Dual SIM Android phones: Dual standby vs dual active

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• Hi :) Can you please tell us which phones are dual sim dual active dual 4g (or at minimum dual 4g+3g or 3g+3g... since 2g is going away in the US that would kill the dual function. Excellent article by the way.

  • I understand your requirements. But unfortunately, none of the dual active Android phones, as i know, support 4G/3G+4G/3G. The second modern on these phones supports 2G only. Your only option is probably dual standby ones. Some are dual 4G/3G in standby mode, for example, LG G4 dual 4G.

    2G modem is far cheaper than 4G due to patent licensing fees for 4G modem. Btw, the modern itself is not expensive. But for most Android manufacturers, they are losing money. 50 cents saved, from their point of view, mean less loss. I also heard there may be a few technical issues with two 4G modems two or years ago. But I guess this should not be an issue any more. The main reason is that the demand is not strong enough and the resistance from carriers.

• Can you please list some dual standby sim 4g/4g more modern than the LG 4?

  • Hi, can you tell me if the samsung A8 2018 is dual sim. I bought it thinking it did but it only has one double slot for sim and sd card. I read an article that said you can use it for 2 sims as well as sd with an adapter? It has 2 IMEI numbers on back of phone.

    • Dual-SIM version of Galaxy A8 (and A8+) has a dedicated SD card slot with two SIM card trays. One SIM card tray is on the top (for SIM card 2 and SD card) and the other SIM card tray is on the side for SIM card 1.

      It seems you did not check the side of the phone. It does not require any adapters.

• Good explanation.
  Asus zenfone2 ze551kl or ze551ml supports VOLTE?

  • After Marshmallow update, in some (but not all) regions, voLTE was enabled in Zenfone 2.

    Anyway, when Zenfone2 was released, voLTE was disabled. The hardware (the modem) should not be an issue and ASUS can activate it at any time through a firmware update. Unfortunately, ASUS only enabled this in selected regions in Marshmallow update.

• Excellent article!!! I would like to know is there a duam sim full active phone with videocall? Thank you

  • No, as I know. In addition, video call is a mobile network feature offered by your carrier. Some carriers don't offer it at all.

    You call always make video calls through internet using some apps. For example, Google Duo is an excellent one and it's free.

• According to the Sony website, the Xperia C4 and M4 are not Dual Active, they are Dual Standby:

  http://support.sonymobile.com/au/xperiaz3/kb/0231018807c614a08013cec540b570055ff/

  • Thank you for the info. We will correct the page.

• Hi, Thanks for the informative article. Can you please inform whether Huawei Mate 8 & Mate 9 are dual SIM active?

  Thanks

  • No, they are all dual active only for the dual sim versions.

    • This is incorrect. The Mate 8 is dual Sim active, the Mate 9 is standby.

      • Thank you for the info. But as I know, both Mate 9 and Mate 8 only use one modem.

        But in different regions, maybe there are different models of the dual SIM versions of Mate 8. But I have no such info.

        • I use mate 8 as my daily driver and I can confirm that it supports dual sim active 100%. Unfortunately, mate 9 is dual sim standby only.

• Awhile ago I read somewhere that if you use a Dual Sim phone with two phone lines ( whether they are active or standby) you cannot use an SD card for extra storage because the second slot is used for the phone. Is this true?

  • It depends on the phone. Some phones have two sim card shots plus a SD card slot. Some have one sim card slot, and the second slot can be used for either a SD card or a sim card.

    So check the phone specs.

• Does it mean if i buy a dual sim standby phone once i stop talking or texting on one carrier the other carrier can ring or text me?
  Thankyou W.H.

  • Yes. And SMS usually is not an issue.

• I have Honor 8 and it is probably one of the last one which has a full dual sim active functionality. The newest phones Huawei Mate 9 and P10 haven't got it. Now Huawei offers Honor 8 Pro (V9) and I wonder if it has dual active.

  • Most new dual sim phones don't have dual active capability because most vendors use "standard" modules in the market.

• Simon, Thank you, This is the best article on dual sim I have seen. One aspect is the dual sim active phones look like they may not be upgradeable to Nougat OS. How big a deal is this?

  • The Nougat update should have nothing to do with dual active. Normally, it depends on region. Normally, update for dual sim models is pushed out at similar peorid as that for single sim version in the same region.

• BTW Asus website says only ZE550ML and ZE551ML supports DSDA.

  • Thank you for sharing the info.

• Hi, I am using Doogee T5 and have 2 SIM cards on this phone. However at any one time, I can only have one SIM in 3G mode and the other SIM will be on 2G mode. Is this considered as dual standby? Is there any ROM that can allow both SIM to be set as 3G? The reason to have both in 3G is because there will be no more 2G support and I would like to use SIM 1 for data and SIM 2 for phone/sms.

  If there is no ROM or settings to enable 3G for both SIMs, please advise which brand and model of phone have such feature.

  Thank you.

  • Most old dual sim phones are 3G+2G only.

    Only the vendor can release new firmware to give you this feature. But it may be limited by hardware. I am sure about this brand. You should check with the manufacturer.

    3G/4G+3G/4G dual sim phones are usually limited. It also depends on the region models. Dual SIM version of Moto G5 is probably the cheapest 3G+3G/4G phone. LG usually markets dual 4G capabilities for their dual SIM models. Samsung supports 3G+4G from S7 (works in some regions only). Sony also have a few such phones. Anyway, it depends on your budget. You need to confirm it with the seller when buying one.

    • Thank you for the reply. Am I right to say that if a phone is with dual 4G capabilities, both the 3G SIM cards will be set as 3G automatically?

      • Yes, it will be 4G. If 4G is not available, it will fail over to 3G. Then fail over to 2G.

• Great info. Thank you.

• Hi, thanks for all the good information ! I am still looking for answers for my new phone purchase. I currently own a dual-standby phone and it does not work properly for my type of use.

  Here is what I am looking for, some features are "nice to have" ...

  Dual-Active phone
  Minimum Android 6.0 (7.x would be great)
  Fingerprint reader
  4.8 to 5.4in screen
  Good battery for a good day of work usage

  "nice to have" features :
  NFC

  • Probably ZenFone 2 is the only choice. But it is too old. Marshmallow udpate has been available in some regions (not all).

    As many dual active phones, it only supports 2G+2G/3G/4G. One of the modem (Intel 2230) only supports 2G. If 2G network was closed or will be closed soon, it does not make sense to get this phone.

    As mentioned, some vendors now can implement 3G+3G/4G on dual standby phones. This can make the phone work like dual active phones (when 3G/4G network is available for both SIM cards). But this depends on vendor and region. The latest dual SIM version of Galaxy S8, and some (not all) Sony and LG dual SIM phones can do this. Dual SIM version of Galaxy S7 requires software update and works in some regions only.

    Please note, the same phone in different regions may have different firmware (e.g., disable some bands not used). You need check with the seller and test it if you buy a dual standby phone.

    I am sorry I cannot give you a definite answer.

• Hi Simon
  Thanks for an excellent article, I have a Samsung Note 5 dual sim, which I like but unfortunately all the 2g networks will be turned off in Australia. Do you know is there any firmware updates that I can use on the Note 5 to allow me to use my Note 5 on a 4g/3g dual system. Or is there ways of making my Note 5 a 4g
  Dual Standby phone.

  Thanks
  Ron

  • Probably not. Galaxy Note 5 dual SIM version is 4G/3G+2G only.

    Samsung did make dual SIM version of Galaxy S7 and S7 edge 4G/3G+3G in some (only some, not all) regions through firmware update. But I heard the second SIM in older device cannot be updated to 3G due to hardware (modem) limitations.

• Wonderfull! Thank you!

  And I got a question. My goal is to enlarge the throughput of the network. At some areas, the actual speed of the supplied internet is not high. Same with stability.

  I'd like to imporve this, by having , actually, two internet streams, combined into one - faster and more reliable.

  Or better, with the quad sim phones , to actually combine 4 internet stream into one with a higher throuput.

  Am I on track? Using this technology?

  • The technology is not new. Most datacenters use multiple bandwidth providers to increase capacity and redundancy.

    But this is not ready in smartphones. Samsung introduced download booster. But this only works for file downloading. By default, Android phones only maintain one data connection stream. It requires a routing components (which is not available for smartphones yet) if you need to keep more than one data stream.

• Hi,

  I'm currently looking for a dual sim 4G phones which can serve the following purpose:

  I need Whatsapp to work on both numbers, but calls and SMS will mostly be active on one number only.

  For this, will I be needing dual active phone, or dual standby will suffice?

  Will Samsung S8 serve this purpose?

  • What you need is a phone that allows you to run two copies of WhatsApp.

    Galaxy S8 does have the secure folder option (settings--lock screen and security -- Secure folder) that allows you to run a second copy of apps. Please note, other Samsung phones (except the recalled Note 7) do not have this feature.

    Other phones that support guest user (multiple user), you can also run another copy of WhatsApp. For example, most Moto Phones or LG phones (NOT Samsung phones) support guest user. Please note, guest user and multiple users are a feature of Android since Lollipop. But many vendors did not implement it.

    • Thanks Simon!

• Great article and timing now that I have a need for dual SIM. I got an unlocked LG G5 dual SIM for use in US on AT&T. I was able to get each SIM to work if it was enabled for mobile data (only one at a time). However, if SIM1 was enabled for mobile data, I wasn't able to receive calls/text on SIM2. I thought that SIM1 would be on 4G and SIM2 would be on 3G (AT&T disabled 2G earlier thus year) but apparently that's not the case?

  I'm assuming the G5 is a dual standby phone?

  • Yes, the dual sim version of LG G5 is dual standby only.

    Where it can work on dual 4g/3g depends on the exact model number (the region). You can check the box to see whether it claims dual 4G. If not, it's designed for 2G network.

