No matter your age, you can benefit from the simplicity of a voice phone or one with a big, bright screen. These are the best phones we’ve tested that make life easy.
Everyone needs to be connected. Seniors, who may be isolated from their families or have specific health needs, shouldn’t be left out. The smartphone industry, by and large, isn’t thinking about the particular needs of the senior market, but, if you pay attention, you can find carriers and phones that offer a streamlined and accommodating phone experience. Being in what phone manufacturers think of as the “senior market” isn’t about chronological age so much as faculties, preferences, and lifestyle. Many of these phones accommodate reduced eyesight and hearing, plus are affordable. Others have high-end features designed to make your life easier. The Sonim XP3plus is a perfectly simple voice phone Our list includes some voice phones and some general-purpose smartphones. Most of the phones on this list are available unlocked, so they can be paired with any compatible carrier; the others are typically sold in carrier-specific versions. The Best Voice Phones We regularly get emails from readers who are frustrated because they want simple, high-quality voice phones, and they don’t feel like there are enough options. Many voice phone owners are using older phones and are concerned about the upcoming 3G shutdown. They look at the current lineup of voice phones and see them as a step back, not a step up, from what they’re used to. They’re right. The hardware demands of 4G LTE voice calling mean inexpensive voice phones are slower and less reliable than they used to be. We tested several recently, and the one we most recommend, the Sunbeam F1, costs $195. Other high-quality voice phones from Sonim and Kyocera tend to be in the $200 to $300 range. The Nokia 225 4G, a cheaper option, is small and reliable and costs only $49.99, but it only works well on T-Mobile’s network. Voice phones under $100 are generally a mediocre experience. There are a bunch of flip phones kicking around the cell phone aisle at Walgreens and Walmart from carrier brands like Tracfone and Net10. We don’t review them, but some appear to be older, decent-quality LG models.
