The best senior cell phone for 2023

Cell phones and smartphones are not for old people? Not at all. The days when they could only communicate using their landline phones are long gone. In the meantime, even the very old generation has taken a liking to the fast and uncomplicated contact that cell phones and smartphones make possible. And it’s not just the possibility of making phone calls and exchanging messages with the family that’s on the agenda. In addition, the cell phone can be used by retirees to receive fresh photos of their grandchildren and to participate a little more in their children’s lives. Of course, you shouldn’t forget safety features like an emergency call button. But what else is important in a cell phone for retirees? We enlighten you and introduce you to a few promising representatives.

Senior cell phone: What you should look for

If you are looking for a suitable cell phone for pensioners, you will quickly be overwhelmed with a large offer. At the same time, devices for older people nowadays fortunately do not have much to do with the clunky pensioner phones of the past. Some of them even look quite stylish. Away from the looks, however, there are some points you should pay attention to when buying your parents or grandparents a new phone.

Screen is a must

Can you imagine a cell phone without a screen? Designers of cell phones for seniors apparently can. After all, you can definitely find devices on the market that manage entirely without a display. You should urgently stay away from such phones. You should bear in mind that in 2023, cell phones will no longer be used only for telephony. SMS, messenger services and sending pictures and videos are also in focus nowadays. Still, you have to ask yourself what kind of screen the person in question is most likely to cope with.

Finally, there are not only retiree cell phones, but also retiree smartphones. The latter manage entirely without physical buttons and rely on touch operation. While the younger generation has now internalized this, older people can sometimes still have problems with operation. However, always keep in mind that the screen should be as large as possible to ensure the best possible visibility. Here, therefore, a consideration is required, which in the best case should be carried out by the user himself after extensive testing.

Emergency call button

An essential part of the senior cell phone is the emergency call button. If the user presses it, the stored number is immediately notified. Most manufacturers rely on a large, eye-catching color element for this button. It is important that the emergency call button is also available on devices with a pure touch display. After all, it has to be quickly accessible in an emergency. Furthermore, you should always remind your elderly relatives where the button is located. After all, even in the stress of the exceptional situation, it must always be clear where it is located.

Compatibility with hearing aids

Furthermore, you should make sure that a pensioner cell phone is compatible with hearing aids. Here, the abbreviation HAC (hearing aid compatibility) is crucial. Without the corresponding feature, it can happen that wearers of a corresponding hearing aid suffer from annoying noise.

Battery should have endurance

On top of that, the battery life of a cell phone for seniors is of great importance. After all, it can sometimes happen that older people simply forget to connect their device to the charging cable every day. Since many very inexpensive models unfortunately have an extremely weak battery, it can quickly happen that the cell phone is suddenly switched off. In an emergency, this is of course a real disaster. To make things as easy as possible for the user, you should opt for a device with a suitable charging station. Here, no cable needs to be plugged in.

Camera technology

As a protective measure against the corona virus, many elderly people could not see their loved ones in person for a long time. They were all the happier when they could at least share in the lives of their children and grandchildren via video telephony. But even without the pandemic, FaceTime, Zoom and the like are the perfect way to see each other at regular intervals despite the physical distance. For this reason, you should also pay attention to the right camera technology when buying a cell phone for retirees. A simple selfie camera is essential to enable video calling.

Senior cell phone: our TOP 3

After we have shown you what we think is important in a cell phone for retirees, we now want to show you a few exciting models that are a very good choice as a senior cell phone. We have not only placed emphasis on the features, but also paid attention to a good price-performance ratio.

Doro 8050 Plus

The start of our list is made by the test winner of Stiftung Warentest from 2021. The senior cell phone won its seat on the throne primarily with its good features and an extra portion of flexibility. After all, the device, which comes with a 13 MP camera, cannot be identified as a pensioner cell phone at first glance.

It is more reminiscent of a somewhat smaller smartphone. The range of functions is impressive. Thus, you can install and use common apps like the messenger WhatsApp here without any problems. The accessories of the smartphone with 4G are also impressive. Not only do you get a practical case, but also a charging station. A suitable SOS mode must not be missing here either, of course. At a low price of 159.99 euros you can secure the pensioner cell phone on Amazon.

Artfone C1+

The Artfone C1+ looks more like a senior cell phone. So you find here a combination of quite small display and large physical buttons. However, that doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. After all, there is no accounting for tastes. So, if an older person prefers a device with large keys, the C1+ is certainly the better choice.

Of course, an emergency call button must not be missing here either. Up to five phone numbers can be stored on this button, all of which can be contacted in the event of an emergency. The flashlight, which provides orientation in the dark, is also practical. Unfortunately, a camera and an Internet connection are missing here. Messenger services and video telephony are consequently not possible. At Amazon, the pensioner cell phone is available for the unbeatable price of 36.99 euros.

emporia SMART.5

While the Artfone C1+ comes completely without a camera, the emporia SMART.5 offers three. Thus, it is aimed at seniors who also like to take the one or other snapshot. Thanks to its Internet connection, video telephony and messenger services are of course also possible. It is practical that emporia has already preinstalled WhatsApp here. Thanks to NFC, even contactless payment is possible. Not only the technology, but also the robustness is convincing.

Thanks to dust and water protection according to IP54, you don’t have to worry here if coffee ever runs over the screen. While the extensive equipment is rather untypical for a pensioner cell phone, emporia does not lose sight of the actual purpose of the SMART.5. That means uncomplicated operation and features like an SOS button with up to five storable phone numbers. We also find the cool cover on the front really cool. It protects the display, but also allows the user to operate the phone. On Amazon there is the practical pensioner cell phone for 219.99 euros.

Senior cell phone: It can also be a normal smartphone

Should the person for whom the device is to be used still be quite fit and already have experience with cell phones or even smartphones, it does not always have to be a special device for older people. The market is full of inexpensive smartphones that offer great features and score with ease of use. One example is certainly Samsung’s A series. One of the most popular representatives is probably the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (test).

This offers by far the most power of all the devices listed here, with its octa-core processor and 6 GB of RAM in the base version. Thanks to its 6.5-inch Super AMOLED, which resolves in FHD+, not only video calls are a lot of fun here. Family pictures come to life and are displayed colorfully. Thanks to the quad-camera on the back, nice pictures can also be taken, and a 32 MP front-facing camera again ensures nice selfies. The whole thing is rounded off with a low weight and an enduring battery. Currently, you can get the good mid-range smartphone at Amazon for a price of 338.00 Euros. A great alternative in the mid-range is certainly the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (test).

Conclusion: There is no one senior cell phone

During our research, it became clear to us that the range of devices for older people is more extensive than ever. If a few years ago it was only about the same-looking, clunky cell phones with big buttons, nowadays you encounter a wide-ranging market. Everything is possible here, from conventional button cell phones to models with a smartphone look. Due to the sometimes significantly different types, you should not be inclined to make a hasty purchase. Instead, it is advisable for the person concerned to try out the different designs first. If the person is a pensioner with an affinity for technology, you can also buy a conventional mid-range smartphone without any problems. These are much better in terms of features and rarely cost much more.