• I want to start by saying this was an excellent article and it answered many of my questions regarding dual sim phones. Now to my personal inquiry: I currently have 2 phones one for work and one personal. The contract for my personal phone is about to be up so I'm looking to get a new phone and possibly even switch carriers. I'm tired of carrying around 2 phone and have been looking into getting a dual sim phone. My work phone has an unlimited data plan so I was thinking about using that sim for all my data needs and then having a personal plan that just covers talk and text. I'm worried about missing calls. What exactly is the risk of missing calls with a dual sim standby phone. I would normal just get the active because it's obviously the better choice between active and standby but the phone options are much more limited (and dated). The Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE551KL appears to be the best available option for a dual sim active phone. However, I'm wondering how much I need it to be active rather than getting one of the newer phones which offer dual sim standby. I also don't like the idea of a hybrid slot where I lose the ability to have a microSD card so any phones that don't have a designated slot for dual sim and microSD are out. Does anyone have any suggestions for phones that may satisfy my needs? Or any information that may help me make a decision would also be appreciated? TIA

  • It's hard to recommend because most vendors don't release flagship dual SIM phones. Most of the high end dual SIM phones use the SIM/micro SD hybrid tray. Dual SIM shots with a dedicated SD card slots can be found in some middle range phones. But the offer may vary from region to region.

    Actually a dual standby 4G phone can function like a dual active phone. But again some vendors implement dual 4G or 4G+3G in some markets, and 4G+2G in key markets for the same phone. Most of the dual standby problem is caused by 4G+2G configuration.

• hello everyone. i just got my new samsung c9 pro and it has dual sim active on this phone, meaning it can received call on both sim cards. hopefully this will be the answer for ally.
  thanks

  • Thank you for sharing the info. But Samsung C9 Pro is dual standby only with dedicated SD card slot.

    You can use 2 sim cards simultaneously because it can work as 4G/3G +3G. Inside the phone, there is one modem only.

• Great article. Do you have any updates re 4g dual active? I'm not sure if the
  ASUS ZENFONE 3 DELUXE (ZS570KL DUAL SIM 4GB RAM 32GB 4G LTE) is dual active 3g/4g

  • No, so far all dual active Android phones are 2G+3G/4G as I know.

    But more and more dual standby phones can work in 4G/3G+3G. This makes them close to dual active phones. But this may depends on regions. For example, dual SIM version of Galaxy S8 may work in this way in regions where 2G has been officially retired.

• Can you please explain how a 4g+3g dual sim standby phone can work as dual active. It's very crucial for me that I don't miss calls. I recently bought the lg v20 dual sim h990N. The phone has an issue of its own. When I place a call on sim one it drops from 4G to 3G during a call and my data becomes limited, why does that happen?

  • For dual SIM phones, only SIM card can be assigned to use mobile data. When this Sim card is engaged in a call, the data connection should be limited unless you are using voLTE.

    To make 2 SIM cards available all the time, you must:
    1). Enable call waiting on both SIM cards; and
    2). Enable call forwarding for both SIM cards so that the two cards forward to each other when unreachable.

    You can set these in phone app. We will update this guide by adding the detailed steps.

• I have a beautiful HONOR 8 dual sim Active. It's great

  • Thank you for sharing your experience.

    But as we know, dual SIM version of Huawei Honor 8 is dual standby only. There is only one modem.

    But if call forwarding and call waiting are set properly for two SIM cards, you can make two SIM cards available all the time. But call forwarding charge may apply.

    We will update this guide with detailed settings soon.

    • I tested a friend's honor 8 and I can confirm that it's a dual sim active.

      • Thank you for sharing the info.

        • I can confirm that Honor 8 might be dual sim dual full active.

        • It probably depends on the region. Huawei sometimes tests different hardware configurations without announcing it.

• Hi Simon,

  What a great article
  Is Huawei mate 9 pro and Huawei P10 dual active?
  Thanks

  • No, both are dual standby only.

    But you can set up call forwarding and enable call waiting on both sim cards so that both are available all the time. We will update this guide to include this soon.

• Hi Simon,

  Its indeed great to read your comments and support. I am looking forward to buy a dual sim dual active mobile these days. Can you please suggest a list of most recent cell phones which support dual sim dual active feature. Best regards.

  • Unfortunately, none of the major Android manufacturers released dual active dual SIM phone in last 12 months in my impression.

    For dual standby phones, if you are using two local SIM cards, you can set up call forwarding and enable call waiting. This will make two sim cards reachable at all times. It's easy to setup in Samsung phones (dual SIM always on as explained in this guide https://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/how-to-use-two-sim-cards-in-galaxy-s8-and-s8/

    For phones without such an option, we will update this guide to show you how to do it manually.

    But if one of the SIM card is roaming, this is not a solution due to possible high call forwarding charges.

    • Hi Simon,

      You mean it's POSSIBLE to set up call forwarding and enable call waiting for roaming card EVEN IF BOTH of SIM cards are ROAMING? BUT it's expensive?

      Hesham

      • Yes, it is "very" expensive. Some phone companies may block call forwarding when roaming. You need to test or check with the phone company.

• Hi thank you for a very informative article. I have just changed from samsung A8 as i beleive it has the 4g+2g combo. Spore has phased out 2g n hence dual sim ceased to work. So i just got a new phone samsung s7 edge. Though voice calls works now...but Data Roam doesnt work for my second sim when using in Spore. Fyi my 1st sim is by spore carrier and 2nd SIM is by Malaysia carrier. I go back and forth daily between the 2 countries. No issue with using both sims for data roam/mobile data when in Malaysia
  Pls help

  • You need specify one SIM card for mobile data. For the roaming SIM card, you need to enable data roaming as well.

    Please note, there is no failover for mobile data. You need manually change the SIM card for mobile data in Settings-- Connections-- SIM card manager. You also need to make sure data roaming was not disabled by your carrier as a dew carriers may disable this feature by default. You need to check with them.

• Great article, thank you for that.
  I have Honor 7 and Honor 8 (official European Version) and these seem to be dual active, as they can handle two calls at the same time in different networks. Honor is marketing the devices with double or triple antenna technology, so maybe the one modem (as you say they have one modem only) can handle two connections at the same time? Nevertheless, the second sim is always 2G only.
  So you might watch the Honor 8 Pro and today there will be the release for the Honor 9 (Chineese Version)...

  • Thank you for sharing the info. But as I know they are dual standby only in most markets. It is possible there are different variants of the phone.

    The dual standby phones can work just like dual active phones by using call forwarding and call waiting as explained in this guide.

    You can test whether it is dual active or dual standby by:
    1). make an outing call with SIM card 1, engaged in the call;
    2). once SIM card is engaged in a call, you now dial SIM card 2. Don't pick up the call.
    3). check call history or call log to see the missed call is for SIM card 1 or SIM card 2.

    • Thanks Simon for your reply. I did your three step test for the Honor 7 and 8 (EU-Version from Vmall.eu) and they are dual-sim ACTIVE.

      I called from Sim1 to another number and during the call i dialed the number of Sim2 from another phone. I didn't take the second call and hung up the second call from the other phone. Then there is in the Call log of the Honor the call duration on Sim1 and the missed call on Sim2 with the seconds it was ringing.

      If my phones would have done just call-forwarding, I should have noticed that on my phone bills already, as forwarding is quite expensive here ...

      • Thank you for sharing the interesting info.

        Did you check sim card settings in phone app - menu key - settings - call accounts ? (as explained in https://gadgetguideonline.com/android/android-101/how-to-make-two-sim-cards-always-available-in-dual-sim-dual-standby-android-phones/)

        Anyway call forwarding is charged as normal outgoing minutes. If one of the SIM card is not local, yes, it can be very expensive. Some carriers may only allow voicemail box diversion for roaming SIM card.

        • Thanks for your reply. Yes I checked the Call options now. My simcards do NOT support Call waiting and the Call forwardings are heading to their mailboxes ONLY.
          So this looks still like the HONOR phones Bering dual sim active...

        • Thank you for sharing the update. If this is the case, it means it's dual active or Huawei has some special modem.

          We tested honor 8 sold in SEA. It's dual standby only. Yes it's possible they brought dual active variants to Europe. Normally, vendors will promote such features heavily.

    • Obviously only the Chineese and the European models are dual active... for whatever reason. Honor does not advertise DSFA, because European network operators will not like dual sim phones... So maybe Honor could "downgrade" the devices to dualsim-standby, as they did not advertise them with DSFA.

      • Thank you for sharing your input.

• Hi Simon,
  Thank you for all the very great information - I am amazed and thankful.
  I am looking to replace my "old" Bauhn Sphere phone which was sold to me as "DUAL 3G SIM" - but after the 2G network from Telstra was closed only 1 Sim kept working - the other "slot" always defaulted to 2G. (so much for misleading sales). Now I am looking for a "DUAL 3G or 4G standby phone with ADDITIONAL slot for an SD card. I was sold the Oppo 9s Plus as such a phone in Melbourne, but as I could not work out how to insert both SIM as well as the SD card I went to their other shop in Bendigo and they confirmed that that phone did not have the capacity of having all 3 cards installed - either 2 SIM or 1 SIM plus 1 SD card - so they returned my money.
  I was told the LG V20 has this function - but I don't like the shape, size and whole feeling of that phone.
  Do you know of any other good and reliable phones that offer all this or am I asking for too much?
  Thank you in advance for any assistance in that matter.

  • You need to check the box stating "dedicated micro SD card slot".

    LG V20 is the ONLY flagship Android phones with dual SIM AND dedicated SD card slot. Actually, it is good time to buy it if you can get any ddiscount.

    Other dual SIM phones with dedicated SD card slot are in middle range or budget range. The 2017 version of Samsung Galaxy A7 and A5 both have a dedicated SD card slot. Galaxy A9 2016 also has a dedicated sd card slot.

    Although Moto G5 also has a dedicated sd card slot, it only supports 2G+3G/4G. So it is not for you.

    • Hi Simon,
      Thank you for your quick reply - much appreciated.
      The LG V20 was on "special" for $799 at JB Hi-Fi - but as mentioned I am not too sure about its quality based on "feel and look".
      I didn't think samsung Galaxy had Dual Sim capability???
      How good/bad is Oppo compared to Huawei??
      Thank you

      • LG V series is the best phones from LG. It’s far better than G (this year G6) lines. Of course, it’s arguable.

        As mentioned, V20 is the only top tier Android phone with dual SIM and dedicated SD card slot in last 12 months.

