Nokia joins the dual-sim bandwagon

Some of you might be aware that last June 17, Nokia released two of their new, entry-level, dual-sim phones: the C2-00 and X1-01. It's the most basic of phones but I must say that the price is quite competitive with the existing dual-sim phone manufacturers in the Philippines (i.e. Cherry Mobile, MyPhone, Torque).

Below is a table of some specs for both phones.

Phone Model	Nokia C2-00	Nokia X1-01
Phone Image (taken from Nokia)
Price (in Php)	2,990.00	1,990.00
Dual-Sim	Yes » Dual-Sim Standby » One Sim slot is hot swappable	Yes » Dual-Sim Standby
Operating Frequency	Dual band 900/1800 MHz	EGSM 900/1800
Dimensions	» Size: 108 x 45 x 14.65 mm » Weight (with battery): 74.1 g » Volume: 67.9cc	» Size: 112.2 x 47.3 x 16 mm » Weight (with battery): 91.05 g » Volume: 73.2 cc
Display	» Screen size: 1.8" » Resolution: 128 x 160 pixels » Up to 65,000 colors	» Screen size: 1.8" » Resolution: 128 x 160 TFT display » 65,000 colors
Memory	» microSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 32 GB » Internal memory: 64/16 ram/flash	MicroSD memory card slot, hot swappable, up to 16 GB (sold separately)
Camera	Yes; VGA	No
Connectivity	» Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with Enhanced Data Rate » High-Speed USB 2.0 (micro USB connector)	None

Obviously, the Nokia C2-00 is the sure winner but with the extra Php1000.00, the Nokia X1-01 may well be a good choice for budget conscious consumers. The glaring difference that may matter to some people is the absence of the camera on the Nokia X1-01 but a VGA camera is not, for me, worth the extra thousand pesos. Also, the Nokia X1-01 may not have connectivity ports but a card reader can do the trick. If you plan on using a Bluetooth headset then the Nokia C2-00 would be a better choice (but I don't know if the Nokia C2-00 supports that so better ask). Aesthetically, the Nokia C2-00 looks better with the Nokia X1-01 looking a bit futuristic. Both have FM Radio (which matters a lot for me) and sport a 3.5mm audio jack (which I think is the standard nowadays) so either phone will work for me.

The best feature of these 2 phones is the ability to have 2 Sim cards at the same time. Even though the existence of dual-Sim phones have been in the Philippines for a while now, I personally prefer investing on a phone made by one of the leading brands of phone manufacturers in the Philippines. I have used one Philippine manufactured dual-Sim phone (Cherry Mobile Q3i) in the past and I think it's okay...but the UI is what made me look elsewhere. For me, UI matters and even the most basic Nokia phone, including those monochrome phones, are the most user friendly.

I think I will buy one of these soon.