Why the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the best SIM-free smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 may well be the best smartphone in the world. From its glorious Infinity display to its astonishing dual camera and multipurpose S Pen it’s a powerhouse - and it’s a powerhouse that still fits in your pocket thanks to its innovative bezel-free design.

Note: perfect

The Note isn’t just beautiful to look at. It’s packed with features that you’ll love, and perfect for professionals on the go. The S Pen enables you to handwrite messages, annotate and edit files and get pixel-perfect precision. The dual camera with dual optical image stabilisation and optical zoom enables you to take professional quality portraits and record eye-popping 4K video. The 6.3-inch Infinity Display is just the right size for dual window multitasking, enabling you to do more at once, and its 3K resolution with HDR support delivers truly eye-popping detail, colour and contrast. 

You can connect the Gear VR headset for stunning virtual reality experiences, and the optional DeX station enables you to use the Note 8 as a desktop computer with external monitor, keyboard, mouse and Ethernet. It can even remotely control your home computer. 

The inside of the Galaxy Note 8 is just as impressive as the outside. UK versions come with Samsung’s screamingly fast Exynos octa-core processor, which is even faster than the Snapdragon 835 processors it uses elsewhere, and with 6GB of RAM it has more memory than many laptops. It’s a potent combination that makes other high-end handsets look hopelessly underpowered. 

The Note 8 is clearly aimed at people who don’t want to compromise: they want a device that delivers the best of everything. And those people don’t want to compromise when it comes to a contract either.

Set your Samsung free

We all know how mobile contracts work: the provider offers the phone a little bit cheaper if you’re willing to sign up for a long term contract, usually 18 or 24 months. The network provider gets their money back many times over, which is great for them but not so great if you end up paying for things you don’t want such as minutes you’ll never use or SMSes you’ve long since dropped in favour of WhatsApp. 

Cookie-cutter contracts are a particular issue for power users who like to be constantly connected: we can’t be the only people who blast through gigabytes of mobile data while our voice and text bundles are barely touched. And when you’ve got a device as powerful as the Note 8 with its stunning screen, you’ll want to do even more with your mobile data.

That’s where SIM-free comes in. If you buy your phone outright you can find a voice and data package that’s perfect for you, so you don’t end up paying for features you don’t use or having to worry about inadequate data allowances. It’s just a matter of choosing the phone you want and then shopping around for the voice and data package that suits on the network that you want to use it on. 

Know where to go

 Another way to save money on significant purchases such as the Galaxy Note 8 is to buy it from somewhere that offers extra peace of mind for free. John Lewis currently offers a two-year guarantee on every Galaxy Note 8 it sells, and while you can of course order online from the John Lewis website (delivery is free, as is Click & Collect from John Lewis or Waitrose stores; you can set up an alert for the site to mail you when the model you want is in stock), it’s a good idea to visit the store to see the Black and Gold models in their full glory. 

That’s because photos really don’t do justice to the Infinity Display: it’s something you really need to see in action to appreciate. And of course, at John Lewis you don’t need to worry about ill-informed, high-pressure sales people you might find elsewhere: John Lewis prides itself on providing straightforward, honest and expert advice to help you find the product that’s right for you.

To find out more about the amazing Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and John Lewis’s two-year guarantee, just visit the website or pop into your nearest store.