According to Strategy Analytics, the sales of dual-SIM smartphone will grow from 431 million units in 2015 to 514 million units in 2016 witnessing a growth of 19 per cent. China and India will be the key markets for the dual-SIM smartphones.

The research firm underlines that Apple iPhone does not have any dual-SIM smartphone and earlier, Nokia too did not have dual SIM smartphone portfolio, which impacted the two players’ sales in India. By not offering a dual-SIM iPhone, Apple is missing out on potential global market of half a billion units. Further, the main beneficiaries of Apple’s absence in the dual-SIM smartphone market are Samsung, Lenovo and Micromax which are focusing on their dual-SIM Android models in China and India. Dual-SIM smartphones with two or more SIM card slots, such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos, are popular in cost-conscious markets like India and China.

Strategy Analytics concludes that the dual-SIM smartphones are popular in China and India because they allow consumers to select the cheapest tariff rates for voice or data plans, as well as access better cellular coverage without roaming charges, while doing away with the additional cost of owning multiple handsets for personal or business communications.