Phone suggestion for parent

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$400 and under is the budget.

I gave my mother my old Nexus 5X a few years back and she finally dropped it and busted the screen. It took a while to teach her the phone as she is totally tech illiterate. It's an old phone and I had it for a while before giving it to her, so I don't want to bother repairing it (I don't know if I can, it's boot looping as well, making me think its done for), they also live in another state. First to come to mind was the Nexus 6P, being a Google phone the feel should over all be the same so minimal "newness" for her to adjust to, however it seems new is no longer an option for them and used prices are more than lots of other new options. While I am open to used phones, new for a parent out of state just seems to hold less issues in my mind.

Next was the Moto G5 Plus, it really seems to be a nice upgrade and lots of people like it, but having never used it, how much did moto change the UI? I am worried about getting lots of calls on how to do this or that on the thing. Price new is $300 or under so under budget and cheaper than a used 6P.

Should be noted it will see calls/texting and FB and thats about it, so no need for a powerful phone.

Another option I was thinking about was a iPhone SE, she has an iPad, so I know she is pretty used to the layout and they are far more standard than 3rd party android phones, size worries me though, I think the 6 Plus might be worth the extra money for her because of eye sight etc. Down size is loss of storage, but then I remember shes not going to use it like I do, so 16GB is more than enough. And while I am an Android fan, the consistency and updates for the iPhone are a huge plus for something for a parent even if it means cuts in storage etc.

Opinions? Other options?
 
I haven't facebooked in a while. However, last time I had the app it was buggy, bloaty, and an all-around resource hog, like it had been for years. Maybe that's changed.

Hate to say it but I think iPhones are probably perfect for old people because of the long-term support. They likely don't care if it's not as snappy as day-1.
 
And it's on the list for that reason, even though it is more money. Down sides are what questions might come up getting her used to it, being that the iPad she has is newer to her, I am sure she is still adjusting some and doesn't have to use it for calling/texting, I believe its internet/FB only on the iPad and something for the granddaughter to play on when shes there. Looking at UI screens from the G5 however looks like it would be pretty easy for her to move to, if any problems at all, the UI is much like that 5X. So it's looking like G5 for easy transition, or iPhone for possible better support down the line at a much higher cost and possible tech support for a bit....Thinking maybe G5 this time and iPhone on the next upgrade, she should be more used to the iPad then and moving over should be pretty easy.
 
The Moto G5 Plus has an interface that's mostly like stock, just with minor tweaks to things like the camera interface. I'd be tempted to spring for the 64GB model just because it has 4GB of RAM and should last longer.

The iPhone SE would be a good choice as long as she doesn't mind the screen size -- maybe have her go to an Apple store or carrier store and see if she likes the screen size and the hand feel. Current-generation models start with 32GB of space, so that won't be a downgrade. It's fast, it's easy to hold, and of course many of your mom's iPad apps have iPhone versions. If it's too small: maybe an iPhone 6S Plus, especially since there's a chance you can get it at a discount at this point in the year.
 
Aurelius said:
The Moto G5 Plus has an interface that's mostly like stock, just with minor tweaks to things like the camera interface. I'd be tempted to spring for the 64GB model just because it has 4GB of RAM and should last longer.

The iPhone SE would be a good choice as long as she doesn't mind the screen size -- maybe have her go to an Apple store or carrier store and see if she likes the screen size and the hand feel. Current-generation models start with 32GB of space, so that won't be a downgrade. It's fast, it's easy to hold, and of course many of your mom's iPad apps have iPhone versions. If it's too small: maybe an iPhone 6S Plus, especially since there's a chance you can get it at a discount at this point in the year.
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The 6S Plus is way, WAY over budget, and for stuff she will never use or know exist, the older 6 Plus is in budget (just), so no reason to go past that. The G5 would be the 64GB one, no reason not to as it's still well in budget (and still cheaper than the 6 Plus), the SE the more I look at it is not really an option, thinking about the problems she has from time to time reading stuff on the 5X as it is and the SE is even smaller, 1.2" less screen area AND much less DPI, so I have ruled that out.

She wont have many apps, just FB/YT, overall it's the UI that throws her off on simple stuff, like setting alarms etc, the iPad is new to her, so she is more used to the 5X than the iPad and iOS.
 
BlueFireIce said:
The 6S Plus is way, WAY over budget, and for stuff she will never use or know exist, the older 6 Plus is in budget (just), so no reason to go past that. The G5 would be the 64GB one, no reason not to as it's still well in budget (and still cheaper than the 6 Plus), the SE the more I look at it is not really an option, thinking about the problems she has from time to time reading stuff on the 5X as it is and the SE is even smaller, 1.2" less screen area AND much less DPI, so I have ruled that out.

