GLOBAL – Nokia last week unveiled two new phones that offer the unique advantage of supporting more than one SIM card: the Nokia C1-00 and the Nokia C2-00. However, there’s a key difference between the two that might cause some confusion. The C1-00 is what Nokia refers to as a Double SIM phone, while the C2-00 is a dual SIM device. Join us after the break for what we hope will be a useful guide to the advantages of both.
In brief
- Double SIM: one SIM or another
- Dual SIM: both run simultaneously
- Nokia C1-00 Double SIM
- Nokia C2-00 Dual SIM
Double SIM – for example, the Nokia C1-00 – means that you can have two SIM cards installed on the device, choosing which one you want to use when you power up your phone. You can’t make or receive calls with the inactive SIM, only the one you’ve chosen, until you change it again by holding down the appropriate button. One further advantage of the Nokia C1-00 is that the second SIM card is hot-swappable through a side slot – allowing several SIM cards to be easily used without having to dismantle your phone every time.
Who might want this: If you use one account for daytime and another for evenings; if you use a different account when travelling abroad; if you share the device – perhaps between a family; perhaps keeping an ‘emergency’ account in store in case you run out of minutes on a pre-paid account.
Dual SIM – two SIM cards are installed, both of which are active at the same time. You can receive calls on either number at the same time, potentially simultaneously. In the case of the Nokia C2-00, there is a shortcut key which invokes which SIM to use for the next outgoing call. There are obvious advantages to this in terms of not having to switch in and out of accounts, or appearing unavailable on one number when the other SIM is in use.
Who might want this: all of the above, plus use of different accounts for work and personal calls (and similar); extra convenience; choice of different accounts for phoning people on particular networks.
Have you thought of any extra uses for a phone with two SIMs, that we haven’t covered above? Let us know how you’d use yours in this week’s poll.
image credit: nirsha