

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