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The story
A thread titled “Carrying Two Phones Is the Only Way to Go,” posted on 5channel’s “Morning Coffee” board, drew a stream of real-world examples — people running both an iPhone and an Android device, or using dual-SIM setups as a hedge against carrier outages. Pushback followed too, with some arguing “one dual-SIM phone is plenty” or that carrying two phones is just gadget hobbyism dressed up as practicality, splitting the thread between a practicality camp and a minimalist camp. The conversation then drifted into how people lug around laptops, Chromebooks, and tablets, sparking a lively side debate about setting up a workspace on the go.
What people said
Can't you just buy both?
(Case in point) went out for McDonald's breakfast this morning and realized I'd forgotten my iPhone.
And yeah, docomo actually goes down a fair amount.
Just use dual-SIM, problem solved.
That's actually more of a hassle.
One line per phone is simpler.
Get an iPhone 17e and a mid-range Android, and the combined price is still less than one expensive phone like an 18 Pro or a pricey Sony model — you can have two for the price of one.
Where's this fight even happening? On Edge (the browser)?
Just put the cheapest possible plan on your second SIM and that's plenty.
Honestly, Povo works fine too.
Anyone who can't manage two phones is a jobless shut-in.
It's the lightest and most convenient.
I use mine for quick coding sessions when I'm out.
Windows laptops are lighter though.
You'll get it once you actually use a Chromebook.
It's plenty for simple tasks.
The only downside is it's useless without an internet connection.
Come on, you'd only actually carry one at a time.
For that kind of use, putting Linux on a tablet beats a Chromebook — way more UL (ultralight).
Most people don't even realize this, but you can actually use a terminal on both iOS and iPadOS.
With a Chromebook you don't even need to install anything — just flip on Linux from developer mode.
Only the 15 I paid for outright in cash — the rest I picked up for ¥0 or ¥1,000 upfront through carrier-switching deals on cheap MVNOs like Rakuten, OCN, and IIJ.
I use each one for a different purpose.
Even so, running all five together — with some number-porting tricks — costs me under ¥5,000 a month.
but isn't one phone enough?
Messing around with different models is fun, and it keeps you from getting stuck in one mindset.
They're basically toys, and toys are fun no matter how many you have — managing them individually isn't so bad either.
I guess being glued to your phone still has that kind of image.
What if the battery had died anyway?
But lately I've been forgetting to.
Guess I'll toss my Rakuten Mini with a Povo eSIM in my bag again.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
The “dual-SIM” setup discussed in the thread packs two carrier lines into a single device, and it has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to combine cheap MVNO plans and eSIMs into a hedge against network outages. Carrying two separate phones, meanwhile, often comes down to practical economics too — keeping an old device as a backup instead of trading it in when upgrading, or picking up an extra handset for next to nothing (sometimes just a few hundred yen, sometimes free) through carrier-switching promotions. The clash in the thread between the “one-phone” camp and the “multiple-phone” camp ultimately comes down to differing values — prioritizing connection stability and traveling light versus enjoying a dedicated device for each purpose or simply collecting gadgets — and as the back-and-forth in the replies shows, there’s no single right answer here.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Carrying Two Phones Is the Only Way to Go.”
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