        In most regions, Galaxy A7 and A5 2017 edition have dual SIM and dedicated SD card slot. You can check it with the seller.

        Samsung also have other cheaper phones (Galaxy J) which usually have dual SIM. But some may not have dedicated SD card slot.

        For Huawei and Oppo, it really depends on individual phones and personal preference. Both have terrible software overlay. In this aspect, Huawei may be slightly better. In different regions, both Huawei and Oppo phones may differ for the same model. So, you should always check the specs with the seller if you buy Huawei or Oppo phones (don’t just rely on internet). Personally, I would not recommend them.

        • Hi Simon,
          Thank you for your reply - much appreciated and taken on board - I went with the LG V20 and just setting it all up.
          Thanks again

        • Your will like it. Enjoy the phone.

• Hi Simon,

  Thanks again for your well researched article and great questions from your readers.

  I thought I would just plainly ask a few questions that i think that may answer what many are thinking:

  1. Is there, at the moment, any models with a dual sim Dual Active 4G with separate SD Slot?
  2. Is there, at the moment, any models with a dual sim Dual Active 4G without separate SD Slot?
  3. Is there, at the moment, any models with a dual sim Standby 4G with separate SD Slot?
  4. Is there, at the moment, any models with a dual sim Standby 4G without separate SD Slot?

  Thanks Simon.

  • 1. No, as I know. Dual active Android phones use 2G modem+ 2G/3G/4G modem.
    2. No, as I know.
    3. Yes, there are a few, for example, LG V20. Please note dual 4G is a marketing term. Most of such phones actually works in 4G/3G/2G+3G/2G mode in stanby. Depending on firmware implementation, the sim card you specified for mobile data will try to connect the 4G LTE network. The other sim card will try to connect to 3G voice (UMTS). The only 4G+4G phone I tried is LG G4 dual. It seems newer LG dual SIM phones are 4G+3G only.
    4. Yes, there are many, for example, Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6. Again, I am taking about 4G+3G. When marketing guys say dual 4G, it means either sim card can use 4G.

    Please remember dual SIM is implemented in software level (when the modem and chip support it). This means in different regions, the implementation may be slightly different for the same phone. For example, dual SIM version of Galaxy S7 may be 4G+3G in some regions and 4G+2G in other regions.

• Thanks for an amazing article. Ive a note5 duos which only supoorts a dual sim standby mode. Whilst most are concerned about not missing calls on both sims, what is most impt for me is to keep my data connection in sim2 active while engaged in a call in sim1. Is there a setting modification that I can do to allow this capability? Thanks in advance!

  • No, the data connection in SIM card 2 should be suspended (paused) automatically in this case.

    • Hi Simon, thanks for the great article. So have I understood you correctly here?
      If I'm using SIM 2 to call on 3G/2G network then SIM 1 with a pure data plan connected to 4G network will be deactivated until the end of the call?
      I thought I could call on 3G/2G and that LTE would still be available on the other SIM because a different part of the modem is used for LTE.
      Can you clarify that?
      Thanks.

      • It depends. Normally, when you are on a call (over 2G or 3G), the 4G LTE data connection in the other SIM usually is suspended. This is a choice of implementation to guarantee the voice quality.

        Actually, if both SIM cards are connecting to LTE networks (a few LG phones have such a variation), the data connection is not suspended when you are on a voLTE call. Only data traffic is frozen.

        Anyway, different vendors may choose different implementations.

• Hello simon superb information.
  Presrntly am using asus zen 551 n its dual active in india. However fedup with tge phobe as it gives frequent headaches like phone hungs, voice not clear, last two days microphone not working and need to send for servicing fortunately under warranty n just 6 montgs old.
  Can you pl.suggest me any otger dual sim active phones w/o any manual call forward setting in androud.

  • Actually, ZenFone 2 is still the best dual active dual SIM Android phone. There are no better dual SIM dual active Android phones in the market based on my experience, although some Huawei phones may be dual active based on some feedback from users. But we cannot confirm them (because what we got are dual standby only).

    There are no dual active dual SIM Android phones released by major Android vendors since 2016. It is really sad that Android manufacturers ignored the demands of dual active phones.

    If you need a dual SIM phone with reasonable performance, you may have to consider dual standby Android phones. There are many high-end dual standby phones now. And as explained in this page, you can configure them to make both of them available at all times (enable call forwarding and call waiting).

• Thanks for this very helpful article.

  If I purchase a dual standby high end phone will the second SIM be affected during texting or sending emails or is it just during voice use that calls to the second SIM become a problem?

  If I go for a dual active phone what's my best bet for a reasonable smart phone 4G+3G for UK use ?Thanks

  • It only affects when you are on voice calls. Sending and retrieving SMS will also affect the other SIM, but the duration is very short (only when actually sending or retrieving, not writing/reading),

    No current dual active phones supports 4G+3G. You may look for dual standby phones.

    For most dual standby phones, you can make both SIMs available at all times as explained in this guide.

• Hey Simon, i love the detailed research on this page so thanx for that. I seriously hate not finding a dsda phone more easily. I was wondering if you could explain the difference between the Zenfone 2 deluxe special edition and LG v20 and list some significant factors to consider in both phones? Also this Zenfone 2 deluxe special edition isn't easy to find. Any idea where I can buy and brand new one? (I would appreciate any update emails on dsda phones especially with 4g + 4g call capabilities. Thank you for all your time and effort. Severely good article you wrote on dsda phones

  • Thank you for your feedback.

    The difference between Zenfone 2 deluxe special edition and LG V20:
    1. dual active vs dual standby. Zenfone 2 is dual sim dual active. But it is 4g/3g/2g+ 2G only. The second SIM card can only use 2G network and is for voice only. If 2G network in your region has been phased out, you can then only use one SIM card. LG v20 is dual SIM dual standby (in a few regions, it can be single SIM model only. Check before you buy.). In most regions, it is 4G/3G/2G+4G/3G/2G.

    2. new vs old. ZenFone 2 is outdated already (about 2 years old). It was superseded by ZenFone 3. But ZenPhone 3 only supports dual standby. LG v20 is still considered as current phone. It is less than one year old with Android Nougat. Very likely, it will get Android O update as well. The successor of LG V20 (LG V30) has not been announced (rumored in August).

    3. LG v20 should be more powerful than ZenPhone 2 for almost all tasks. ZenPhone 2 is powered by Intel Atom CPU. Some games may crash more easily in Zenphone 2 than in LG v20 with Snapdragon 820 CPU.

    4. LG V20 has surely better cameras (dual 16 MP in rear).

    5. LG V20 has better screen with higher resolution (1440 x 2560). ZenPhone 2 is only full HD (1920 x 1080).

    My recommendation: LG V20. Of course, if you definitely need a dual active phone, then ZenPhone 2 is still the best choice.

• Hello and thanks a lot about the fruitful information. I am going to university this year and since my contract with the provider has ended last month I was thinking of placing a new device in the contract and paying it for it monthly. Also, since I am from Cyprus which is in Europe and Home Roaming Services in Europe have been cancelled in May I was thinking of buying an Active Dual SIM phone in order to have a Cypriot and a British Card ( Country of Studying) and spend less when communicating back to Cyprus with the Cypriot card and likewise when communicating to Britain with the British Card. Do you know if OnePlus has designed any Active Dual Sim model? And Moreover, if am using a 4G service from one card and someone calls me in the other my phone would appear to them as switched off?

  Thanks in advance.

  • The choice for dual active Android phones is very, very limited. Also most dual active phones works on 2G+2G/3G/4G/ This means it is just a single SIM phone in regions without 2G network (more and more carriers are phasing out 2G).

    OnePlus phones are dual standby only, not dual active.

    For a dual standby phone, if you are using 4G/3G mobile data in one SIM card, the other SIM card is still reachable. But if you are engaged in a call in one SIM card, by default, the other SIM card will be unreachable.

    The solution to make two SIM card reachable is using call forwarding. But this can be expansive if two cards belong to carriers in different countries.

    You may ask yourself whether you really need to be reachable for two SIM cards at all times. If not, you can just enable voicemail and direct unreachable calls to voicemail.

• Are there any dual sim 4G phones with automatic failover from one 4G network to another if one of the 4G sims has a poor connection? Or is there any dual sim smartphone which can support dual 4G data at the same time from the 2 different 4G sims, allowing the phone to combine data usage across two networks together resulting in a more stable or faster connection.

  • No, there is no such phones up to now.

    there are many dual 4G dual standby phones. But they cannot use any fail-overs.

    to combine two 4G mobile data connection, you need some sort of "router", and aggregator. No smartphones can do this right now. Although Samsung has touted download booster since S5, it does NOT combine the WiFi and 4G mobile data connections. It simply divide large files into chunks and let WiFi and mobile data to download them individually for different parts, then combine them into a single file. And it depends on whether the server (which hosts the file) supports multiple stream downloading.

• Hey Simon, loved this article! I read it with great attention as I recently bought an LG V20 after having a really disappointing experience with the Samsung A5 2017. I had an LG G2 before these phones and am really happy to go back to LG for a number of reasons, mainly the fingerprint scanner location, dual camera, exapandable storage, removable back/to carry spare batteries and the overall spec.

  The dual sim capability was kind of a second thought for me as I didnt see much use having not had one in the past. I do remember having a case back in the day with an old Nokia that allowed a physical switch on the back to move over to the second sim. Sounds like possibly quite similar to a standby second sim? Although from reading your article now, I can have two PAYG sims in the UK/Europe and can take calls on either simultaneously, but if im on a call on one sim, and do not have forwarding activated, the second number is unreachable.

  As my LG V20 is a DUAL standby sim phone (I have the B&O version which is great for its Quad DAC!), there is a quick touch menu button that simply says switch sim, so I can move seamlessly between the two sims. I guess this doesnt change anything about my interface, the look etc, accounts I access, emails etc, but will allow me to access different contacts on different sims?

  Second question, sorry if its dumb, but presumably these different sims can connect to different carriers?

  Thanks and im intrigued by the V30....I wonder how much awesome this phone could get, the wide angle camera is insane! I guess the straightforward spec update? It is a trade off between removable back vs waterproof/IP67 eh.

