So our family matriarch needs a mobile phone. At 80 years old she is not tech savvy at all and struggles a bit understanding all this stuff.

What is a good mobile phone for a senior citizen? What features do I need to look for in a phone that will make it a simple experience for her? She needs calls and possibly a little bit of texting.

Any recommendations?

Olitech Easy Mate.
Ebay $ 170 delivered.
I have one , its just a phone text and camera . I dont want any more.
12cm x 6cm.
So simple to use , loud , and big buttons.
( all my mates stir me about it , but im bringing retro back ) , stuff em , ive got better things to do than constantly gawk at my phone.
If i want to go tech i use a computer at work or home.
Also has a one button emergency call that notifies up to 5 people.
Check it out

At 80 years old anything with a GPS receiver and the ability for someone to log in and ping her location. Up to you whether you tell her though. Way too many oldies with dementia are going missing in urban and bush areas and passing away before they are found.

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Imax1 said..

Olitech Easy Mate.
Ebay $ 170 delivered.
I have one , its just a phone text and camera . I dont want any more.
12cm x 6cm.
So simple to use , loud , and big buttons.
( all my mates stir me about it , but im bringing retro back ) , stuff em , ive got better things to do than constantly gawk at my phone.
If i want to go tech i use a computer at work or home.
Also has a one button emergency call that notifies up to 5 people.
Check it out

but 3G is that still OK?

Select to expand quote

Imax1 said..

Olitech Easy Mate.
Ebay $ 170 delivered.
I have one , its just a phone text and camera . I dont want any more.
12cm x 6cm.
So simple to use , loud , and big buttons.
( all my mates stir me about it , but im bringing retro back ) , stuff em , ive got better things to do than constantly gawk at my phone.
If i want to go tech i use a computer at work or home.
Also has a one button emergency call that notifies up to 5 people.
Check it out

but 3G is that still OK?

^^^
Its fine , works everywhere.

ps ; done some quick research and Telstra claim it will probably shut down in 2020 some time.
$ 170 for a couple years ????

I saw costco selling a dewalt ph .
Its got everything probably too much for grandma to play with with uhf radio & everything but it has a feature i thought was fantastic & probably great for an 80 yr old its got a man down feature .
Dont know how it works but the phone is for mines & tradies & stuff so if you hit the deck & are not moving it will automatically ring emergency services & tell them the GPS coordinates.
Its water proof shock proof its built with its own hard case .
It will be my next phone im thinking .
That is a lifesaving feature .

I'm unsure about these phones with buttons. I can see her wanting to text (at least a little bit) and those classic style handsets with buttons are a pain to use. Or am I mistaken?

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Imax1 said..
^^^
Its fine , works everywhere.

ps ; done some quick research and Telstra claim it will probably shut down in 2020 some time.
$ 170 for a couple years ????

That's longer than you'll get out of an iPhone.

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Shifu said..
What is a good mobile phone for a senior citizen?

Probably the same that's also good for a senior immigrant

Now seriously, I think both iOS and Android have options like bigger fonts / icons, higher level of contrasts in case your grandma needs such options, so I would go for anything with screen 5" and bigger, and lots of patience for fixing things up every now and then... and fingers crossed that she will never learn how to send whatsapp voice messages