Top five mobile phones for children [Updated]
Buying mobile phones for children isn’t always straight-forward. Do you get them something basic, cheap and reliable? Or do you give-in to their demands and shell-out for an ‘all singing all dancing’ smartphone?
To help you decide, our top five starts at the value-end of the scale and works its way up to high-end smartphones. But before you make any decisions, read our three essential tips on buying a mobile phone for your child.
Buying mobile phones for children: top tips
Go PAYG: We don’t recommend buying a child a contract mobile phone as there are lots of opportunities for them to rack-up large bills via premium numbers and exceeding allowances. So all the below phones are available on pay-as-you-go tariffs.
Read our basic pay-as-you-go mobile phone reviews to see which models performed best in our labs.
Be careful with data: Smartphones let you store a host of personal data on your phone, via email and social networks. So if you buy your child a smartphone make sure they are fully aware of the dangers of letting others access their personal information and make sure they follow our smartphone security advice.
To app or not to app?: If you buy your child an smartphone then they will have access to an app store, such as the Android Market or the iPhone’s App Store. To download apps they’ll need to register with a credit card, but once this is set-up apps can be downloaded instantly with little authorisation. So be careful that they don’t run up a massive bill!
Save with wi-fi: Handsets that support wi-fi may be more expensive, but if your child wants to frequently download music and apps from the internet, then it will let them do so on your home wireless internet connection. This will save them money buying expensive mobile data credit.
Top five mobile phones for children
Nokia 100
- Cheap
- Simple
- Big battery
If you just want a basic handset for your child that is reliable and cheap then the Nokia 100 is a good choice. The 100 is intentionally simple and has a large battery so it should keep running even if they forget to charge it regularly.
Choosing a very basic handset for your child also makes it less likely to get stolen and cheaper to replace in case it’s lost or damaged.
Price: around £13 on PAYG
For more information read our Nokia 100 review to see how it performs.
Nokia Asha 201
- Qwerty keyboard
- Basic apps
- Large battery
Aimed at a younger crowd the Asha 201 offers a full Qwerty keyboard for the text message obsessed as well as some basic apps including Nokia Social for updating Facebook and Twitter.
There’s also a couple of games for a bit of fun plus a basic camera and music player. A decent sized battery should also keep it working for a reasonable amount of time.
Price: around £40 on PAYG
Read our Nokia Asha 201 review for the full results of our tests.
LG Optimus L3
- Wi-fi and 3G connectivity
- Runs on Android with access to Android apps
- Features camera, music player and GPS
The Optimus L3 is a small smartphone that offers access to the Android operating system and the hundreds of thousands of apps on the Google Play app store. This means they should be able to find lots of fun apps to keep them busy, no matter what they are interested in.
There’s also wi-fi and 3G connectivity so it will be easy to access the internet and update all their social networks. A camera and music player are included for entertainment.
Price: around £80 on PAYG
Find out how it performed in our LG Optimus L3 review.
Motorola Defy
- Robust and hard to break
- Runs on Android with access to the Google Play app store
- Features camera, music player and GPS
Designed to be strong and rugged the Defy should stand up to the regular drops and scrapes that come with a young person’s life. It is also running the Android operating system so there are a lot of cool apps available to download.
A camera, music player and GPS also means it’s got all the features you would expect from a smartphone. It may not be the newest phone around, but that means you should be able to find it for a very attractive price.
Price: Around £100 on PAYG
To see the full lab results read our Motorola Defy review
Apple iPhone 4S
- Excellent touchscreen and display
- Unrivalled number of apps and games
- Great web-browsing and social networking features
At the top of any child’s phone wishlist is probably the iPhone 4S and it’s not hard to see why.
The iPhone 4S is an incredibly slick piece of hardware and children will love its vivid display, excellent web-browsing, huge selection of mobile phone games and quality music player. The problem is, on PAYG, the iPhone 4S will cost an absolute bomb – £499 on PAYG – and we would strongly advise against giving a child something so expensive to carry around everyday.
Price: From £499 on PAYG
To see what all the fuss is about read our Apple iPhone 4S review.
- How to buy the best mobile phone – advice on choosing the right mobile phone
- Basic pay-as-you-go mobile phones – see which models performed the best
- How we test mobile phones – find out what it takes to be a Best Buy
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Heather Kennett
My son suffers from Dyscalculer (number blindness). If I buy him a phone would it be poss. to have a no. he could easily remember?
anonymous
umm this may sound dumb coming from a kid but im looking for a cell and i came across firefly and there r only 4 keys so there will probably b a small number
anonymous
The Nokia 100 looks like the worst phone I have ever seen!
No kid would want that! This is coming from a kid!
The other phones don’t look too bad though!
I am 12 and I am getting an iPhone 5 for Christmas!