  • 1. The switch sim option is for calls and messages only. It had nothing to do with contact. In Android, you should save contacts to your Google account so that you can sync contacts on all phones automatically. By default, all contacts in Google account, and SIM cards, are displayed. Of course, you can filter them when you save contacts to sim card, only name and one number can be saved, nothing else. Also you SIM card has very limited storage.

    2. Yes, the two sim cards can be from two different carriers and the phone connect to two different networks.

• Simon,
  Thank you very much for the superb article loaded with loads of useful info in very simple words.
  I am also interested in buying an active dual sim phone but looks like my best bet would be to settle for a dual standby phone as I want real high specs like more than 5.7" QHD screen (bigger the better), 4Gb ram, 64Gb storage, separate SD card slot, Preferably hi-res dual camera, fast + wireless charging, metal body, newest possible Android etc. Do you think if I wait until end September, 2017, such a phone would be available or there is any such model already available? I will using the phone in USA and Pakistan mainly and can purchase in any country, preferably USA. Pl advise. Thanks.

  • LG v20 is thprobably the only high-end phone with dual sim and dedicated sd card slot. But due to metal back, LG v20 doesn't support wireless charging.

    LG v30 should be better based on rumors. But very likely, there is no wireless charging as well because of its metal back.

    Anyway, there are no perfect phones. If you need it now, get what you can get now. There will be always a better one once you get one. This is life.

• Excellent article.
  I have a LG G3 dual sim with sim 2 card for gsm only.
  The google contacts can be linked to either of the sim cards. This allows me to use the work sim for work contacts.
  Do you know if this function can be transferred to other dual sim phones or do I have to wait for a new LG dual sim phone with 3G at least on sim 2?
  Does such a phone exist?

  • Google contacts are always available for both SIM cards. Actually, it is the dialer app (Phone) and SMS (messages) app access contacts. SIM card itself is not involved directly.

• Simon,
  that was (actually still is) an amazing article! Thank you for all this information and the kindness to answer every single question. I have been researching for dual active - dual 4G technology for days and my conclusion is that only Asus ZenFone (some of them) are suitable for real dual active 4G.

  I was searching for more information about Zenfone Go and Zenfone GoTV (unfortunately both have model code ZB551KL). But it seems to be only dual stand by (but both slots are for 4G cards).

  Looking in the AsusZenFone 2 series i noticed that not all ZenFone2 are dual active. For example I found Zenfone2 with model name ZE551ML. In its specs it says clearly that it has two modems (Intel 7262 + Intel 2230) but only sim 1 supports 4G.

  If someone needs a smartphone to put a sim with unlimited data and another sim for call and text, then this would be the most suitable choice in the market.

  It is difficult to find something more about Huawei Mate Series (there are no dual models in Greece) and about Huawei Honor 6 or 7. I can't find any specs. If someone knows, I would appreciate any info.

  • Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with dual SIM phones.

    For all Android phones I know, the dual active dual SIM phones are 4G/3G/2G+ 2G only. The 2G modem is cheaper with lower licensing fees. Although the price difference is less than a few dollars, all vendors choose 2G modem for the second SIM slot. A few years ago, there are some technical issues with dual active 4G/3G/2G+4G/3G/2G in Android. But it seems there are no technical issues now. Unfortunately, dual active dual SIM Android phones are almost extinguished.

    ASUS Zenfone2 has several variations. For dual SIM version it is 2G modem (Intel 2330)+ 4G modem (7262).

    It is hard to say about Huawei phones because they have so many variants of the same model in different regions. And even some of their distributors are not fully aware of the details.

    Anyway, the best choice (value for money) is probably the dual standby (and dual 4G) phones. Most of these phones allow you to set both SIM cards reachable at all times through call forwarding and call waiting as explained in this page.

  • My previous phone was the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML. The one with 64GB storage and 3GB RAM. It definitely was active dual. That was the main reason I bought it.

• Hi Simon,

  Thank you for the wonderful detail in your article. it is much appreciated.

  I have an old Samsung gt-s7562. I believe that it is dual sim active, not passive, and I have recieved calls on one line, whilst talking on the other. I have had problems though with 'call divert when busy' settings, which seem to change themselves or grey themselves out, so they cannot be changed. Am I mistaken, is this phone actually 'active' as i have always thought ?

  Kind regards, Lee

  • In almost all regions, Galaxy S Duo is dual standby only, not dual active. But in SIM card manager (Setting-SIM Card Manager), you can enable dual SIM always on. If this is on, call diverting and call waiting will be enabled automatically. You cannot disable it.

• Hi Simon,

  Thanks for the excellent article. My Zenfone 2 recently packed in so I was in the market for a new active dual sim phone. I saw mixed reports that the Huawei Mate 8 had active dual sim. I found an incredible deal for the Chinese model (NXT-AL10) and decided to take the risk.

  I can confirm that the phone is in fact active dual sim as I can receive calls from both cards at the same time. Not sure if this functionality is limited to just the Chinese model or not. But the only difference on paper between this and the international variant is the RAM and storage options.

  • Thank you for sharing the info.

    Yes, some Mate 8 phones are dual active (but not all). But Mate 9 is almost all dual standby only.

    Huawei often uses different configurations in different regions. Sometimes, even some distributors are not aware of the actual configuration. This is why we cannot recommend it.

• Hi Simon

  Thank you very much for sharing your extensive knowledge here.

  My situation is that I redirect internet landline number to European mobile number and I text back from the European mobile number. I use iPhone as I am used to it. I tried years ago a Samsung Note II but couldn’t get used to it.

  I am very often is South East Asia and I user a mobile WiFi device with local data card. iPhone is permanently connected through WiFi to it. My issue is that it takes ages to connect European calls and I often miss calls as customers hung up as it’s not ringing for a long time.

  On my display I see a local number and not the original caller’s number. Therefore, U can even not call back.

  For this reason I am considering to change to a dual sim phone.

  I would redirect European internet landline directly to local SEA mobile number, European mobile number redirect permanently to European internet number as long as I am in SEA, I assume this would be the cheapest option. The European mobile number would not receive any calls but receive and send text messages and I would also use WhatsApp from that number using WiFi (mobile data roaming switched off).

  I would need the same contacts for both SIM.

  I hope, I can reduce the connecting time dramatically like that.

  In your opinion, does that make sense and if yes, which handset to you recommend. If not, do you have a better solution?

  • When you set up redirecting, you can set redirect unconditionally (without waiting for unreachable or unanswered response) to. This is the only part under your control.

    I am not sure what internet landline you are referring to. You can forward multiple numbers to your SEA number. Some carriers may only work with one-step call forwarding.

    Most VoIP providers cannot pass you the original number when forwarding calls because the call is actually relayed to you. The number you see in the phone is the last point number (usually local number to save cost and improve call quality). This is different from roaming.

• Hi Simon, correct me if I am wrong but oneplus 5 should be dual active Android phone, at least phone specifications are claiming that, am I I right?

  • No, One Plus 3, 3T and 5 are all dual standby only. There is only one Qualcomm modem inside.

    There are no flagship phones in 2017 (e.g., using Snapdragon 835 chip) having the dual active option. All are dual standby only if they support 2 SIM cards.

    Actually, no major Android vendors released any dual active phones in 2016 and 2017.

    • T&L Telecom says Xiaomi Mi 6 Dual Sim is DSDA:

      T&L Telecom, can you confirm if this phone was built with two sets of receivers; i.e.,.. Each SIM card uses its own receiver?
      Rolando R. 1 hour ago
      Hi , yes it is correct both SIM card can use its networks simultaneously.
      T&L Telecom answered within 41 minutes

      Is this a Dual Sim Dual Active smartphone?
      Rolando R. 9 hours ago
      Hi , yes it is compatible to use Dual Sim feature at once.
      T&L Telecom answered within 2 hours

      Simon, what's your feedback on this?
      Thanks in advance.

      • I think the support probably is not aware of the difference between dual active and dual standby.

        He did not answer your question on two modems.

        Anyway, as I know, Mi 6 is dual standby. Period.

• Hello Simon
  Great article, good job.
  Where is 2G network not available anymore? I live in UK and would like to use main sim card from English carrier and second sim card from other EU country. Of course would like to have dual sim active at all time. Is the new BlackBerry KEYone Limited Edition Black from India will do the job properly? Is there is Volte available at the O2 network in UK?
  Thanks

  Mack

  • 2G is still widely available in Europe. In UK, only Three does not offer 2G. O2 and EE both offer 2G in most regions. Vodafone also has an extensive 2G network.

    You need to check with individual carrier you want to use. Overall, Europe is very slow in phasing out 2G.

• Hello Simon
  Thanks for your excellent job. Phone cameras are very important for me. I'm living in Europe and use to travel to middle east. I'm in need of a dual sim phone to use internet in middle east. I found that the best camera is in iphone X and second is Galaxy note 8. I like IOS because it's more secure and stable OS but don't like Apples conservative behavior. Should I choose iphone X + BT dual sim adapter or Galaxy Note 8 dual sim? Which BT dual sim are more stable and reliable ?
  ps. I have Xiaomi Mi Max and it's very nice dual sim phone except the camera.
  Thank you.

  • There are two different things. External dual sim adapter (through Bluetooth, or lightning port) actually is a separate standalone phone with its own modem (usually cheap one). Then pairing to iPhone or other phones so that you handle all calls and messages through your iPhone. This sounds great. But because the companion app doesn't have special previllge, many apps (especially those access Bluetooth, or call handling) may interfere the adapter. This is one of the reasons why Android versions of such adapters don't work well. In iOS, the protection for such interference is slightly better.

    Dual sim in Note 8 uses only one modem. So it's dual standby only.

    Anyway, I would not recommend any external SIM adapter because it depends on the apps you are using and many other factors.

    Dual SIM in Note 8 will not suffer from such issues. But it is not a dual active phone. All dual SIM Android phones released in last 2 years from major vendors are dual standby only.

• Hi Simon, thank you for writing up a great article that clears up the “dual active” terminology!