She wont have many apps, just FB/YT, overall it's the UI that throws her off on simple stuff, like setting alarms etc, the iPad is new to her, so she is more used to the 5X than the iPad and iOS.
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I'd just be worried about the 6 Plus' combination of a 1080p screen and 1GB of RAM. You may see it reloading apps more often than you'd like. But finding a 6S Plus for a reasonable price will be hard until the September launches and the 6S is no longer part of the regular lineup.

The G5 Plus sounds like it's honestly the best option outside of that -- the combination of a good-sized screen, enough RAM and a mostly familiar interface might do the trick.
 
I have G5 Plus on my desk right now and there is no crapware on the phone at all. It appears to be nearly bone stock in the UI department and I haven't run into any annoyances or stupid features that shouldn't exist.
 
Have you looked at the Nextbit Robin? It's about the same hardware as a 5x, but they're selling for $130 on amazon (and if you look around, I've seen deals for $100). It's been around long enough, without many complaints of bootlooping, so I expect it to be stable (my wife's 5x started bootlooping at around 1 year and 1 week :( ). The stock launcher is a little weird, but if you can walk her through replacing it with the google launcher (or have it shipped to you, set it up and then ship it to her?)
 
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Aurelius said:
I'd just be worried about the 6 Plus' combination of a 1080p screen and 1GB of RAM. You may see it reloading apps more often than you'd like. But finding a 6S Plus for a reasonable price will be hard until the September launches and the 6S is no longer part of the regular lineup.

The G5 Plus sounds like it's honestly the best option outside of that -- the combination of a good-sized screen, enough RAM and a mostly familiar interface might do the trick.
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If an iPhone can't run a single app without glitching, I am sure we would hear about it to no end, remember, this is not a power user, but a senior who uses one or two apps TOTAL. I also had the 6 and 6 Plus (work supplied), they run very very well even when using many apps at once including video streaming at the same time, might be low on RAM for most others on the market, but they do a hell of a good job with it. Never had any issues.

Ocellaris said:
I have G5 Plus on my desk right now and there is no crapware on the phone at all. It appears to be nearly bone stock in the UI department and I haven't run into any annoyances or stupid features that shouldn't exist.
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That is what I am looking for, I saw some screens and watched some YT videos of people playing around with it and over all looked very stock and very close to what I remember the 5X being like, just far less laggy.

toast0 said:
Have you looked at the Nextbit Robin? It's about the same hardware as a 5x, but they're selling for $130 on amazon (and if you look around, I've seen deals for $100). It's been around long enough, without many complaints of bootlooping, so I expect it to be stable (my wife's 5x started bootlooping at around 1 year and 1 week :( ). The stock launcher is a little weird, but if you can walk her through replacing it with the google launcher (or have it shipped to you, set it up and then ship it to her?)
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While the Robin looks like a super deal for a budget phone, I was very turned off by the UI, which for a normal user would take all of a day to get used to...Not the case with my mom, and being in another state than I am, phone support trying to explain something to her on a UI I don't even know would not be a fun time for me, I would rather pay over budget to get a phone I don't have to deal with that with. It was also marketed as a cloud based phone, not something I like, big time with them living way out in the country with poor service, and the mfg is/has gone under from what I remember (now bought by Razor?), so no updates and no help with warranty if something goes wrong in that time.

As for modding, no, just no. I want as little hassle as can be and don't want to have to deal with conflicts or updates/changes etc etc down the road.
 
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I helped my mom get an iPhone a few years ago and it was a wise decision. IMO, it's a better device for the technically illiterate. It doesn't give you a whole lot of room to screw things up beyond belief and most apps (especially the popular ones) are bulletproof.

I'll probably do the same for my dad who is about as technologically averse as they come. He's been rocking a 90's flip phone forever, but it's on its last legs. He doesn't want anything else, but he is at least interested in the camera. I think my plan is to take everything but the dialer, messenger, camera, and gallery and toss them in a folder where he won't even see them.
 
Domingo said:
I helped my mom get an iPhone a few years ago and it was a wise decision. IMO, it's a better device for the technically illiterate. It doesn't give you a whole lot of room to screw things up beyond belief and most apps (especially the popular ones) are bulletproof.

I'll probably do the same for my dad who is about as technologically averse as they come. He's been rocking a 90's flip phone forever, but it's on its last legs. He doesn't want anything else, but he is at least interested in the camera. I think my plan is to take everything but the dialer, messenger, camera, and gallery and toss them in a folder where he won't even see them.
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My dad still has a flip phone, his old one died and didn't want anything else, took me a while to actually find one that would work.
 
