The best dual-SIM smartphones you can buy in South Africa
Owning a dual-SIM smartphone can be a great benefit if you want to make the most out of your monthly airtime allowance.
For example, using a Rain SIM in your secondary data slot while having a SIM from another mobile operator to make and receive calls could help you save on mobile data costs.
We therefore looked at some of the best devices with dual-SIM support that are available in South Africa.
It should be noted that dual-SIM variants of these devices are not available from MTN or Vodacom, as these operators only sell devices with a single SIM enabled.
Of the smartphone brands we compared, Huawei is the clear winner in terms of product availability.
Dual-SIM versions of its flagship P20 series are widely-available, whereas only Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus could be found in a dual-SIM version.
Additionally, while Apple’s new iPhone Xs and Xs Max technically support dual-SIM by way of their embedded SIM cards, these are not yet supported in South Africa.
Below are some of the best dual-SIM smartphones available from major manufacturers in South Africa.
Apple iPhone Xs and Xs Max
Specifications | iPhone Xs | iPhone Xs Max | |
---|---|---|---|
OS | iOS 12 | iOS 12 | |
Display | 5.8-inch 2,436 x 1,125 OLED | 6.5-inch 2,688 x 1,242 OLED | |
Processor | A12 Bionic | A12 Bionic | |
RAM | 4GB | 4GB | |
Storage | 64GB/256GB/512GB | 64GB/256GB/512GB | |
Rear Camera | 12MP + 12MP | 12MP + 12MP | |
Front camera | 7MP | 7MP | |
Connectivity | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC | |
Cellular | LTE Cat.16 | LTE Cat.16 | |
Durability | IP68 | IP68 | |
SIM | NanoSIM + eSIM | NanoSIM + eSIM | |
Battery | 2,658mAh | 3,174mAh | |
Price | R21,999 | R23,999 |
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Specifications | Galaxy S9+ |
---|---|
Weight | 189g |
OS | Android 8.1 |
Display | 6.2-inch 1,440 x 2,960 AMOLED |
Rear camera | 12MP + 12MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Storage | 128GB, microSD |
RAM | 6GB |
Processor | Exynos 9810 |
Battery | 3,500mAh |
Cellular | LTE Cat. 18 |
SIM | NanoSIM (Single/Dual) |
Durability | IP68 |
Connectivity | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C |
Price | R15,999 |
Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7
Specifications | Galaxy J5 | Galaxy J7 | |
---|---|---|---|
OS | Android 5.0 | Android 5.1 | |
Display | 5.0-inch 1,280 x 720 AMOLED | 5.5-inch 1,280 x 720 AMOLED | |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 | |
RAM | 1.5GB | 1.5GB | |
Storage | 8GB, microSD up to 128GB | 16GB, microSD up to 256GB | |
Rear camera | 13MP | 13MP | |
Front camera | 5MP | 5MP | |
Connectivity | 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB | 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB | |
Cellular | LTE Cat. 4 | LTE Cat. 4 | |
Durability | – | – | |
SIM | Dual-SIM (MicroSIM) | Dual-SIM (MicroSIM) | |
Battery | 2,600mAh | 3,000mAh | |
Price | R2,899 | R3,999 |
Sony Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra
Specifications | Xperia XA1 | Xperia XA1 Ultra | |
---|---|---|---|
OS | Android 7.0 | Android 7.0 | |
Display | 5.0-inch 1,280 x 720 IPS LCD | 6.0-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS LCD | |
Processor | Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20 | Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20 | |
RAM | 3GB | 4GB | |
Storage | 32GB, microSD up to 256GB | 32GB, microSD up to 256GB | |
Rear Camera | 23MP | 23MP | |
Front camera | 8MP | 16MP | |
Connectivity | 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C | 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C | |
Cellular | LTE Cat.4 | LTE Cat.6 | |
Durability | – | – | |
SIM | Dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) | Dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) | |
Battery | 2,300mAh | 2,700mAh | |
Price | R2,999 | R3,999 |
OnePlus 5
Specifications | OnePlus 5 | |
---|---|---|
OS | Android 7.0 | |
Display | 5.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 AMOLED | |
Processor | Qualcommm Snapdragon 835 | |
RAM | 8GB | |
Storage | 128GB | |
Rear camera | 16MP + 20MP | |
Front camera | 16MP | |
Connectivity | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C | |
Cellular | LTE Cat.12 | |
Durability | – | |
SIM | Dual-SIM (NanoSIM) | |
Battery | 3,300mAh | |
Price | R11,999 |
Huawei P20 Lite, P20, and P20 Pro
Specifications | Huawei P20 Lite | Huawei P20 | Huawei P20 Pro |
---|---|---|---|
OS | Android 8.0 | Android 8.0 | Android 8.0 |
Display | 5.84-inch 2,280 x 1,080 IPS LCD | 5.84-inch 2,280 x 1,080 IPS LCD | 6.1-inch 2,240 x 1,080 AMOLED |
Processor | HiSilicon Kirin 659 | HiSilicon Kirin 970 | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
RAM | 4GB | 4GB | 6GB |
Storage | 64GB, microSD up to 256GB | 128GB | 128GB |
Rear camera | 16MP + 2MP | 12MP + 20MP | 40MP + 20MP + 8MP |
Front camera | 16MP + 24MP | 24MP | 24MP |
Connectivity | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C |
Cellular | LTE Cat.6 | LTE Cat.16 | LTE Cat.16 |
Durability | – | – | IP67 |
SIM | Dual-SIM (NanoSIM) | Dual-SIM (NanoSIM) | Dual-SIM (NanoSIM) |
Battery | 3,000mAh | 3,400mAh | 4,000mAh |
Price | R5,699 | R12,899 | R14,999 |
Xiaomi Redmi 5 and 5 Plus
Specifications | Redmi 5 | Redmi 5 Plus | |
---|---|---|---|
OS | Android 7.2 | Android 7.2 | |
Display | 5.7-inch 1,440 x 720 IPS LCD | 6.0-inch 2,160 x 1,080 IPS LCD | |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 | |
RAM | 2GB | 4GB | |
Storage | 16GB, microSD up to 128GB | 64GB, microSD up to 128GB | |
Rear camera | 12MP | 12MP | |
Front camera | 5MP | 5MP | |
Connectivity | 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB | 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB | |
Cellular | LTE | LTE Cat.6 | |
Durability | – | – | |
SIM | Dual-SIM (NanoSIM) | Dual-SIM (NanoSIM) | |
Battery | 3,300mAh | 4,000mAh | |
Price | R2,299 | R3,299 |