  In one of the above previous replies, you said that there are no dual active phones would support dual active 4G+3G in the current market.

  However, if you look at the specs for Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE551KL (dual active phone) – https://www.asus.com/us/Phone/ZenFone-2-Laser-ZE551KL/specifications/
  it shows that:
  SIM1 Support2G/3G/4G
  SIM2 Support2G/3G/4G

  In the above link, there is a note saying:
  IMPORTANT: Both micro SIM card slots support 3G WCDMA/ 4G LTE network band. But only one micro SIM card can connect to 3G WCDMA/ 4G LTE service at a time.

  Does that mean it is still a dual active 4G+2G and not a dual active 4G+3G?

  Have you tested ZE551KL personally to see if you can have dual active 4G+3G on both SIM slots?

  The other model ZE551ML is dual active 4G+2G, but not dual active 4G+3G since second SIM slot only supports 2G.

  • The notes already clear stated only one SIM card can connect to 3G/LTE at any time. The other SIM card will have to connect to 2G network.

    Actually, Zenfone 2 Laser ZE551KL is dual standby only, not dual active. We will correct this page. It's especially for US market with better specifications than international version (ZE500KL).

    • I’m confused now.

      Where did it say Zenfone 2 Laser ZE551KL is dual standby only? If you look at this link:
      https://www.asus.com/us/Phone/ZenFone-2-Laser-ZE551KL/

      It clearly states that it is DSDA (Dual Sim Dual Active).

      Did you test out ZE551KL to find that it is dual active?

      • The page didn't say it's a dual active phone. On the contrary, it marked it as DSDS which means dual SIM dual standby.

        Where did you find the info in the page?

        • Oh, you are absolutely right, on the above URL from ASUS, it showed DSDS.

          I made a mistake by looking at other sites like

          https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1184415-REG/asus_ze551kl_15_3g16gn_sr_zenfone_2_laser_ze551kl.html

          and

          https://www.gsmarena.com/asus_zenfone_2_laser_ze551kl-7733.php

          The above two URLs are all wrong about the ZE551KL being a dual active phone.

          The only Zenfone 2 with DSDA is model ZE551ML.

          I guess DSDA phone with 4G+4G or 4G+3G does not exist. For DSDA phone, second SIM slot can only connect to 2G network.

        • Yes, you are right. The second sim in all (up to now) dual active phones is 2G only.

• Hi Simon, brilliant article and incredibly informative. I was wondering, however, if there is any information on the technicalities of dual SIM active phones such as the software modifications and how Android OS deals with both SIMs being active?

  Thank you.

  • There are no modifications in Android for dual SIM phones. Multiple SIM cards are officially supported in Android since Lollipop. Before that, yes, the vendor has modify the code. But it's a trivial task for manufacturers.

    Android is a multitasking OS (actually using Linux kernel). Two modems (as in dual active phones) can be handled independently. There are just two components for Android. You can imagine one is the touchpad and the other is mouse in your notebook. Of course, in the real implementation, some coordination is added. Also some software stacks may only allow one instance.

• How about the Ulefone Armour? I understand it is dual sim; does anyone here have any experience with that phone?

  • We haven't tried the phone. Based on the specs, it's dual standby, not dual active.

• Thanks for the best article on Dual Sim Mobile I read so far.

  Huawei just launched a new model Mate 10 recently. There is a function switch on Dual 4G mode. Any idea what it can do? Is this phone dual active on 4G+3G or dual standby on 4G on one sim and 3G on the other?

  • It is dual active only.

    Dual 4G/3G (4G/3G/2G+4G/3G/2G) is not new. In some regions, 2G network has been phased out. The old 4G/3G+2G dual SIM phones cannot be used as dual SIM phones in these regions. So a lot of new dual SIM phones are dual 4G already. For example, the dual SIM version of Galaxy S8 or Note 8. LG also offered such dual SIM phones since G4.

    But all of these dual SIM phones are dual standby only. None of them is dual active.

    • Do you mean Huawei mate 10 dual standby only?

      • Yes,as we know, Mate 10 in most markets is dual standby only.

        • Hello,
          I'm a bit confused. So is the mate 10 dual active or standby?
          I read that it's dual active but only on VoLTE!
          And great effort btw
          Best article I've found in this regard.

        • Mate 10 is dual standby only, as I know.

    • Unfortunately, the new Note 8, S8 & S8+ are not 4g+3g in my region. LG is not popular here. Only the latest Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are the only confirmed 4g+3g, good for travelling to countries without 2g network.

      • As I know, in most regions, S8, S8+ and Note 8 can be in 4G+3G. For S7, and S7 edge, only in some regions, 4G+3G was enabled after a firmware update.

        Anyway, this depends on your region and carrier. If Samsung knows 2G network is available in all carriers in the region, it may make it 4G+2G only in the firmware.

• Should this page update or remove ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser ZE551KL as a dual active phone? It is still the non-exhaustive list.

  • It was removed. Thank you for the feedback.

• Thanks for great article. My question is: if I use 2 sim stand by phone, and have different viber or whatsup accounts for each sim, can I use the same phone book for these applications. For example, can I use phone book from account conected to sim card 1 with viber account on sim 2?

  Thank you!

  • First, only some Samsung phones allow you to have two copies of the apps (therefore two accounts for WhatsApp or Viber) using secure folder. There is only one contacts app on one phone. All contacts can be accessed there. I am not sure what do you mean "phone book". It's better to save contacts under your Google account.

    Most other phones only allow one copy of an app. WhatsApp and Viber don't support multiple accounts.

    Anyway, accessing contacts is not an issue. But you need to run two copies of the app. Current only Samsung offers this in some of their phones. You may check secure folder guide here https://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/how-to-use-galaxy-s8-secure-folder-in-galaxy-s8-and-s8/

    • Huawei and oneplus support having 2 copies of certain apps

      • Thanks for sharing the info.

• Hi I am looking at the galaxy note 8 duos. It says it's a standby dual sim set up. Do you know if it works under the following scenario,

  So, dual standby Android phones may work like dual active phones when you are engaged a voice call through voLTE. In this case, if someone calls you in the other SIM card, you should get an incoming call notification as in a dual active Android phone. But you cannot put any call on-hold or on-wait, even your carrier support these.

  That would be enough for me as I don't want one of the sims to be out of action while on a call or anything like that.

  • You can enable dual sim always on. Please refer to this guide https://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/how-to-use-two-sim-cards-in-galaxy-s8-and-s8/

• Hi Simon,

  You should add Huawei P9 Plus VIE-AL10 as a dual sim full active phone. Indeed it’s chinese version but works great in Europe. I did not encounter any problems with i.e. google store or so on, software Its fully English except default browser. The second issue is that second sim works only as 2G.

  I bought it on eBay and I’m using it for everyday use so any question please feel free to ask.

  • Thank you for sharing the info with the community.

    I am not sure about this phone. We will check it.

    • simon,

      peter is right that the Huawei P9 Plus VIE-AL10 is a dual sim dual active phone based on the manufacturer's website.

      If you guys can read chinese, dual sim dual active phone is referred as "双卡双待双通".

      If you look at the Huawei's site - http://consumer.huawei.com/cn/phones/p9-plus/specs/

      and scroll to the end of the page, that's exactly what it said.

      Unfortunately, the second SIM slot can only be activated as 2G when first SIM slot is being used.

      There is still no "dual sim dual active" phone that would allow second SIM slot to be activated as 3G when first SIM slot is being used in the market yet.

      • Thank you for sharing the info. Yes, it is probably dual active for the Chinese market. But for models in the international market, it is dual standby only, as I know. It is a bad idea to use Chinese models in other regions.

        We do not talk much about Huaiwei because it is hard to track their products. For example, for P9 plus, the phone released in China is substantially different from that released in other markets in hardware components and firmware (we are not talking about software because Google is blocked in China). Even in US market and UK market, they are different. Those differences have nothing to do with regulatory requirements and bands and frequencies which are addressed in software. Even in the same market, different batches may use some different components. For Huaiwei phones (some are pretty good), anything not mentioned can vary in different markets and different batches.

• Thank you for this article.. My question is what aboutnow by December 2017,,, are there any new released reliable dual active smart phones with good quality?

  • No, the trend is dual standby because major chip makers now offer this feature in most of their chips. There is no incentive for manufacturers to add dual active.

• Hello can you recommend a dual SIM active phone for us market? Both Sims are t mobile 4g..

  • None.

    All Android manufacturers have moved to dual standby.

• Hi, hopefully you can help. I purchased a Huawei Honor 8 dual sim card phone in Italy so I could use my US T-Mobile card and my TIM-Mobile card on both phones, everything looked like it was working ok until I came back to the states. My US card worked ok with e-mail, texting but the phone calls kept on dropping or having a lousy recption. At the TIM store they told me that it was the phone.
  Are they correct? or is there some kind of setting that probably was missed?.
  Thank you

  • Sorry, this sentence is wrong "I could use my US T-Mobile card and my TIM-Mobile card on both phones," it should have been "I could use my US T-Mobile card and my Italian TIM-Mobile card on the same phone"

  • How about the Italian SIM card when you are in US? does it work?

• Huawei Mate 8 NXT AL-10 is an dual active phone..it can handle seperate call at the same time..

  • Thank you for sharing the info. As mentioned in other comments, it’s hard to evaluate Huawei devices.

    They often use different components with slightly different features in different regions.

    For example, for the same phone (model number may be slightly different), unless they specify it's dual active, some may get dual active, some may get dual standby. It's a bit annoying.

    • Hi Simon,
      Your article is extremely interesting although I have to admit that I'm a bit lost with all those different specifications.
      My personal situation is that I have two phones with one sim card in each of them. I would like to only have one phone with my two numbers but to be reachable at all time on my two numbers even when I'm already on the line. From what I understand, I would need to buy a Dual Sim Dual Active phone so could you please tell me what is the best DSDA phone on the market?
      Thank you very much in advance.

      • There are NO good dual active Android phones any more. All usable dual active Android phones were released a few years ago.

        With dual standby phones, you can also make both SIM cards available as explained in this page https://gadgetguideonline.com/android/android-101/how-to-make-two-sim-cards-always-available-in-dual-sim-dual-standby-android-phones/.

