A selection of the best smartphones for older people, from brands like Samsung, Apple, Nokia and Motorola.

By Holly Pyne

Published: Friday, 30 July 2021 at 12:00 am

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For many of us, mobile phones have become a fundamental part of our daily lives. Beyond helping us keep in touch with family and friends, smartphones help us do everything from giving us directions in unfamiliar areas to connecting to social media and even monitoring our daily exercise.

But, they aren’t always the most user-friendly. The sheer quantity of options and apps now available on most smartphones means that their interfaces can be crowded and difficult to navigate.

To help you find a device that suits your needs, we have put together a list of the best smartphones detailing their pros, cons and key features.

Before that, we have also included advice on what to look out for when it comes to smartphones for older people, including big, high-resolution screens, simple interfaces and any accessibility settings that may be helpful to get the most from your new device.

Here is our pick of the best smartphones for older people to buy in 2021.

For more smartphone recommendations, read our best budget smartphone and best camera phone guides.

Jump to:

• How to choose the best smartphone for older people
• Best smartphones for older people at a glance
• Best smartphones for older people to buy in 2021

How to choose the best smartphone for older people

Everyone’s priorities will be a little bit different when it comes to choosing a smartphone. Which phone you end up choosing will depend on what you want to use it for, how often you’ll be using it and what you’re willing to spend.

However, there are some overarching features that are worth being aware of when looking for a smartphone for older people. These include a large display that’s sharp and vibrant, a user-friendly interface and a good range of accessibility settings.

Big screen

There’s no denying that smartphones have steadily got bigger and bigger over the last decade. While this means that most smartphones have outgrown our pockets, it does mean larger and higher resolution screens.

The hope is to get a nice balance between the two. To get the largest and best quality display possible without the smartphone being so cumbersome, it becomes an inconvenience to carry around with you.

Screen sizes on smartphones can now vary anywhere between 4.7-inches and 6.7-inches.

User-friendly interface

With more and more tech crammed into our smartphones, an easy-to-navigate home-screen and simple interface is essential. If an interface is easy to use, it should only take you a matter of moments to find the apps to make a call, add a new contact or search the internet.

The two main interfaces you’re likely to find are iOS (Apple) and Android. Apple’s iOS is specifically designed for iPhones. Generally, a well-laid-out interface, key apps for iPhone users such as those for calls, Safari (Apple’s internet browser) and iMessages are found across the bottom of the screen. However, these can be swapped out if there’s an app you feel you use more.

Android is the most commonly-used interface and can be found in phones from brands such as Google, Samsung, Nokia and Oppo. This does not mean the home-screen will look identical across these brands as each will fiddle to add their own unique look, but the basics will be the same. For example, all Android phones will have Google Play from which you can download new apps.

Accessibility settings

Most modern-day smartphones should now have basic accessibility settings, but exactly what is available will vary from brand to brand. Most will allow you to adjust the size of the font to make reading easier, have hearing aid support and speech-to-text functions.

There are also specialist brands such as Doro that create mobile phones for older people in mind. These tend to have the most comprehensive functions. In the case of the Doro 8050, it comes with extra-large icons for those with visual impairments, hearing aid compatibility and a ‘Response’ button that will immediately alert designated ‘responders’ when pressed.

All these features won’t be necessary for everyone, but they do vary between brands, so it is worth considering what, if any, additional settings you may like before making a purchase.

Best smartphones for older people at a glance

Best budget option: Nokia 3.4
Best for simple interface: Google Pixel 4a
Best for iPhone users: iPhone SE
Best for sharp display: Oppo A54 5G
Best budget 5G option: Moto G50
Best for Samsung fans: Samsung Galaxy A32
Bets for big screen: Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
Best for fast charging: Realme 8 Pro
Best for battery life: Xiaomi Poco M3 Pro 5G
Best for accessibility features: Doro 8050

Best smartphones for older people to buy in 2021

Nokia 3.4

Best budget option

Key features:

• 39-inch 1560 x 720 IPS LCD screen
• 161 x 76 x 8.7 mm
• 180g
• Android 10
• 13/5/2MP rear cameras
• 8-megapixel selfie camera
• Snapdragon 460 CPU
• 32GB storage
• 3GB RAM
• 4000mAh battery

Pros:

• Low cost
• Clean software

Cons: 

• Slow performance
• Limited storage
• Uninspiring camera quality

Nokia has made a name for itself by making simple yet reliable phones at budget prices. And that’s exactly what the Nokia 3.4 is.

Features include a 6.39-inch 720p LCD display, a rear fingerprint sensor and a front punch hole camera that is tucked away in the top left corner of the screen. Plus, it also has a wired headphone jack.

As with any smartphone under £100, there are a few caveats. The main one is that the cameras don’t quite offer the 108MP of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it’s also £800 cheaper.

Read the full Nokia 3.4 review.

Buy the Nokia 3.4 SIM-free at: 

• £93.99 at Amazon
• £94 at AO
• £99.99 at Very
• £99.95 at Argos