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.

Is there a topic you’d like to see covered here? Let us know!

Tips for reading books on a smartphone

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...

Who is the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturer?

By: Neil Cumins

On: Friday, 25 September, 2020

Brand loyalists are often prone to exaggeration and hyperbole in attempting to defend the honour of their chosen brand against the merits of rival products. We’ve seen it many times over the years. Ford and Vauxhall, Sky and Virgin, iOS a...

A crash course in protective smartphone cases

By: Neil Cumins

On: Friday, 18 September, 2020

History is littered with unfortunate incidents involving smartphones. The slow-motion drop onto the floor of your local chippy…the toddler who knocks it off your patio furniture onto a flagstone…the sheer horror of seeing it descend int...

How a smartphone factory reset could increase your phone’s lifespan

By: Neil Cumins

On: Thursday, 17 September, 2020

However diligently we look after them, smartphones have a degree of in-built obsolescence. Components wear out, battery cells degrade, software conflicts multiply and touchscreen responsiveness begins to reduce. Then there’s more delibera...

How to take a screenshot

By: Neil Cumins

On: Tuesday, 15 September, 2020

On paper, taking a screenshot on your smartphone might seem like a simple process. In reality, this pre-installed utility is complicated by platform inconsistencies and practical issues. For one thing, screenshots aren’t always the most e...

Good and bad charging techniques

By: Neil Cumins

On: Monday, 14 September, 2020

If you’ve been a mobile phone user since the Noughties, you’ll have encountered various charging cables and connections throughout your ownership history. Each provided charge at different rates, to devices whose ability to store power ...

Six tips for taking great indoor photos

By: Neil Cumins

On: Monday, 14 September, 2020

There’s an oft-quoted statistic that three quarters of the photos taken on smartphones are never looked at once they’ve been saved to the device’s memory or the cloud. That’s a damning indictment of the disposable nature of photogra...