Best DUAL SIM android phone?

[will_wonka]

If you really cannot wait for the V350, you could order one of these:

Muchtel A2 Dual SIM Android Phone AKA Viewsonic V350 | eBay

Its supposed to be the same and made by the same OEM for VS.

Would I would say and as tempted as I am, being sick of waiting, is that there will be no 3D interface as expected with the VS phone and if it goes horribly wrong, do you really want to be sending it back to Thailand or dealing with pigeon English customer support?

We are only a week away from yet another "confirmed release date" from Viewsonic, 2 September........if the phone does not materialise this time, I will be ditching the idea and waiting for another major manufacturer (such as Motorola) to adopt and offer within Euroland / UK. Another delay by VS will IMO be the death nell of this yet to be released phone, people such as I would have lost all confidence.

We shall see.

 

[Deleted User]

If you really cannot wait for the V350, you could order one of these:

Muchtel A2 Dual SIM Android Phone AKA Viewsonic V350 | eBay

Its supposed to be the same and made by the same OEM for VS.

If it is the case that Viewsonic is delaying V350 so many times because of serious problems found, wouldn't this Muchtel A2 be full of those problems?

I don't think this should be trusted...

 

[flamer]

Is there any good reason people want the V350 over the XT531? The 531 has a faster CPU, droid 2.3 and a better battery. all other specs are the same.

Unless something better comes along in the mean time, I will be grabbing the Xt531 the day the dual sim version is released!

 

[Deleted User]

I would also prefer the XT531, but it might take a while to come out and also it looks like the dual sim version might only be available for Asian markets.

I've been looking for it on the Motorola's website and so far I could only find it on Chinese pages.

Btw, it seems that the XT531 (Domino+) is already available at the Motorola Chinese Store for 1.998 CNY, which is something like 217 EUR, but have no idea if this is the dual sim version or not because my Chinese is not very good.

 

[EmilF]

I'd love to see that happen! It takes them way too long to get in on the market.

The Belgian Expansys website now says it's expected 14 september: ViewSonic V350 Dual Sim Smartphone (Quad Band, EU)



Has anyone got any experience with these phones:

xFone X1:
Android 2.2, 4.3 Capacitive Touch Screen, 480 x 800px, 256K colors, GPS, Dual SIM, Quad Band, WiFi, 576M RAM, 512M ROM, Dual-core CPU 460MHz+280MHz

bSense D4:
Android 2.2, 4.3 Capacitive Multi-touch Screen, 480 x 800px, 256K colors, GPS, Dual SIM, Quad Band, WiFi, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, Dual-core CPU 460MHz+280MHz

Metropolis 2:
Android 2.2, 4.0 Capacitive Multi-touch Screen, 480 x 800px, 256K colors, GPS, Dual SIM, Quad Band, WiFi, 256M RAM, 512M ROM, Dual Core CPU 460MHz+280MHz


Do they have enough memory and are they fast enough? What about the 256K colors?
Does anyone know they can be used as a WiFi-hotspot like the V350?
They all come with 2 batteries, this can't be a good thing, right?

Some of them got a line of icons beneath the screen, just like the HTC-phones. On a HTC the icons are buttons that can be pushed (and used), can we say the same about the cheap chinese phones? Or is it just for decoration?

Thx for any feedback!

I have the HD9, that have the same specs. It works and can be used, but is slow. Not a "smooth" experience so to say - and only 2G

Almost all china phones comes with 2 batteries. Mine did to, but I only use the one. It has "standard" Android battery life (1-2 days).

I'm upgrating to the T9199 now.

 

[Bakske]

Not being 3G is a killer indeed.


I've been searching for more information about the FET T8888, and apparently there's an identical phone available: the HOT HD958.

It has got the same specs and looks totally the same, and it's available from different stores than the FET T8888. Price of the HOT HD958 seems to be higher though. At EtoTalk.com the HOT HD958 costs 319 USD for the moment, the FET T888 costs 299 USD at Android-Sale.com.