There is 1 rule for getting a present for a child, get what they want, not what you think they want!
onebro
“There is 1 rule for getting a present for a child, get what they want, not what you think they want!”
iPhone+iPad… No i am not getting those for sister. Who is going to pay for contract? You don`t count money when you are 12 because you don`t earn it. There has to be a compromise between features of the gadget and price.
twobro
I agree as a 12 year old has no concept of money and its value. Especially how hard it is to earn money. So there has to be a balance between function vs price as not to go broke at the initial purchase and for your monthly data / calling plans. I would rather get a firefly phone that only has 4 buttons if that is only for contacting mom and dad for help or assistance. just in my experience kids will click on things to download without thinking how much it costs and run up your bill on a monthly basis.
pau
start with a simple nokia phone. just like with cars, you cant learn automatic if you havent learned the manual cars. And think about your parents’ money.
kclark
A 12 yr with a smart phone… NO WAY! I agree with the replies, to young when very few 12 yr olds have the conspect of the value of money. Its just about what they want and being cool. As parents it’s our job to teach them. I see parents yelling and screaming when they see high phone bills, grades slipping and other unacceptable behavior but yet go out and get that kid the latest phone. Sorry my step daughter (12) will be getting a simple phone, no smart phone till she can pay for it. Also just about every carrier has ways to protect the kids. Verizon has 3.. one is free and allows you to block things and such. The other is 4.99 and allows you to do a rating. Basically like a movie rating and you set it (7+, 13+ or none) this will allow you to decide if they will be able to view things. Also on one of these you can have their phone turned off..no phone calls .. no text.. not web. So during school they can’t mess around, or late at night. There is a locator on too for 9.99 a month. You can set it so if they leave the house you will get a text message. And we all know they will not be leaving the phone home. So text them to get back if they don’t phone is off.
You are willing to pay for a phone then be willing to pay to keep them safe. If they don’t like it well to bad. You are the parent.. not their friend.
Ej
I want an iPhone 5 as well but some people aren’t as fortunate as well as you and have to get something on the lower end like me. Some people have to make a compromise and so that’s what they will do, kids would prefer the Nokia to no phone. I’m 13 and don’t have a phone because my parents can’t afford it. If I want a phone I have to buy it myself and I have to play for the plan. You act lie money grows on trees but it doesn’t. You have no idea how hard it is to get enough money to pay for this kind of stuff.
MN
I agree with you completely. Kids have no idea, or they don’t care. I commend you for taking this kind of stance and underestanding the issues at such a young age. You will go a long way in life.
pratik
WHAT? u people only want to tell that the phones ur children want are costly as u dont believe that they can take care of it.I am a 12 year old and i personally dont like the apple franchise nor the ipods,iphones and any other stuff and i also understand how ur concerned about the price but not everybody is the same and like i said some children ought to get the phones they need but as to my corcern and opinion i tell u a child must get a normal phone like i have (samsung champ deluxe duos) but after some time u ought to get him and his phone and ur trust on him to the next level and if u can afford and trust him the very much u may buy him the iphone or which ever phone he likes
thnxx JAI HIND!!!!!!!!!!
Monica
I recommend Lg Optimus G
Gillian
My phone is a blackberry (the old type) and im like 10 years old. everyone calls me a perf because ive got a cool phone and my bff shes a total bitch.
Stacey
im 14 and have only just got a really good android phone but i had to save up all my money for almost a year since then ive had a good old nokia 100 that my mum brought me when i was 12 and they really are good wee phones.
Brandon Tischer
Hi, I’m a ten year old child and I want to know what is the best cell phone for me. What features I would like is Internet access, a variety of apps and games, and a camera. This would fall under the smartphone category. I would like to have an answer when you can.
MN
I know my kids need a cell phone if they are playing away from the house. Here’s the deal: My son, 11 almost 12, only wants an iPhone 5. The cost is great. However, I am also concerned about the taking pictures aspect, the surfing the web where you can see everything aspect.
Most kids really like stuff from Apple. I don’t understand why Apple, with all its creative minds, cannot create a product that looks cool (let’s face it we like some of the looks) but is basic and cheaper like simply gives phone and text capabilities and maybe some photos. I don’t want my kid to be surfing the net, with a phone under his pillow! I don’t want him to have access to everything, and let’s face it if the phone has capabilities to do it, the kid will beg for it. Everyday, there will be a request -parental headache.
As a consumer, I am so disappointed in Apple’s unwillingness to even take parental concerns under their wing and address. Give parents what they need as well. I’ve never felt such a great irresponsibility from a global company (am sure there are others out there but not like Apple) Kids like gadgets. I almost find it disgusting that they look at dollars and not the value of putting such an item in a kids hands. Am I the parent? Yes. But you don’t have to listen to my kid whine a week straight and being a single parent, even tougher. Apple – you suck in this way. Create something that will help parents, not work against them.
Did we not learn from the Steubenville case how risky it is and how easy it is for young ppl to put criminal photos on the phone? And for it to become a permanent thing. Businesses need to grow a conscience. Help society build its young people, don’t give them stuff to abuse. You’re the creators and designers, come up with a product that pleases parents and kids!!
amber
uh excuse me? the iphone wasn’t aimed for kids it was for ADULTS and to let you know i am a 11 years old and i had the i phone 3gs i loved it but gave it back to my dad because i got bored of it i got bored of the same apps plus i didnt go on the internet yeah i had a phone but used at birthdays or celebrations dont treat children as if they are all the same not just you but the other people on this page when they say that children dont think about the money or how it is to get money well some children do think about those and so do i and anyway the i phone was a hand me down so if you are that bothered about the price and you have a phone you dont want and have a child give it to them.and i think that the lg optimus l3(listed above) looks the best, good price,apps,internet and apps
amber
sorry i meant i had a camera not i had a phone and used it at celebrations and partys lol (i wrote these comments on a lap top)
lexi
dammit, i’m 18 years old and i’ve got a nokia 100. I’ve got enough money to afford an iphone 5, but why would i? i’ve got a gamer laptop and i do everything i want on it, but i use my mobile to communicate. If you’re 12 and you bitch cause you haven’t got the latest smartphone you’re a spoilt brat and you’re probably going to be a bitchy bitch your whole life. Get over it, when I was your age i was playing with freaking barbies.