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How to reduce your phone bill with a dual SIM handset

Dual SIM smartphones have become something of a staple on local shores and while the technology seems simple enough many people don’t understand what the benefits of having two SIM cards to call upon are.

The most obvious benefit of having two SIM cards is so that you have more control over how you spend money on your smartphone. Historically, many people throughout Africa opted for dual SIM phones in order to take advantage of particular voice tariff promotions. These days, it’s all about getting the most data and voice for your buck.

The problem for consumers is that voice tariffs are typically expensive for data. Whereas a dedicated data tariff is often much-more cost effective. In the graph below, we’ve put together a comparison of South African networks looking at prepaid voice minutes and data prices based on a one-off purchase of 20MB data. You can see that in an ideal world, you’ve be using operator A for data, but operator A for voice calls to get the very best value for money out of both.

Some network operators even have specific plans that may discount data but charge more for calls.

Fortunately, you can get exactly that value if you have a phone that accepts two SIM cards and can switch intelligently between them.

You are in control

Users are able to specify which SIM card is to be used for data and which SIM card is to be used for calls and text messages. Of course there exists the possibility to have both SIM cards doing both tasks but if you’re serious about saving money a dual-SIM smartphone which allows you to manage your spend on your smartphone is worth considering.

A smartphone with dual-SIM capabilities is also great if you want to have two active contact numbers. This means that you don’t need to use that terrible company smartphone – if you don’t have to of course – and can instead plug both your work and personal SIM into one handset.

But what sort of phones have this sort of functionality?

Xiaomi’s entire range of smartphones, from the affordable Redmi range starting at R1 999 right up to its flagship Mi smartphones features support for two SIM cards and these can be setup to run voice, data or both services simultaneously.

The Redmi Note 3 for instance is a cheap and cheerful smartphone that is perfect for the connected individual on a budget. The handset has LTE connectivity so you can get the highest mobile internet speeds whether you’re rushing to a friend or doing a bit of research about the company you’re headed to an interview for.

If you want something a bit more elegant but still want to save money on your cellphone bill the Mi 5 features a high end processor, a fantastic camera and the latest USB connection and charging capabilities as well as dual-SIM support.

So rather than spend too much money on your smartphone bill every month, look for a smartphone from Xiaomi. Your bank account will thank you later.

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