A review of this phone can be found at here: Smartphone Reviews: HOT HD958 Dual SIM with 3G support. I'm not sure if the review is really that objective.
Comparison of the HD958 and the T888 in Russian: Forum.China-iPhone.Ru - HOT HD958 3G+3G 2sim 3,8'' multi-touch Android 2.2.1. I've used Google Translate in an attempt to follow the conversation.
Available ROMs for the HD958: HOT HD958 Dual SIM with 3G support - ACER Users / ETEN Users Forum


Although the HOT HD958 is more expensive, I've got more confidence in EtoTalk than in Android-Sale. And at EtoTalk you can get a 10 USD refund if you fill in this code during the order: bm-sreviews-special. So it becomes 309 USD in total.


Anyone got any experience with the HOT HD958 or with EtoTalk?

 

[EmilF]

Anyone got any experience with the HOT HD958 or with EtoTalk?

I have experience with both etotalk and HD958. The phone performs great, and fast. Works well, and good sound quality. Also there have been a number of ROM updates and there is support forums (as you refer to).

Etotalk is a pretty good seller, but a china seller. As all chinese sellers they have low margins, and will change name from time to time

They will help you and give pretty good support, but when it come to repair/exchange don't expect to much (my personal experience). Always use Paypal, the got me a full refund for my HD958, as the michrophone did not work (i filed a paypal claim). Etotalk came with allot of support like ROM updates and tweaks, but that did not help...

By the way, when you compare prices, remember to include any postage and other fees. Allot of shops have paypal fee of 4-5%, etotalk don't. Then again some sellers have free postage, etotalk don't.

 

[Bakske]

Thanks for the info EmilF!

I think I'll be buying the HOT HD958 from EtoTalk then.

I just have to wait for my money to appear on PayPal...

 

[smurfOnE]

@smurfOnE, what about the G1315, is it eligible already to go also in the wiki list?

That's fine with me. I'm not a control freak.. feel free to add it.

Personally I'm only adding phones that I have confidence are genuine, but the table is really a free-for-all. I encourage folks to contribute because the job is getting too big for just a couple people.

I would only remove a phone from the table if I had strong certainty that it was a fake with chips falsely self-identifying and bogus specs.

 

[smurfOnE]

Is there any good reason people want the V350 over the XT531?

Someone wrote in the wiki that the dual-sim version will only be released in Asia. (why have 2 versions of one model, and why not sell dual-sim everywhere?)

Plus the V350 appears to be closer to becoming available.

 

[smurfOnE]

Not being 3G is a killer indeed.

Unless you just want something cheap while waiting for something good. One of the non-3g models is ~88

 

[drsnuggles]

Someone wrote in the wiki that the dual-sim version will only be released in Asia. (why have 2 versions of one model, and why not sell dual-sim everywhere?)

Yeah, that was me. It is written in the Motorola press release.

The Motorola XT531 will be marketed as Motorola FIRE

 

[will_wonka]

Quick update guys:

The UK Expansys site now states 10 September as the release date for the V350.

I would imagine that Amazon will update tomorrow if these guys are showing stock first.......after all, the VS website is advertising the Amazon pre release page!

 

[Mr Floppy]

switching for Gygabite (only 50Mhz less).

I just had to register and say that you can't just look at raw CPU speed alone. Even though there is 50Mhz difference, the Qualcomm in the Gigabyte is a 7225 where as the V350 is a 7227. You can compare the benchmark results with the HTC Legend (7227) and Wildfire (7225), standard roms android 2.1, 4430 vs. 2948 based on flexycore benchmarks

Not perfect comparison but close

 

[MatrixCow]

I have experience with both etotalk and HD958. The phone performs great, and fast. Works well, and good sound quality. Also there have been a number of ROM updates and there is support forums (as you refer to).

Etotalk is a pretty good seller, but a china seller. As all chinese sellers they have low margins, and will change name from time to time

They will help you and give pretty good support, but when it come to repair/exchange don't expect to much (my personal experience). Always use Paypal, the got me a full refund for my HD958, as the michrophone did not work (i filed a paypal claim). Etotalk came with allot of support like ROM updates and tweaks, but that did not help...

