Modern phone models have made a huge leap in their development. Models with multiple cameras, a capacious battery, a large frameless screen and a powerful processor have appeared on the market, which in terms of performance can be compared with a computer or laptop. But these technologies are not of interest to older people and grandparents, for whom it is important to get a simple and inexpensive phone with a loud speaker.
They should have a large display, a good battery
and large buttons, which ensures comfortable use. We have prepared a rating of phones for older people and pensioners, which includes inexpensive and easy-to-use models. The top includes both push-button and touchscreen models, as well as clamshells from manufacturers Philips, Alcatel, Nokia, Texet, Samsung, Xiaomi and other famous brands.
ALCATEL 2008G - the most popular push-button (but definitely not the best)
Judging by the number of reviews on Yandex.Market and the number of offers in online stores, this phone clearly holds the lead in the category of the most popular model with keys.
Reviews note that the main disadvantage of this device is the inconvenient menu. However, it has the ability to configure shortcut keys (so that when you press and hold a number, the specified number is immediately dialed). Therefore, all you have to do is fiddle with the menu once, set up quick calls, and you’ll end up with a good, solid grandmother’s phone. Yes, another disadvantage is the relatively weak vibration alert. It is better to turn on the sound signal, there are no problems with it.
But the reviews note a lot of advantages: a non-slip and well-assembled case, large and soft keys, large and easily readable text on the screen, a relatively powerful battery, a loud signal, good call quality. The phone has Bluetooth, which is probably not needed. And there is also a camera, but the shooting quality is, as expected, mediocre. But there is a radio, which according to reviews works very well. This may be relevant.
How to choose a good grandmother's phone?
Perhaps we didn’t guess the price category or weren’t able to choose a good model for your relatives or yourself. If you don’t know how to choose a push-button telephone, but couldn’t find a suitable solution in our selection for older people, we recommend taking into account the following nuances:
- Communication standards. For older people, as practice shows, 2G is enough. The GSM standard involves communication without access to the Internet. As practice shows, non-certified mobile phones have worse network reception, so you need to focus on products from well-known manufacturers;
- Screen characteristics. Budget models have modest resolution, brightness levels and pixel density (sharpness). And here these characteristics are not so important as the size of the labels in the menu and protection from glare when exposed to sunlight;
- Autonomous work. Keep in mind that the larger the screen, the more energy it takes to power it. It is necessary to build on these parameters. At the same time, monoblocks always have more autonomy, up to several weeks of battery life;
- Memory. You need at least 2000 contact cells. To do this you need at least 8 MB of internal memory. If you are going to store media content, photos of relatives, then focus on models with the ability to use memory images from 16 to 32 GB;
- Camera. In fact, all push-button phones have very simple cameras, and they are of no use if you do not use resources such as Skype or Viber for video communication on the Internet. Phones with this option are much more expensive than their analogues.
What to consider when choosing a flip phone?
It's a classic form factor that few brands are doing today. Once upon a time, good folding beds were produced by the Fly company, but their products are now hard to find on the market. From modern mobile devices of this type you should not expect solid technical characteristics in terms of camera or functionality. It is more important to consider the following parameters:
- Strength of the case, cables;
- Button placement (distance between keys, quality of execution);
- Battery capacity – optimally from 800 mAh;
- Screen clarity and resolution are measured in PPI and pixels, respectively. For clamshells, the indicator is significantly higher than for budget monoblocks.
OLMIO C17 – good price/quality ratio
There is nothing superfluous in this phone, and it has almost everything that is required for an older person.
Moreover, it was initially positioned as a phone for the elderly, and not just a universal dialer with mechanical buttons. The phone has the ability to configure shortcut buttons. Separately, it is worth noting the presence of an emergency SOS button. This button can be configured individually; by default, when it is pressed, the siren turns on, an SMS is sent to relatives, and emergency services are called (or a call to relatives, this is configurable).
And there are two additional interesting buttons: one for a super-fast call (no need to hold the number and wait for the quick number to activate) and a mechanical lock key. In general, we thought about it for grandparents.
Reviews are mostly good or excellent. They note large, comfortable and soft buttons, with a comfortable distance between them, good readable font on the screen, good sound quality, and a long-lasting battery. There is a lanyard holder (you can hang the phone around your neck), and a relatively simple menu. The phone can recite numbers, which may be important for visually impaired people. Well, for those who are hard of hearing, we should note the high-quality speaker and the ability to set the volume using mechanical rocker buttons on the side of the case.
There is a radio, this is relevant. One of the bonuses is the ability to install two SIM cards.
Why do you need a special gadget?
Some people think that giving your old phone to a senior is a smart idea. But, unfortunately, this is not the case and there are 4 reasons for this:
- Functional. Often, our old devices have too many functions that are unnecessary for an elderly person, the purpose of which we ourselves sometimes do not know.
- Gadget quality. Phones with small screens or small buttons used to be popular. Older people do not have such outstanding vision to easily master such devices. And they buy a new phone because the old one no longer works so well.
- Sound. Often older people have hearing impairments, and the gadgets they are given no longer have such a powerful speaker.
- Aesthetics. Of course, getting a phone is nice. But the thought that it is new will bring much more joy. And you shouldn’t think that older people don’t care much about this, because their age is just a number in their passport.
Based on these aspects, so-called grandma phones appeared in the world. What is this?
MAXVI T1 – budget and indestructible
The body of this phone proclaims its shockproof properties with its entire appearance: beveled corners, rubber coating, metal lining.
And judging by the reviews, it really copes well with the difficult life of a grandmother’s phone. It should be noted that this is the cheapest phone on our list today and it costs less than 1000 rubles.
MAXVI T1 has a separate bright and eye-catching SOS button, the action of which can be customized.
There are few reviews about the device, but they are all 5 stars (as of today). They note the powerful battery, the comfort of the case (fits well in the hand and does not slip out), convenient buttons, clear menu, loud and clear sound.
The phone has a radio, and according to reviews, it works well even without headphones (you can see the speaker slots on the back of the phone).
The phone has a camera that, as expected, takes bad pictures