        For Samsung phones, it's even easier as explained in this page https://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/how-to-use-two-sim-cards-in-galaxy-s8-and-s8/

        Anyway, dual standby phones use one modem only. You will notice the limitations when you are engaged in a call.

• Awesome Article !! However still confused.
  I have a business phone and a personal phone.I have tried at least 4 different dual phones and always returned them because my goal was to use both lines to make and receive calls and most importantly send and receive text messages on both lines. I obviously failed. Is it even possible?

  • Sending and receiving text messages (sms) should not be an issue for most dual SIM phones.

    The main problem for dual standby phones is that you may miss the calls for the other sim when you are talking on one SIM. If both sim cards are from local carriers, you can enable call forwarding and call waiting to make sure you will not miss any calls. For this, you may refer to this guide https://gadgetguideonline.com/android/android-101/how-to-make-two-sim-cards-always-available-in-dual-sim-dual-standby-android-phones/

    For Samsung phones, you are offered the option for "both sim always-on", which sets up call forwarding on both sim cards for you automatically as explained in this guide https://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/how-to-use-two-sim-cards-in-galaxy-s8-and-s8/

    Anyway, for business users, I would still recommands two phones if your must make sure are ready for any calls.

• Hi, thanks for the info. I need a dual call phone for work. I've been looking the samsung galaxy j7 or j5. Can you tell mefor sure if they are dual call?

  Thanks for your help

  • It depends on the regions. In most regions, they are dual standby and your can use two sim cards. In a few regions, they only have one sim card slot. You need too check it with local dealer.

    Both J5 and J7 are dual standby only (for the dual SIM version). You may refer to this guide on how to use two SIM cards on Samsung Galaxy phones https://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/how-to-use-two-sim-cards-in-galaxy-s8-and-s8/

• S 9 and the S9+ dual sim phones.
  Do u know if they are active Sim or not. European network non carrier phone is what im after. cheers !

  • Dual standby only. It's confirmed.

• Any good phones dual sim full active in 2018 zenphone 5 it's full active?

  • Nope. The dual SIM version of zenphone 5 is dual standby only based on the announcement.

• What about the Samsung galaxy a8(2018)? I read somewhere that it has an active dual sim. Is this correct?

  Thanks for the informing article

  • No, as I know, the dual SIM version of Galaxy A8 is dual standby only.

    But the dual SIM version has a dedicated SD card slot.

• Dual SIM dual active has been a dream for the past 3 years for me. I currently use a Zenfone 3 which is a great phone, don't get me wrong, but would be 100 times better if it had a second modem to support dual active. The new qualicom, mediatec etc chips technically can all support dual active, but for one reason or another the manufacturers dont make phones that way. To me it seams only logical that two Sims would have the same capability. This is the best explanation I have seen on the web yet so thank you. I hope one day dual SIM dual active will make it's way to North America.

  • Unfortunately, most manufacturers are too ambitious to care about this niche market.

    Actually some has become irrelevant. But they don't bother trying something basic.

• I am looking for DSDA in Indian market. Pls suggest latest DSDA mobile.

  • Unfortunately, there are no options.

    You may have to try some dual SIM dual standby phones. You can make both SIM cards available as explained in this guide.

• Simon hi...best thing that happened to me today is stumbling across this site. You seem to have answered my queries re dual sim (stand-by vs active (every ones dream). I have two phones, long story but i need to get back to one phone and I am considering the Samsung S9 (because iphone do not have any dual sim phones, unless you are aware of any being released shortly).

  1. Do you have any S9 guides please or does "How to use two SIM cards in Galaxy S8 and S8+?" work the same?
  2. Vodafone Malta (Europe) offers 4.5G coverage. Does this mean that both local sims (of Vodafone) will allow for simultaneous usage if set up properly?

  Also, does a dual sim phone allow the phone owner to:
  1. identify if a call / message is being made to sim 1 or sim 2?
  2. choose to call / message from sim 1 or sim 2?
  3. easily swap between sim 1 and sim 2 for data usage?
  4. store contacts on the phone thus recognise all incoming calls + easily select a contact when making a call / sending a message?
  5. easily identify messages of sim 1 and sim 2 on e.g. whatsapp or does it depend from which sim you download the App?

  Do Apps work off one sim?
  Will the Calendar App allow for double entries?

  Thank you
  Andrew

  • Referring to your questions
    1. We haven't released the guide for dual SIM S9/S9+. We are still testing it. So far, it works identically to S8/S8+.
    2. Both SIM can connect to 4G. But only of them will connect to it. By default, the one assigned for mobile data will try to connect to 4G. The other will use 3G/2G. At any time, only one SIM card can be assigned for mobile data. 4.5G is very likely just 4G LTE+.

    1. Yes.
    2. Yes.
    3. Yes. In Settings - connections - SIM card manager.
    4. It's not related. Contacts are either under your Google account or under the device. Both SIM cards have equal access to them. Actually, it's the phone app or messages app that access them.
    5. It's not related. One WhatsApp account is linked to one phone number in one device. But in S9, you can use dual messenger or secure folder to use two WhatsApp account concurrently.

    Yes, all apps work with one SIM card, even no sim cards. SIM card is only for mobile network access.

    Calendar app are associated with your Google account, or Samsung account or the device. It's not related to SIM cards.

    • Hey Simon
      Thank you very much for your thorough reply.
      Much appreciated.
      Cheers
      Andrew

• I have a work and personal phone. I use two companies, none support 2G anymore (New Zealand - Skinny Mobile/Spark Mobile). So it would be pointless buying a Dual Active Sim as one would never work.

  Just thought it might be worth mentioning, as it could quite easily be overlooked, potentially as CDMA is phased out and carriers are making the jump to 4G...

  • Thank you for sharing your thought.

    Yes, as I know, all dual active phones have one 2G modem. If 2G was phased out already in your region. Your only choice is dual standby phones.

• Hello Dual Sim Dual Active telephone proposal 2018 ?

  • None. There are no good dual active Android phones in the market.

    You probably have to get a dual standby phone or carry two phones.

    • Hello Huawei p8 , mate 8 , Full dual active ;?

      • As I know, they are dual standby only. But some users reported them as dual active, possible in a few regions. We cannot confirm it.

        Anyway, Huawei may offer somewhat different configurations with same product line name in different regions. It's hard to verify Huawei products.

        • Do you have a phone to recommend?
          Dual sim Dual Active ?

        • Nope. All Android manufacturers moved to dual standby because most Qualcommon chips support dual standby out of the box.

          As 2G network has been shut down in more and more regions/carriers, it does not make sense to add an additional 2G only modem. Using two 3G/4G modems will increase the cost noticeably, and some special hardware and software implementation is needed as well. This would slow down the product cycle.

          I guess Android manufacturers will invest in dual SIM phones ONLY after Apple "invents" dual sim phones. But this probably will not happen at least in next 2-3 years.

• Excellent writing guys thanks a lot for the information. I am in the process of buying a dual sim phone, an S9+ to be clear...

  Is this phone 4G+2G or 4G+4G? All I care of is, if I get a call on SIM 1 and Im using my data on SIM 2, will the data drop untill the call is disconnected or it will remain active?

  • For Galaxy S9 and S9+, they are 4G+3G/2G only in most regions, not dual 4G. The sim card you specified for mobile data will try to connect to 4G network, the other one will use 3G or 2G.

    Only some dual 4G phones can use mobile data on one sim while talking on the other SIM. It also retirees requires carrier's support. Anyway, check carefully.

• Great article! How about the Huawei P20 pro? Any info on whether it's dual active or standby? Thanks! Thomas

  • It's dual standby only. But in some regions, it supports dual 4G (LTE +LTE). You need to check it with local distributor.

• Just want to say a big thank you for this post and for the dedication at answering and responding to every question asked over a 2 years period. It is rare in modern day blogging to see such level of commitment. I read through all the questions and answers and it did answer all the questions I had. I am getting the LG v20 because for me it is the best device from a price functionality and power user point of view. Although it is dual Sim standby. It has a dedicated SD card slot which does not alter the Dual Sim functionality. It is also reported to have support for a new voice band (can't remember the name) which is not yet widely supported but at least this makes it future proof. Thanks again for all the help. Definitely subscribing to this blog. Reader from Nigeria.

  • Glad to know the post helped you. Thank you for sharing your experiences of choosing a dual SIM phone.

• Nokia 7 plus will get an Update for DualVoLTE Support.

  • Thank you for sharing the info.

• i have cut my home fiber optic 10Mb line and now rely on my phone to get internet access for my laptop via tethering/hotspot. We have a few telcos offering 4G LTE data. This works out great, not only i could save a lot of money over the long run, i feel the 4G is somehow faster than the fiber optic. A 10Mb translate to 1.25MB and a speed test on the 4G could get me around 3-5MB/s. Just one good thing about fibre line is stability, my job requires me online most of the time as i am doing ecommerce like selling on eBay, so i will have a lot of customers to serve and get their items shipped asap. The 4G is fast most of the time but sometimes like at peak hours it gets very slow and page loads forever. But this happens not very often, so is no big issue. Sometimes i need am on business trips and would get to other states. Some states maybe telco A is more coverage and faster, some states maybe telco B is faster and so on. I am actually looking for a phone with 2 sim slot which allows me to put in 2 sim cards from telco A and telco B and have both LTE data load balancing to increase data throughput and in case telco A slows down or dead due to a maintenance, telco B could still provides the data. I dun need speed increase as i never download big files, i just need load balancing and redundant feature. Is there such a phone? What is the keyword i should look for? If there is no such phone, i will need to buy 2 phones and turn on hotspot for both of them and have my laptop connected to one phone at a time and if pages failed to load i will have to manually switch to another hotspot. Or is there any WiFi Router or AP where u could insert 2 sims and give u WiFi internet? This will do too. Thank you

  • Thank you for the detailed explanation of your need and the questions. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions.

    You cannot aggregate two mobile data connections on any phones. Data centers use very expensive routers to aggregate multiple upstream connections. There are a few such routers for business as well. But I don't know any of such routers for mobile data. No MiFi can do it as I know.

