Best Dual SIM Phones for UK Travellers, Picked by Need

Each of these phones can run a HelloRoam eSIM for the country you are visiting, so maps and messages work when you land and your British number still gets bank security texts. HelloRoam has plans for 185+ destinations.

Two lines, no network lock and long updates make a good travel phone

We picked phones that pass four checks, using the makers' own pages and the UK rules that apply to them.

• Two lines at once. Apple says Dual SIM gives you two active numbers, and one use it suggests is adding a local data plan when you travel. Your UK SIM keeps your number for calls and texts, and the travel eSIM carries the data.
• No network lock. To use two providers, Apple says your iPhone must be unlocked by your network, or both plans must come from the same one. Ofcom has banned UK mobile companies from selling locked phones since 17 December 2021, but an older phone can still be locked.
• Long security updates. Since 29 April 2024, UK law has required makers of consumer connectable products, phones included, to publish the minimum time they will provide security updates, with an end date. Check that date for the exact model before you buy.
• A price that fits. Our picks run from £599 to £959 on the makers' UK stores.

Our dual SIM picks on sale in the UK

Each price below is the lowest list price on the maker's own UK store, for the storage shown, read on 24 October 2026. Stores run time-limited offers, so check the price on the day you buy.

The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e keep a SIM tray in the UK, so your current SIM card goes straight in and the travel eSIM sits alongside it. Every iPhone from the iPhone 13 can also run two eSIMs at once. Our travel eSIM guide for iPhone covers the setup in detail.

On Apple's UK store, only the iPhone Air and iPhone Duo take no physical SIM at all. Before you switch to one, your UK number has to be on an eSIM, and some networks let you convert a SIM card to an eSIM on the phone itself.

Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates for the Galaxy S26 series, counted from its first global launch. Three's UK device guide lists two SIMs on the Galaxy S26, each a nano-SIM or an eSIM.

Google gives every Pixel from the Pixel 8 onwards seven years of OS and security updates, counted from when it first went on sale on the US Google Store. Google also says a Pixel 7 or later can run two eSIMs at once if your network allows it. On both Pixels here, each SIM has its own roaming switch, which makes the travel setup below simpler.

One dual SIM phone can hold a work line, a home line and travel data

Dual SIM means two numbers or plans on one phone. Apple lists three common uses: one number for work and another for personal calls, a local data plan when you travel, and separate plans for calls and data.

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into the phone, so you can add a plan by scanning a QR code or through an app, with no card to post or swap.

On a trip, your UK line stays on for calls and texts, so bank security codes still reach you, while the travel eSIM runs maps, messages and email. Both lines can make and receive calls, but only one uses mobile data at a time, Apple says. Samsung says that on its phones, the other SIM cannot take a new call while you are on a call on one SIM.

Buying SIM-free or on a contract changes the cost, not the lock

Since Ofcom's ban, a new phone bought from a UK network should not be locked to it. Apple still notes that eSIM use may be disabled on iPhones bought from some providers, so ask the seller before you sign.

The real difference is cost and commitment. Ofcom says the contract for your mobile service should be no longer than 24 months, although a separate contract for the handset itself can run longer. To compare, add the SIM-free price to a SIM-only plan for the same number of months, then set that against the contract total, including any upfront fee. The same sum works for a pre-order deal on a new flagship, and our guide to SIM only deals in the UK helps with the plan side.

Your current phone may already take a travel eSIM

You may not need a new phone at all. Apple says Dual SIM with an eSIM works on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later. Samsung's UK list covers the Galaxy S20 series and every S series since, the Galaxy Z foldables, the Galaxy S23 FE and later FE models, and some Galaxy A phones. Google says the Pixel 3a and later can use a SIM card and an eSIM together.

For other brands and older models, see our full list of eSIM compatible phones.

Then check the lock. On iPhone, open Settings, tap General, then About: "No SIM restrictions" next to Network Provider Lock means it is unlocked. If any phone is still locked, ask the network that sold it to unlock it before you buy a travel plan.

Budget and imported phones need a closer look. Samsung's UK list shows eSIM on the Galaxy A57, A56, A55 and A37 with no region limit, but on the A17 5G, A16 5G, A26 and A27 for North America only. It also warns that eSIM may not work depending on a phone's country of origin. Google says US Pixel 10 and later phones, except the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, take eSIMs only. Check the UK spec before you buy.

If your phone has no eSIM and you would rather not upgrade, a pocket Wi-Fi router can share travel data with it.

Set the two lines up at home: eSIM for data, UK SIM for calls

Install the travel eSIM at home, then set the two lines like this:

• Choose the travel eSIM as your mobile data line, and turn its data roaming on.
• Keep your UK line on for calls and texts, but not for mobile data.
• On iPhone and Pixel, each line has its own roaming switch, so you can turn data roaming off for the UK line.
• A Samsung Galaxy has one Data Roaming switch for the whole phone, so leave it on and keep mobile data set to the eSIM.

HelloRoam's step-by-step eSIM setup guides walk you through the screens on iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Pixel.

Calls and texts on your UK line still follow your network's roaming terms, and Apple warns you might still pay roaming fees on your home line. GOV.UK notes that surcharge-free roaming in EU and EEA countries is no longer guaranteed for UK customers. As of October 2026, for example, Vodafone charges pay monthly customers £2.75 a day in Europe if their plan does not include it and they have no pass. Check your network's roaming page before you go, or compare what UK networks charge for roaming.

Visiting several countries in one trip? A HelloRoam Europe eSIM keeps one data line working as you cross borders within the plan, so you set it up once.