The G5 Plus, Z Play, or any iPhone would be absolutely fine for her.

I have a 6P and wife has a Z Play, be the UI is literally stock Android other than a couple extra settings and apps that Moto phones have (they're all the same UI as well).

The Z Play will kill anything else in battery too, which even a simple user like you Mom can appreciate. It literally has twice the battery life of any iPhone or flagship Android phone, while performing as fast or faster in real world UI performance. It loads apps and stuff as fast or faster than my 6P or my Mom's GS7 at least.

Plus I know a lot of people write off the Moto gestures as gimmicks, but my wife loves the twist gesture for camera and chop gestures for flashlight and uses them daily. Their Moto Voice customization for a custom call word/phrase to activate Assistant is nifty too, though she rarely uses that and doubt your mom would either if you showed her it.
 
Domingo said:
I helped my mom get an iPhone a few years ago and it was a wise decision. IMO, it's a better device for the technically illiterate. It doesn't give you a whole lot of room to screw things up beyond belief and most apps (especially the popular ones) are bulletproof.

I'll probably do the same for my dad who is about as technologically averse as they come. He's been rocking a 90's flip phone forever, but it's on its last legs. He doesn't want anything else, but he is at least interested in the camera. I think my plan is to take everything but the dialer, messenger, camera, and gallery and toss them in a folder where he won't even see them.
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I gotta agree to this. It may not be the best technical option, but you aren't exactly looking for a technical solution, your looking for a personal one.

The best part about Apple: You can sign them up for free instruction and support at an Apple Store. And if anything goes wrong - the Apple Store. The phone will last a reasonably long time (both holding up hardware-wise, and receiving software support), it's reasonably difficult to screw it up unintentionally, and iOS is pretty similar across all platforms so there's some cross-device familiarity.
 
You can get an iPhone SE new right now for $200. It's a no brainer for a non-profit user who needs things simple.
 
Get the moto g5 or g5 plus. My mom uses a g4 plus and my dad just got a g5 plus. For 250$ for a phone case and screen protector is a good deal. Plus zero bloat wear and works on any gsm network
 
Another vote for Moto G5 Plus. Good bang for the buck device and well suited to non-power users. Get a decent case in case it gets dropped. As others have said, the software skin is similar to stock Android and is easy to operate. Works on all carriers.
 
biggles said:
Another vote for Moto G5 Plus. Good bang for the buck device and well suited to non-power users. Get a decent case in case it gets dropped. As others have said, the software skin is similar to stock Android and is easy to operate. Works on all carriers.
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Moto G5 Plus gets my vote too for all the reasons you described. I purchased one for my girlfriend who never used a smartphone before and she took to it very easily and really likes it. Regarding the case, I enclosed it in a Spigen Rugged Armor case which for a protective case, looks unexpectedly stylish and has a non slip cushioned feel to it.
Spigen Rugged Armor.png
 
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entropism said:
You can get an iPhone SE new right now for $200. It's a no brainer for a non-profit user who needs things simple.
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UnknownSouljer said:
Verizon iPhone SE is on sale for $200 at Best Buy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-iphone-se-32gb-silver-verizon/5899127.p?skuId=5899127
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As I said already, the SE is out of the question, if it is going to be an iPhone it needs to be at least the normal 6 or 6 Plus, the SE loses 1.2" screen area to the 5X, when my mom already has issues with some text on the 5X, so the SE is just way to small. The phone also never goes into a pocket, rather it always goes into a purse, so the size of the 6 Plus etc would not be an issue.

With that said, I am leaning to the G5 Plus, fits all the needs, got to see one in person for the UI and it's pretty much a match for what she is used to, price is below budget, better storage over the iPhone for the money (if there is ever a need), moving all contacts etc etc should be easy for her by logging into her Google account and wont need me to transfer everything for her to the iPhone, and it's getting lots of votes here for a good choice.
 
Sorry, you said you were thinking about the SE. That's why I recommended it. You can also find the 6S and plus around $100 more right now.
 
entropism said:
Sorry, you said you were thinking about the SE. That's why I recommended it. You can also find the 6S and plus around $100 more right now.
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Oh, I was, HW wise and price is good, and a number of sales going on for them to....But getting to see one in person, while fine for me, my mom has poor and aging eye sight, and once I saw it in person and went home to look at screen size vs the current phone she has, it also has much lower PPI, which made it an instant no. As for the iPhone 6S and plus, no, it's over budget for no reason, if I get one it will be the 6 or 6 Plus, no reason to pay more and over budget for HW she will never use, big time when the 6 can still be had new and inside of budget.
 