    Maybe some other members can share their solutions.

• Hi I have a OnePlus 2 phone, on a recent trip to Australia I bought a local sim (Kogan) however when this was in the phone on standby my UK sim (Tesco/O2) just wouldn't work. I wonder if you could explain this and perhaps a way round this, regards

  • It's probably due to 2G network. In Australia, 2G network was phased out already. The dual SIM in One Plus 2 probably works as 2G/3G/4G +2G only. It probably doesn't have the dual 4G capability.

• Simon, excellent posts and quick replies.
  Do u have any idea about any DSDA in Asus Zenfone 5 Series for eg. model :- ZE620KL ?

  • It is a dual standby phone only. None of the major Android manufacturers has released any dual active phones this year.

• Do an Duel SIM phone work with 4g/3g on First SIM + 3g on 2nd SIM? Now in Australia 2G is shut down by all carriers so 2nd SIM must connect to 3G (at least connected and showing a signal level. I am Ok if the 2nd SIM is not active during an active call on first SIM.)

  • Yes, some dual SIM phones can work on 4G/3G+3G. For example, Galaxy S9, S8 and Note 8, LG G6, V20.

    But this is usually region (firmware) dependent. If 2G network was been phased out in your region, most local sets of dual SIM phones should not rely on 2G. Anyway, you should but the local set, not overseas set.

• Here is list of DSDS devices with support for 4G/3G for both SIM cards. However, the list may not be complete.

  http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/dual_sim_4g3g_phones

  Here I found these 2 Sony phones seem have 3G Stand-by on both SIM cards:

  Sony Xperia XA2 Dual H4133
  Sony Xperia XA2 Dual H4113

  https://www.phonemore.com/sony-xperia-xa2-dual-h4133/specs/3885
  https://www.phonemore.com/sony-xperia-xa2-dual-h4113/specs/3884

  • Thank you for sharing the info. Please note, dual 3G/4G support depends on the region. In different regions, the phone with same name may have consider considerably different configurations and features, especially, for less popular brands/models.

    Also, for Huawei phones, it's better to check with local distributor. They tend to differ noticeably in different regions.

• Great write up. Thanks for sharing the info Simon. Really useful.

• Hi,
  I use Samsung S9+ Dual sim
  I have 2 sim cards , when i use the button for Dual Sim Always ON

  i get an error message saying the Following:

  Failed

  (Sim Card 1)
  Call forwarding:Failed
  Call waiting : Turned ON

  (Sim Card 2)
  Call forwarding:Failed
  Call waiting : Turned ON

  i have tried everything from disabling all kind of call forwarding
  and it never worked

  if Anyone has any suggestion it would be great

  • Call forwarding may be not activated by the carrier, or it's set to voicemail. You need check with the carrier on call forward settings.

• Simon,
  One of the best comprehensive articles/posts ever. Thank you for taking the time and going into so much detail. I was convinced the Zenfone Z5 was dual active until I read your posts. I hope a new dual active shows up soon. For now I'm sticking to two phones and hope to see one of your posts give us the good news.

  • Thank you for your kind words.

    I still carry two phones as I have to use 3 numbers. After enabling call-forwarding+ call-waiting (on Samsung phones, it is called dual-SIM always on), I personally tried dual-standby phones (mainly Galaxy S and Note phones, and a few LG/Moto phones) in last 2-3 years. I found the dual active probably is sufficient for most users with proper settings (with carrier support).

• Hi,

  Is there a way to make a dual sim S9 have the same radiation level as a single SIM S9?

  If I disable one sim in Android  (in settings > connections > SIM card manager > general settings > sim2 off), will this completely disable one sim radio circuit, or both sims will still keep running?

  • For dual standby phones, there are only one set of hardware shared by two SIM cards. Dual standby is mainly implemented in software level. Disabling one SIM card doesn't necessarily lower radiation level.

    Actually, the signal strength and quality play a bigger role.

• Thanks Simon!

  If everything happens in software, what causes a stand-by dual-sim phone with one sim disabled to have a higher radiation level than a single sim phone (other things, like signal strength, kept equal)? Is it that android does not really disable the second sim, it just makes it unusable?

  • First, the radiation level from single or dual sim (even including dual active) phones should be under regulatory limits. I don't think dual standby phones have a higher radiation level than single SIM phones. The antenna and receiver are shared by two sim cards.

    When you disable one sim card, that sim card will not be registered on the corresponding mobile network and therefore the phone will not establish a connection to that network.

    Please note, if you disable both sim cards, the phone may still search for mobile networks. The mobile radio is NOT disabled. In some regions, emergency calls are compulsory.

    If you want the phone doesn't search for mobile networks, you should put the phone in aeroplane (flight) mode, which will disable the mobile radio completely.

• Is zenfone max pro m1 dual active?

  • No, it's dual standby only.

• In a dual-standby scenario: Does having both sim cards on the same carrier impact the stand-by battery usage less than having them on different carriers?

  • I don't think so. The phone simply connects to the network individually. The signal strength and quality greatly affect the standby time.

• In 2018 is there a dual sim active phones exist? If yes pls email me i need that phone

  • No, none of the main Android manufacturers released dual active phones this year.

• Are there any dual active phones by Mi, Nokia or Realme that maybe launched in India also?

  • No, I don't think any Android manufacturers would launch a dual active phone this time. Qualcomm and other chip makers offer dual standby support on most of their chips. Phone manufacturers don't need to do much work or add any cost to provide dual standby. But for dual active phones, they have to do some extra work. The additional modem, licensing fees and other hardware will cost around $10-$20.

    • Thanks for your reply.
      My previous query was due to a model i saw listed on an e-seller indicating it was Dual 4G Active.

      link Removed
      The RealME2 Pro phone model is listed as Dual 4g Active.

      I had been seeking a Dual Active phone since almost 10 yrs when I had an LG phone in 2006 which was indeed Dual Active that I could get voice calls on both SIM simultaneously. Since the smartphones launched in 2008 and then the Dual SIM models came out, all were Dual Standby mode as you have highlighted in this guide. Having read that this phone was mode, I was very interested in buying this as it would have helped immensly in my work.
      But before buying i even posed a query on the site to check if it indeed is the Dual Active mode that I think it would work as or the seller wrote it only for selling the product. When I read the different crudely formed responses saying it was Dual 4G Dual VolTE and to a question when I asked if it would simultaneously receive 2 calls I got a reply in the affirmative. so I went ahead and bought the phone.

      I spent ~ $180 for this phone and I am told that it is Dual Active only for 4G data. Calls will be received still only 1 SIM at a time. if one is active the other SIM will be inactive.

      To complicate things and make it easy to sell, sellers add random nouns, adjectives to specs and play to confuse the buyers. Not sure who is ethical in this game but definitely the sellers who get protection from the platforms are never ethical.

      So I am actually using this above article of Dual Active mode guide to fight my case.
      I am not sure if there is any other technicality I need to be aware of to fight this battle with the seller since the e-platform is acting in favor of the seller and are refusing to accept my request for a refund or get me a truly Dual Active phone. Such cheats!

      • If I were you, I would not waste my time to fight with them. Most online platforms are biased towards sellers, not buyers. All the terms and conditions are written by them. You can only accept them.

        Anyway, next time, you may try to buy from reputable sellers and buy well-respected brands. Don't rely on seller's words. For the money you paid, you probably can easily get some decent Android One phones like Nokia 6.1 or some Xiao Mi, or Samsung phones.

        • Waste of time and energy yes! Unfortunately that's how the life with IT systems has become.
          luckily but the RealMe support team did accept that the website of the seller listed the specs of the phone incorrectly as Dual Active. That it should be Dual Standby only.
          I am hoping the seller platform too realises the mistake they made and correct their arrogance. However one party accepting is good start. If they take the phone back and refund, I'll be doubly careful - nowadays who's of repute who's not is itself a dicey call.
          But your guide sure helped a lot in the whole deal. Thanks.

• Hello, thanks for the article and all the responses!
  I think I have it figured out: my current BLU phone is obviously 4G+2G only. When I enable data on SIM 1, then SIM 2 becomes unusable because there is no 2G available.

  So, I am looking at a Samsung A8, I figure it should connect 4G on SIM 1 and 3G on SIM 2. I don't really care if data is not available while taking a call on SIM 2.

  Let me know if I have this right before I make a costly mistake!

  Thanks

  Pete

  • Yes, some dual sim phones only supports 4G+2G.

    For recent Galaxy A and S phones, in most regions, they support 4G+4G/3G/2G. At least, if 2G network was disabled in your country, then the local set should work in 4G+3G.

• Thanks for the article. I wish it was easier to find information from the manufactures whether their phones are Dual Active, Dual 4G, or Dual 4G/2G.

  My first Dual SIM phone was the Microsoft 950XL Dual, and I know first-hand how limiting a 4G/2G phone is. It drove me nuts that the secondary SIM wasn't getting text messages.

  I used to use gsmarean.com to get information on Dual Active phones, but it seems they have changed all Dual SIM phones to Dual Standby. Not one phone is listed as Dual Active anymore.

  I used to believe my current phone, ASUS ZenFONE 3 Deluxe, was Dual Active, but since gsmarena.com doesn't specify anymore, I don't know what to believe.

  • None of the major Android phone manufacturers made any dual active phones in recent 2 years.

    For Asus ZenFone 3 deluxe, as I know it's dual standby only in most regions. And probably is 4G/2G only.

    • I did a little more digging. Although out of date, I found this webpage that lists phone chipsets that support, at minimum, 4G/3G:
      https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/dual_sim_4g3g_phones
      My 950XL only has the Snapdragon 910, and that’s why the secondary SIM only works on 2G, and I can’t get SMS.
      I checked my ASUS phone on the ASUS website, and confirmed it is only Dual Standby. But it has the Snapdragon 920/921, and that’s why I am able to successfully get SMS on both SIMs. I’m pretty sure GSMArena.com listed the ASUS as Dual Active. Had I known it wasn’t Dual Active, I wouldn’t have bought it.
      Actually, I checked all the Dual Active phones you have listed above on GSMArena, and none of them are listed as Dual Active.

