Dual SIM holder - A decent beginning
The first and simplest solution was a dual SIM holder, which allows you to connect two SIM cards to your card slot. It is by far the cheapest of options but it does not even come close to fully solving the problem. The main flaw it has is that it does not really work with both cards simultaneously. Instead one SIM is operating at a given time while the other, which is referred to as ghost-SIM, is unusable. The user is able to alternate the two by turning the phone off and then back on. Not a great improvement compared to carrying the second SIM in your wallet and changing it when necessary. It only saves you the effort to remove the back cover and battery, reducing the replacement time by a couple of seconds or minutes, depending on you phone's design and the time it needs to turn off and then back on. The other major downer is the holder size. Quite bigger than a normal SIM, it just won't fit in some handsets. All in all, this solution is only applicable if you use the alternative SIM card rarely or you use it only for those casual outgoing calls.
This is what most Dual SIM holders look like.
Dual SIM adapter - evolution, not revolution
Basically, adapters do not differ much from holders, as they function in pretty much the same way. The main difference, which is to say, the major benefit is that the dual SIM adapter is the same size as a regular SIM card and therefore can fit in any phone. On the other hand, fitting the two SIM cards in the module can be a challenge as you need to extract the actual SIM chips out of their plastic beds and then place them in the adapter. Cutting and puncturing your cards involves a certain level of risk. Fortunately, most dual SIM adapter dealers will do that for you upon purchase. Some more recent models allow switching between the SIM cards without turning the phone off. Instead, a switch SIM option appears on the phone menu. Yet, you still can't use the two SIM cards simultaneously. The other bad news for those considering SIM holders and adapters is that neither option will do much of a job on a locked phone, unless both cards used are of the same carrier.
Dual SIM adapters
Where to buy Dual Sim Adapter
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