SIM Only Guides & Advice

In-depth information to make you a smarter shopper.

We spend hours searching, trialling and testing – then make these guides so that you don’t have to.

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Why USB-C is changing the smartphone market

On: Thursday, 12 November, 2020

Few of us pay much attention to the connectors and cables we use on a daily basis, but one type of plug has become increasingly ubiquitous in recent years. The USB-C connection is increasingly the default method for connecting and powering ...

Pairing wearable tech with your smartphone

By: Neil Cumins

On: Wednesday, 11 November, 2020

The importance of smartphones is reflected in how their uses have expanded far beyond the basic functions they’re theoretically meant to provide. Today, we use our mobiles as mobile data hotspots, tethering them to computers for impromptu...

Essential Android and iOS apps for 2020 and beyond

By: Neil Cumins

On: Tuesday, 10 November, 2020

Unboxing a brand-new smartphone is an exciting moment, and turning it on for the first time is also a thrill. The phone will never be this clean, this fast – or this free of apps. The average smartphone has between 60 and 90 apps installe...

Do we need 6G?

By: Neil Cumins

On: Sunday, 1 November, 2020

It’s fair to say 5G hasn’t been the game-changing event smartphone manufacturers and network operators had expected. A combination of conspiracy theories, Covid-19 restrictions on personal movement, a lack of compatible devices and the ...

What’s new in Android 11?

By: Neil Cumins

On: Thursday, 15 October, 2020

Since its debut in 2008, the Android operating system has been through numerous growing pains. Place an operating system running Android 1.0 in front of a modern smartphone user, and they might react with incredulity at the original platfor...

Tips for selling a second-hand smartphone

By: Neil Cumins

On: Wednesday, 14 October, 2020

The drop in value experienced by smartphones can be quite shocking, especially if you’re hoping to sell a relatively new device. The annual musicMagpie Phone Deprecation Report makes depressing reading for early adopters, and anyone who f...

Tips for reading books on a smartphone

By: Neil Cumins

On: Tuesday, 13 October, 2020

For decades, there have been predictions about the imminent demise of printed books. In the 1980s, home computers were allegedly leading a generation of young people away from reading, turning them all into Manic Miner and Chase HQ obsessiv...

Easy ways to improve available device storage

By: Neil Cumins

On: Tuesday, 29 September, 2020

Choosing a new smartphone is a seductive experience, with the latest handsets promising technologies and features your existing device can’t provide. And amid the excitement about higher-quality camera lenses and bigger screens, it’s ea...

How wireless peripherals can improve your smartphone’s practicality

By: Neil Cumins

On: Monday, 28 September, 2020

Despite the ubiquity of modern smartphone and tablet touchscreens, there’s a lot to be said for the old-fashioned way of doing things. BlackBerry may be ploughing a lonely furrow manufacturing handsets with a traditional QWERTY keyboard, ...

What version of Android are we on?

By: Neil Cumins

On: Saturday, 26 September, 2020

Smartphone operating systems aren’t something many of us give much thought to on a daily basis. The version of iOS or Android installed onto our phones is rarely as significant (or discussion-worthy) as its storage, or the pixel quality o...