      • Most recent Qualcomm chips support 4G+3G. The major problem is the firmware. In different regions and different networks, the requirement can be different. Some vendors even disabled this feature on the top tier models in some regions because carriers don't like it.

• All dual SIM dual active followers should right an email to Asus on EMAIL REMOVED if Asus get many emails for dual SIM dual active then Asus may manufacture Dual SIM Dual Active mobile handset.

• Please can you tell me does the Mate 8 have the Android 8 Oreo updates?

  • It depends on your region. In some regions, Mate 8 got Oreo update. But Huawei is not consistent in pushing updates.

• At least in Europe you can still find Honor 8, full DSDA. And it got recently Oreo Update.

  • Thank you for sharing the info. For Huawei phones, there are so many variations. And they seldom announce them publicly. Some sellers may be not aware of the changes from batch to batch. Buyers need to get definite answer from the seller if they need certain features.

• Hi friend.

  Please let me know the latest available DSDA phones in India.

  • Not sure. But major Android manufactures didn't release any dual SIM dual active phones in 2018. You probably have to find dual standby phones.

• I am using AT&T in the US. AT&T no longer has a 2g network. I am looking for a dual SIM phone to use with a business line & a personal line. I was thinking of the Asus Zenfone 2 (us version 4g/16g) but saw your reply about the LG V20 and am now considering it. I only use one line at a time and was going to forward one line to the other. I presently use a LG G6 and the other option is to get a inexpensive phone & just forward that line to my G6. What are your thoughts? Thanks for your article it was very informative.

  • Many dual standby phones can work on 4G/3G+4G/3G. When using one phone, call forwarding will occur only when the other SIM is engaged in a voice call. For other times, both can receiving calls directly if you set call forwarding when unreachable. If you use two phones, you need carry two phones. Otherwise, call forwarding will anyways be used. This may consume a lot of your calling minutes.

    Personally, I would recommend to use one phone. Some Android phones (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S or Note phones) even allow you to use two copies of messaging app. So you can separate personal and business messaging accounts.

    Please note, most US carrier models don't have dual SIM feature.

• Finally a decent explanation! Thank you.

• is it possible to disable gprs, edge and 2g on a sim card? I wan to use a sim for voice and another sim for data. In the UK, o2 is the best network for voice, and EE is the best for data. I want to use EE for data but disable all the data connection that require exclusive access to the receiver so that it does not block access to the voice sim.

  • In dual SIM phones, there should be a SIM card manager. You can assign one for mobile data. The other one will be voice only. Of course, you can ask the phone company to disable mobile data for the SIM.

    If you want to disable 2G, you can set network type as 3G/LTE. But you need to make sure the phone supports dual 3G/LTE. Usually, you should not disable 2G if 2G service is still available.

• Sir plz tell me Redmi note 7 pro & samsung, m 30 which is dual sim active phone ...?
  Mean in case one sim engage in
  Call then another sim call
  Coming
  .??

  • Both are dual standby. There have been no new dual active smartphones in last 3 years.

• I ran across the Vivo IQ00 gaming phone. GSMarena reports it is Dual Sim Dual Standby.
  https://www.gsmarena.com/vivo_iqoo-9613.php
  (Interesting 12GB ram, vapor cooling, snapdragon 855.) Wish it has a much larger battery.

• Hi Friend,

  Apple's dual sim iPhone is DSDA or DSDS?

  • Dual standby only.

• Dear Simon,

  Please send me a list of DSDA phones available at present in India.

  • Forget DSDA phones. No Android manufactures released any dual active phones in last 3 years.

    So, you may have to get two phones or live with dual standby phones.

• Do dual sim smartphones drain more battery than single sim?

  • For dual standby, no, the battery consumption should be similar to that of using one SIM card.

    For dual active, yes, because of the two sets of modems. But it is hard to get dual active phones.

• Ive always had 2 phones for this reason because it was so hard to find a phone that both lines could be operational at the same time or at least be able to get a call while on a call or send text and mms while on a call.

  I couldve sworn the OnePlus 6 had Dual Active LTE Data Sim slots?
  I have a ASUS ZENFONE 6 and it has Active Dual LTE slots.

  My Samsung Note 8 does not have Dual Active LTE slots, its quite annoying. It reverts to 3g or 2g but 2g is just about gone if not already and 3g will be probably be gone by 2022.

  Do you know any current phones that have Dual Active sim slots for 4G? Maybe the new 5G phones will?

  • As I know, there have been no dual sim dual active Android phones in recent years. Some support dual 4G LTE. Both SIM cards can connected to 4G LTE networks concurrently. But if you are on a voice call, you may drop to 3G or even 2G network if the carrier does not support voLTE on that specific phone model. If both carries support voLTE on that phone, then you can see notifications of a second call when you are on the first call.

    Please note voLTE support depends on the carrier AND the phone model. Some carriers only support voLTE on phones sold through them. For example, Note 8 supports dual LTE and voLTE in most regions, but carriers may not support voLTE on Note 8 without their csc.

    Anyway, it's harder to get real dual active phones because most components and firmware are standardized. No manufacturers are willing to spend extra money to modify.

• So ive been on this quest to find dual active sims for 3 years.

  I was told the the one plus 6T does have 2 modems and is dual active sims. I do know it has 2 modems but i do not know if they are simultaneous active 4g/3g sims or VOLTE

  Also I had a Panasonic FZ-X1. This I believe has 2 seperate modems as well. However it was a slow phone and I can't remember testing it to see if it had Dual Active 4g sims or not.

  The Asus Zenfone 6 and Samsung note8 are only dual standby.

  The newer iphones with esim are only dual standby sims as well.

  Oneplus says the new 8 pro and 8T will have dual active sims in a future update but that had been said for 6 months now and still no dual active or even a second sim at this point.

  If anyone can guide me to a the 3 latest newest phones with dual active sims, it wpuld be greatly appreciated!

  Thank you for the great article!

  • Don't waste time to wait for any new dual active Android phones.

    As I know, both OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro only support dual standby in almost all regions. In US, dual SIM (dual standby) was disabled and still waiting for an update to enable it.

    Qualcomm's recent modems support dual SIM dual voLTE. It works like dual active. But there is only one modem. It requires both of the SIM cards (carriers) support voLTE for the specific phone.

    VoLTE works only if your carrier supports voLTE on that phone (carrier support + phone support is NOT enough. You need the carrier support on that phone). It is a bit confusing. Carriers usually support voLTE for phones sold through them (with their footprint in the firmware).

• Clearly YOU DO NOT WORK FOR AT&T, thank you very much for taking the time to explain this, even a while back, this info still applies and the phone companies are not training their people, they are simply selling you products.
  Over a week dealing with them, sold 2 different devices for dual sim dual active, with simple explanations of what I want to achieve - one phone two numbers, active at the same time.
  Neither device worked as advertised by the sales people - BEWARE, they will attempt to charge you a restocking fee on a return, NO WAY is that acceptable when they sell you something that doesn't work, just be aware that's a sales tactic.

• I have a Samsung A50. Is it DSDS or DSDA?
  Also... if I place one SIM in the default mobile data mode, will the phone receive mobile data via the second SIM?

  • It’s DSDS. Only one SIM card can connect to mobile data at any time. If you set sim card 1 for mobile data, then sim card 2 will not connect to mobile data unless you enable Allow all SIMs to use data in calls in Settings - connections - mobile networks. If enabled, SIM card 2 may connect to mobile data when SIM card 1 is engaged in a call.

• Mate 8 is DSFA (dual sim full active): one of flagship DSFA.

  I own two mate 8 one 3GB + 32Gb and one 4GB + 128GB

  • As I know, Mate 8 only has dual-standby models.

    Most recent DSDS phones support "dual active 4G". This works similar to dual active phones if both SIM cards can use 4G networks (and 4G networks are available).

• Did any dsda phones released in 2020 or 2021

  • No, as I know. But dual standby phones are getting better with the 4G networks.

• How can we tell that a phone is a dual-4G? For me this is a more important concern since one of my carriers is 4G only (AWS), while from the other carrier I will need the 4G data. With DSDS forwarding it to a VOIP phone service with its app in the phone can be good workaround.

  More specifically, is Google Pixel 4a is dual 4G? As per Google, Pixel 4a is DSDS if one of the SIMs is an eSIM.

  • You need to read the specification sheet. But most mainstream dual SIM phones (with Qualcomm chips) now support dual 4G.

    If you already have two SIM cards, you can check the SIM card status or try to force the network type to 4G. Please note some carriers may exclude 4G services in some plans.

    The dual SIM version of Pixel phones has only one SIM card slot (like iPhone). You must use eSIM + SIM card if you want to use two SIM cards.

• Thanks for replying!

  Good to hear that most mainstream dual SIM phones - especially with Qualcomm chips - support dual 4G. Still, nice if we canto confirm that before purchasing the phone. Where can get the spec sheet that contain that information?

  I look into GSMArena and PhoneArena and neither has it, GSMArena does not even explicitly say whether the phones I checked are dual SIM. However, they do say what the chips are. For Pixel 4a, the chipset is Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G, and its spec in Qualcomm site says "Multi SIM: LTE Dual SIM". Is this the key information? Seems like Qualcomm has this for long since even Snapdragon 821 - which runs original single-SIM Google Pixel - also has "Multi SIM: LTE Dual SIM".

  - https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_4a-10123.php
  - https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Google-Pixel-4a_id11311
  - https://www.qualcomm.com/products/application/smartphones/snapdragon-7-series-mobile-platforms/snapdragon-730g-mobile-platform

  • Yes, it is not an easy task because most of manufacturers do not highlight the dual SIM feature.

    Dual SIM support is through the modem. You need to know the modem used in the phone to determine the capability. Most Qualcomm chips are well-documented. So, it is a bit easier for phones with Qualcomm chips because very, very seldom, manufacturers opt for other modems (it is possible) when using Qualcomm chips.

    Anyway, it is generally safe to "assume" the recently (in last 1-2 years) released dual-SIM phone is dual 4G if a Qualcomm chip is used, or if it is a Samsung phone with an Exynos chip. I am not familiar with MediaTek chips.