Smartphones at any age: a guide to buying a mobile phone whether you’re six or 60 years old
AUSTRALIA has more phones than people but there’s a big difference between phones for six-year-olds and 60-year-olds. Here’s our guide to users of every age.
THERE are more smartphones in Australia than people, more smartphone choices than ever before, and their ownership typically begins in primary school.
But choosing a phone can depend on where you are in life, experts warn, how comfortable you are with technology, and who will pay the bills.
There are also tricks to consider when buying a phone for someone else, and extra services that aren’t well known.
Finder.com.au technology expert Angus Kidman said buying a phone for a child can be tricky, for example, particularly when phone ownership begins as young as six years of age.
To ensure a primary school-aged technocrat isn’t exposed to too much too soon, he said, parents could choose to go down “the non-smartphone route”.
“You can say, ‘all right, we’re just going to buy you a really basic feature phone,’ wander into a local supermarket, and pick one up for $30,” Mr Kidman said.
“You have more control over what they see, plus kids are rough and tumble and their phones are going to get damaged and lost. You don’t want to over-invest.”
Telstra consumer postpaid director Kevin Teoh said parents who did buy their child a smartphone could use its Mobile Protect feature to give them greater control over what websites its young user was able to visit.
“It allows parents to apply things like internet filters, restricting certain calls and SMS activity, and even setting time restrictions on when the phone can be used,” he said.
On the other end of the spectrum, older users typically looked at prepaid phones, Mr Teoh said, and Telstra’s Blue Tick handsets they could use on “grey nomad” adventures in regional areas.
Some phones designed for older users also feature large buttons to accommodate arthritic fingers and hearing aid compatibility.
And while millennials and adults are typically the largest data users, and most likely to buy expensive flagship phones, Mr Kidman said technology had advanced so much that even last year’s smartphones were still worth buying.
“There’s a lot of smashed avocado difference between a good smartphone and the latest smartphone,” he said.
“There are other financial pressures in young adulthood. Paying out $1200 for a new phone every two years probably isn’t the best financial decision you can make.”
20-year-old Chanel Zagon said she prefers the user-friendly nature of the iPhone over other smartphone competitors.
“The layout and apps are really simple and easy to use,” she said.
“I previously owned a Samsung Galaxy S4 a few years back, and I wasn’t happy with it. I found the layout really confusing and hard to use. It would glitch, and eventually it became really slow and unusable.”
Security is another stand out element for the University student, who stores personal information as well as day-to-day data on her device.
“I use it for emails, social media and to record audio and video content for my University course,” she said.
“My iPhone really has everything you need and it hasn’t failed me once. If you own an Apple product, your chance of theft is minimised. All Apple products are locked with your Apple ID, and that is very important to me.”
“I use my phone for everything; I don’t think I would be able to live without it.”
Under 12s
Alcatel OneTouch 2036, $29
‘Feature phones’ like this model from Alcatel could help you avoid difficult debates about appropriate data use and how long tweens should spend playing mobile games. This candybar phone will let kids stay in touch with family, send text messages to their friends, play FM radio stations, and take basic photos — no data plan required. It’s tough enough to withstand life in a backpack and, if it goes missing, it’s not expensive to replace. Parents who want to invest in a smarter, kid-friendly phone could look to the Samsung Galaxy J3, which features a 5-inch touchscreen and costs $229.
Teenagers
Moto G5 Plus, $399
Teenage-friendly phones need to be able to withstand rough treatment and peer pressure. The Moto G5 Plus phone satisfies both requirements as its body is both splash-resistant and made of high-grade aluminium, for a more premium look. This Android smartphone also features a wide-angle front camera for group selfies, a surprisingly good 12-megapixel rear camera for budding photographers, and a 3000mAh battery capable of lasting an entire day, and ensuring teens are never far from help. It’s available to purchase outright from electronics stores, so users can add a prepaid data plan to stay away from surprise bills.
Millennials
Apple iPhone 7, $1079
Twenty-somethings are typically big smartphone users and, with greater employment, able to buy their own high-end handset. That includes Australia’s best-selling smartphone, the iPhone 7, which comes with a high price but plenty of travel-friendly, stylish, and useful touches. Its body is water-resistant, it features a 12-megapixel camera capable of great lowlight photography for concerts, and it can be locked with a fingerprint scanner to ensure nosy friends don’t make social media posts on your behalf. iPhone users can also save on phone bills by using features including FaceTime and iMessage rather than video calling and text messages.
Adults
Samsung Galaxy S8+, $1349
The screen on this flagship smartphone is both striking and easy on adult eyes. By shaving its borders, Samsung packs a 5.8-inch display into this phone without making it difficult to slip into a pocket. And it’s not just useful for ageing eyes — the bigger canvas can display more text, photos, or two apps at once. The Galaxy S8+ is also able to keep workers in touch with the office thanks to a next-generation 4G internet connection, parents able to future-proof their children’s milestones thanks to a fast 12-megapixel camera, and gives world travellers some peace of mind with a water-resistant body capable of 30-minute dips under the surface.
Read more: A history of iPhones: How has the iPhone changed over time?
Retirees
Huawei P10 Plus, $1099
This big-screen, camera-focused phone could suit retirees planning to become grey nomads, keep up with grandkids, or try their hand at mobile photography. The biggest feature in this new handset is a Leica-branded dual camera set-up which uses a 20-megapixel black and white camera and a 12-megapixel colour camera to create more striking photos — portraits in particular. More mature users are also likely to appreciate its sharp 5.5-inch screen, larger than average battery with a rapid charging facility, and its 128GB storage that means you’re less likely to need a memory card.
Elderly
Doro PhoneEasy 623, $119
Most Australians use smartphones but not everyone actually wants one. This simple flip phone is designed for the latter category of users, and replaces a touchscreen with generously sized number buttons and apps with straightforward features. The prepaid phone, available from Optus, will let users make phone calls with extra volume, send text messages or photos, and it features a basic two-megapixel camera. Its on-screen icons are easy to read, it’s compatible with hearing aids, and it features an assistant button that can be programmed to contact up to five numbers in an emergency.
Originally published as Smartphones at any age: a guide to buying a mobile phone whether you’re six or 60 years old