Just letting you know, depending on your carrier the 6 might have worse connectivity than the 6s. T-Mobile, for example, has no coverage on band 12 (their wide area band) until the 6s.
 
What about the Samsung? My grandma has it. It took me a few days to explain all main instructions. Or you do not like Samsung?
 
cass1 said:
What about the Samsung? My grandma has it. It took me a few days to explain all main instructions. Or you do not like Samsung?
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Samsung what? They have lots of phones. And no, I don't like them because of Touchwiz, which I never liked myself, no less want to worry about teaching my mother. If I am going to go to a UI I don't care for I will get an iPhone.
 
For anyone who isn't tech savvy, I'd avoid Samsung. Not because I don't like TouchWiz, but because of all of their duplicate nonsense. Multiple browsers, messaging programs, email clients, accounts, and even stores to deal with. It's bad enough Google can't settle on a messaging platform. Samsung devices muddle the waters further.
 
Domingo said:
For anyone who isn't tech savvy, I'd avoid Samsung. Not because I don't like TouchWiz, but because of all of their duplicate nonsense. Multiple browsers, messaging programs, email clients, accounts, and even stores to deal with. It's bad enough Google can't settle on a messaging platform. Samsung devices muddle the waters further.
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Agreed.
 
My mother is happily using a Oneplus 3T. She likes it. It's very close to stock android.

My dad couldn't figure out android, so he's on an iPhone 7 Plus (though I'm not sure he has really figured that out either, but at least he can make and receive calls).

I just upgraded to a Samsung S8+ ($100 off + Traded in my old Nexus 4 for $200 credit toward the phone, bringing it down near OnePlus 5 price levels). It has taken me a few days to understand the Samsung ecosystem (friggn' every feature seems to have a suite of purchasable apps associated with it), and sleep all the apps / switch to a dark theme for improved battery life. Stock android was indeed simpler, but this is probably going to be the better experience. I don't mind TouchWiz in this form; it looks like it's finally good enough for me. I also got the unlocked version, so there's no carrier bloatware. I can see how 6GB of RAM would be useful for Samsung phones, but I'm sure I'll be fine with the 4GB version we plebs get in the US.

Edit: Heh, turns out we get to keep nearly every useful feature even without the Samsung Launcher... might give the old Nova Launcher a try then:
 
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JammieR said:
The best phone for patents is Iphone 5s. its light, can process almost every app. Plus its cheap, so if your father/mother drops it on the floor the damage can be minimum in dollars.
My mother has my old iphone 5s and she is happy :)
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OP has said twice that the iPhone SE (same size as the 5S) is too small and is not being considered.
 
Not to mention the iPhone 5S doesn't have LTE on certain networks, is about to be EOL for updates, etc etc.
 
T4rd said:
OP has said twice that the iPhone SE (same size as the 5S) is too small and is not being considered.
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entropism said:
Not to mention the iPhone 5S doesn't have LTE on certain networks, is about to be EOL for updates, etc etc.
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Both correct. As I said, for myself, both the SE and 5S would be no problem and are pretty good deals on price, but for my mom screen size is going to be a big factor.

Having said that, I got the G5 Plus, extra screen size also allows me to increase font and display size without losing to much. When I handed her the phone, her first comment was "Wow, the screen is so much bigger", after unlocking it and looking around, her second comment was "I can read most of this without my glasses!". That was not the case with the Nexus.
 
It's funny, I know with my mother and my in-laws, they want the screen as small as possible. I'm glad she's happy with your choice, it's a great device.
 
entropism said:
It's funny, I know with my mother and my in-laws, they want the screen as small as possible. I'm glad she's happy with your choice, it's a great device.
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My mom used to like small phones as well, however as she has gotten older her eye sight is not great (even with glasses), and she never pockets the phone anymore, she always has a suitcase sized purse with her that it goes into. She might even still like small phones, but they are not at all practical for her, if she wants to admit it or not. Battery life is also about 4 times that of the Nexus, something I am glad Google changed with the Pixel phones, the Nexus were one of the most poor battery life I have ever seen in a phone.
 
both of my parents have Lumia 640s they are perfect for them and I can load up anything they need remotely
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
both of my parents have Lumia 640s they are perfect for them and I can load up anything they need remotely
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I honestly wish they would do a mid range, G5 Plus like windows phone, or even high end, I would probably get one.
 
In case you missed it Nokia via hmd just launched the Nokia 4 and 6. Pretty decent phones for the price. Pure 7.1.1 and hopely timely updates. I waiting for the 7 or 8
 
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