2) I bought a dual SIM adapter from Magic SIM ( www.magic-sim.com/) from amazon. It was a bit fiddly to fit it, but once it is in, you can switch between the two providers depending on circumstances. Unfortunately, it will not allow you to receive calls from both providers at the same time, you have to choose one or the other. That said the switch over is very simple and when I am in GB I occasionally switch over to see if there is anything I need to check up on. The biggest advantage of this system is that you can choose pretty much any phone you like and still have dual SIM access.
Why not think about a dual number sim one number UK and one France they switch automatically when you cross countries. I use TOGGLE that way you only need one phone.
I would stick with your 2 phone idea just in case one goes down. As you have internet access on your iPad I would buy 2 basic Nokia’s. The battery life on them are far superior to a smartphone. I find that the smartphones have two many apps which constantly update and drain the battery.
David
John, I suspect you meant the THL W100 - I have this phone too. I bought it direct from China a year ago for about £100. It's a very fast, responsive, high-resolution Android phone with features that compare well with Apple or Galaxy phones costing 3 or 4 times it's price. AND it has TWO SIM slots and comes unlocked. You can buy extra spare batteries for about 6€.
Slightly different option but I use Toggle, gives me a UK Number and a French Number on one SIM. In fact u can have up to 9 european numbers on one sim!
I too have a dual sim phone THL W1000 from China. The two sim slots, you only get a 3G signal to the primary sim card slot, the other is basic 2G so any fancy smartphone biz is done from the 3G sim slot, the other just basic phone. Battery life is OK for a 4.5" screen quad core, it comes with a second battery so obvious why it needs it! Usually make it through the day on one battery but not always. The more expensive branded phones seem to spend more on battery life than the cheaper models. I don't know if the same 3G/2G arrangement exists on other phones but worth noting if you pay for a sim with data allowance but can't use it without manually swapping sim card positions.
Thanks Ian - really helpful - and I checked the Amazon link as one of mine is currently a Nokia so it was useful for comparing. Grateful for your input. :-)
Not a smartphone, but pretty clever. Battery lasts about 5-6 days. I use it with an Orange UK and Leclerc French sim.
It is sim free, so you can use it on any networks. The UK amazon site was cheaper than the French one, and the phone was dispatched from Germany, with Polish instructions! The english version of the instructions is on the web.
I have a 2-SIM phone which is a Wiko 'Ozzy' phone got it for about 70euros unlocked from my local Leclerc supermarket. 3.5" HVGA, Dual core 1GHz, 2MP + VGA, 4GB ROM and 512MB RAM. (By the way I have no idea what half of that meant since I have typed it straight from the box!!) It's unlocked and I have a Leclerc PAYG and a UK Virgin PAYG sim. It's touchscreen and pretty simple to use - you put the two SIMS in the back and there is a SIM management function which where you can set, say, an outgoing voice call to default to the French SIM or you can choose an 'Always Ask' function so when you want to make a call it will ask which provider you want to go with. Same with messaging and data connection. Has a camera function and most of the goodies that you can get with smart phones. The most difficult bit was working out how to answer a call ... I had to go to Wiko's Facebook page to ask since it baffled me (you swipe to the right ... I was swiping up, left, down, etc, but not right!).
Anyway, it's handy to have both SIMs in the one since I go back to the UK from time to time but want both telephone numbers 'live'. Battery life seems OK, about the same as my HTC desire. Hope this information helps.