The Micromax X283 and Micromax X257 have now been added to the low cost dual SIM family. These handsets with basic features come with a built in camera, QVGA screen and with a good battery life. These are budget handsets with a price band of under Rs. 2,000.
Micromax X283 : You can use 2 GSM SIM cards on this phone with dual Standby option. When you receive a call, the other SIM gets deactivated. If you are using a particular SIM the other SIM goes offline. When the phone is in standby mode both the SIMs are operational. Well this is how dual standby phones work.
The X283 comes with a 2.4 inch TFT screen with resolution 320 by 240 pixels. The built in memory is less but can hold about 250 SMS’s and 500 contacts. Expandable memory is supported (4 GB). The media player supports MP3, MP3, 3GP, MIDI and WAV files. In addition there is an FM radio for live music.
This Micromax low cost handset also supports Bluetooth, come with micro USB port, torch light, VGA rear camera and 3.5 mm jack. The 1800 mAh battery gives a good talktime of about 8 hours and a standby time of about 25 days.
X283 weighs 108 grams and is 13.9 mm thin. The price in India is expected to be under Rs. 2,000.
Micromax X257 : This handset comes with a slightly bigger screen at 2.6 inches with 320 by 240 pixels resolution. A 145 KB internal memory is too low but it can accommodate about 1000 contacts along with 250 SMS’s. Moreover you don’t need more memory on these low cost handsets.
The X257 runs on the Nucleus operating system (something I am hearing for the first time). Other features are FM radio with recording, VGA camera, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, 3.5 mm jack, torch light and multi format media player.
This dual SIM phone also supports external memory of up to 4 GB. The battery is the same (1800 mAh) that lasts for about 18 days and talktime is about 10 hours.
X257 weighs 113 grams and is 15.2 mm thin. The price in India is Rs. 1,910.