By the way, when you compare prices, remember to include any postage and other fees. Allot of shops have paypal fee of 4-5%, etotalk don't. Then again some sellers have free postage, etotalk don't.

So you would recommend the HD958? I've been searching for a good phone for a while now. My first choice was the V350, but I stopped hoping for a release. The GSmart looks good, but I also have seen a few bad reviews.
So a Chinese phone is the only option I guess.

 

[jappa]

@kosiu
Durning a call, the second card is blocked. 3G is achieved only through SIM1. Performance is the same as in 1317, only the response of the screen is much much faster. Performance are satisfactory since no faster procesor is on market with dual sim android.

@This NeWbIe_vlc:
I bought 1315 in Hungary. There is also available 1317 and the 1310
Regarding battery life, I was satisfied with duration on 1317, and now in 1315 is almost 2 days.


@ Haxthausen
In Hungary, Gigabyte phones can normally buy.
I can not compare with the V350 but delay in release date indicate problems with v350
G1317 and G 1315 are basically the same phone. Only 1315 has a much better camera and a lot better, bigger and faster screen.

 

[kosiu]

@ Jappa,

Many thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[drsnuggles]

Forgot about the 3G. So these phones are all a no-go for me.
Has anyone got any experience with the website android-sale.com? Anyone bought something from this website?

Yeah I have some experience with Android-sale.com. They seem to have no stock at all. So I'm waiting since last monday for my order to be sent. The good thing is that they reply quickly to e-mails.

 

[jeroensteijl]

I ordered @ computeruniverse.de and they changed the deliverydate of the V350 to 15.09, and this is non binding info from the supplier they say....

 

[Bakske]

ViewSonic - Press Release - ViewSonic presents new Products at IFA 2011

Seems like the release of the V350 is coming closer.


I didn't go for the FET T888 or the HOT HD958, there seem to be problems with the sound and others. Some of those problems can be solved thanks to this topic: HOT HD958 Dual SIM with 3G support - ACER Users / ETEN Users Forum. But this requires a 32-bit OS and I only have a 64-bit, so I'm not going to take the risk.

So back to waiting for the V350 or another branded dual-sim smarthone.

 

[Pipofiasco]

@Jappa: thanx for sharing your experience!

Do you know if Gsmart phones support Dutch language (Nederlands) ?

 

[jappa]

@Jappa: thanx for sharing your experience!

Do you know if Gsmart phones support Dutch language (Nederlands) ?

This 1315Gsmart has only Polish, Czech and English. Purchased in Hungary.

 

[smurfOnE]

ViewSonic - Press Release - ViewSonic presents new Products at IFA 2011

Seems like the release of the V350 is coming closer.

They're still talking "previews." That's not good news.

The strategy is to delay only 3-4 weeks at a time to prevent clients from going with a competitor. The v350 should have been available by June, and they probably knew back then that it was another 3-6 months away. For all we know, September is not realistic either.

 

[drsnuggles]

Did anyone already got the Lenovo A60? Etotalk.com seems to have custom roms which support the Android market and they have pictures to prove it. Price went down to $189. Quite a bargain if everything works .

New dual sim 2G phone (see picture below): The AT&T G11i from Etotalk or EtoWalk .
Specs:
-Android 2.3 or 2.2 (depends where you buy it)
-RAM : 512+64=576 MB / ROM : 512 MB
-MTK6513 Dual Core, 680MHz + 400MHz
-Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE : 850/900/1800/1900 MHz. So no 3g
Seems like Etowalk is just a cheap rip-off of Etotalk. The latter one started two years ealier.

 

[mynameisone]

I still have some doubts about this Lenovo A60 and find it hard to believe that it is a genuine phone and not some kind of "branded chinese clone", because this is only available on strange chinese wholesale shops...

What do you think? Is this really a viable alternative to the V350 or the G1315?

Got the phone now. Splashscreen on startup is 'HTC Quietly digital' then a Lenovo splash screen and then HTC again before phone is active. Guess that settles it. Haven't had the chance to use it much since I get lots of application crashes. Sound seems ok, but it's sometimes slow in processing.