The number of dual-SIM smartphones sold worldwide will reach 514 million in 2016, driven by major markets like India and China, Strategy Analytics predicted on Thursday.
The analyst firm estimates that the number of smartphones sold with space for more than one SIM card will grow by 19% from 2015. It puts this year’s sales at 431 million units.
"Almost one in three of all 1.6 billion smartphones sold globally will be dual-SIM models in 2016," said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics. "Dual-SIM is a killer feature for smartphones."
Sales are being driven by India and China, where dual-SIM devices are "wildly popular", the analyst firm said.
"China and India are by far the two largest country markets for dual-SIM smartphones worldwide today," said Rajeev Nair, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.
"Leading global smartphone vendors, such as Samsung, Lenovo and Micromax, are focusing their dual-SIM Android models on China and India," he explained.
However, Nair added that there is a big name missing from the dual-SIM sector.
"By not offering a dual-SIM iPhone, Apple is missing out on a huge half-billion-unit global market," he said.
