Time was, you had two ways to upgrade your mobile phone. Wait until your two-year contract expired and wait to see what your network had to offer or put down a chunk of cash to buy the phone outright if you had a Pay-As-You-Go SIM.

Now, though, there's a third way that promises a new phone every year if you'd like one and doesn't require a huge upfront sum. It's called the Samsung Upgrade Programme and it works like this.

How it works

When you buy the latest premium/flagship Samsung phone, like the Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+ via Samsung's shop you can choose to opt for the Samsung Upgrade Programme as your payment option.

For a phone like the S8, which costs £689 upfront, you'd be able to break the cost down into more manageable payments. For the Galaxy S8 the total amount payable is £783.14 spread across a 24 month term at an interest rate of 14.9% p.a. (fixed) equating to monthly payments of £29.76 and an initial deposit of £68.90.

How you can upgrade ahead of time

The cool bit though is that after 12 months you can upgrade to the latest model and once you've done that you can send your current handset back in good working condition and the rest of your existing repayments are closed off.

This means you can have the latest Samsung phone - every year - without having a big upfront payment to deal with as you would if you bought the phone on day one.

It's flexible, too. If, after a year, you decide you don't want to upgrade again, you don't have to, simply settling the existing credit agreement at any time.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+

The Samsung Upgrade Programme offer applies to  the larger Samsung Galaxy S8+ as well.

Both of the new phones offer amazing screens which almost cover the entire front of the handset (so much so that the brand name is scooted to the back of the device!) and have slick sloping edges, the standout Samsung trademark. And because there's so much less bezel around the display, the phone fits the hand perfectly.

Add in extra innovations like an iris scanner so the phone unlocks when it recognises your eyes, a super-fast camera with a Pro mode for greater control and more. There are software innovations like advanced split screen, made possible by the bigger display, so you can watch a video at the top of the screen while you send a text message from the bottom. Multi-tasking at its most useful.

An Always On Display means a clock is always displayed onscreen, without you having to wake the phone to check the time, and without affecting battery life noticeably.

With the Samsung Upgrade Programme you can ensure you have access to the latest phone every year, without spending silly money.

If you pre-order before 19 April, you'll get the smart new phone up to eight days early ahead of those walking into a store.

Check out our YouTube video of the best S8 features