Smartphone for tween/teen recommendations

bestpud

I'm looking at mid range smart phones and wondering what your teens/tweens have (if they have one - I know not all will).

I don't want to get into iPhone prices but I don't want to get one that is so slow it's not worth having, or I'll end up replacing soon, either.

She will mostly text and will want to play games like Temple Run and Angry Gran.

She will also use emails, Facebook and probably YouTube when on WiFi - typical teen stuff.

Any recommendations?

I like the Galaxy SIII Mini - anyone have one of those?

Netwizard

These look good for the money, especially if your entitled to get one on pay and go upgrade: http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/mobile-phones/NOKIA_LUMIA_520

£6 quidco available too

Janepig

To be honest, my DD (10) has had way more use of her ipod touch than she ever has of her phone. Okay, so she hasn't got an all singing all dancing phone, I pay £7 a month for it with Tesco, but she doesn't even use it for calling or texting much any more, she facetimes her friends with the ipod touch, messages them with the message app, or kik, and puts photos on instagram. Plus all the games she wants, videos and music, etc... It's a 16g one and we paid £130 for it on Amazon (it's a 4th gen one). The only time she really uses her phone now if she's out and about and needs to ring or text. She doesn't look at it in the house or in her friends houses.

Jx

bestpud

Janepig wrote: »

To be honest, my DD (10) has had way more use of her ipod touch than she ever has of her phone. Okay, so she hasn't got an all singing all dancing phone, I pay £7 a month for it with Tesco, but she doesn't even use it for calling or texting much any more, she facetimes her friends with the ipod touch, messages them with the message app, or kik, and puts photos on instagram. Plus all the games she wants, videos and music, etc... It's a 16g one and we paid £130 for it on Amazon (it's a 4th gen one). The only time she really uses her phone now if she's out and about and needs to ring or text. She doesn't look at it in the house or in her friends houses.

Jx

Two of her friends have iPhones and one an ipod so she can use Facetime or imessaging when she's home and has WiFi, but she really needs something she can use on 3G as we are away from home quite a lot.

She does have a very basic phone that we are keeping for festivals and other places like that but it's not really doing the job day to day.

Janepig

bestpud wrote: »

Two of her friends have iPhones and one an ipod so she can use Facetime or imessaging when she's home and has WiFi, but she really needs something she can use on 3G as we are away from home quite a lot.

She does have a very basic phone that we are keeping for festivals and other places like that but it's not really doing the job day to day.

What I find is that I wouldn't pay the price of an iphone for myself, much less my ten year old daughter! So the ipod touch was a nice compromise. I know she can't use it to text or ring when on the move, she carries her phone for that - but it's surprising how many places have broadband and all her friends houses do. I've also got an ipod touch and an ipad so for instance on sleepovers she's been able to facetime me.

Having said that, at her age she doesn't really text or ring people non stop (I'm sure that will come!) so we've had no complaints or moans.

Jx

cutestkids

My 12 year old has the Samsung S111 Mini and it is a great phone, does everything you could want it to is fast, looks great and if I were to change my phone that would be what I would go for.

It really is a lovely phone.

Pinklepurr

My 12 yr old has a Samsung galaxy Ace II. She loves it. I have the Samsumg SIII Mini and it looks virtually identical to that.

bestpud

Janepig wrote: »

What I find is that I wouldn't pay the price of an iphone for myself, much less my ten year old daughter! So the ipod touch was a nice compromise. I know she can't use it to text or ring when on the move, she carries her phone for that - but it's surprising how many places have broadband and all her friends houses do. I've also got an ipod touch and an ipad so for instance on sleepovers she's been able to facetime me.

Having said that, at her age she doesn't really text or ring people non stop (I'm sure that will come!) so we've had no complaints or moans.

Jx

I know what you mean.

I definitely won't be getting an iPhone.

bestpud

Pinklepurr wrote: »

My 12 yr old has a Samsung galaxy Ace II. She loves it. I have the Samsumg SIII Mini and it looks virtually identical to that.

The Ace II is another one I Iooked at. Does it do everything she needs it to?

How do they compare?

I have the normal Galaxy SIII and it's great but more than I want to pay for my daughter so I thought the mini might be a good compromise.

minimoneysaver

My daughter has an HTC desire c and loves it. x

caroline78

Totally personal view, but I would stay away from the Lumia range as they are Windows phones as opposed to the Samsung range which are Android.

Hubby got a Lumia, had it about a week and sold it to go back to Samsung. He has had most of the Galaxy range and prefers the Ace 2 to any other model.

He is on 3 pay as you go and pays £15 a month for 300 minutes, 3000 texts and unlimited internet (which really is unlimited, he is always downloading music and spends ages playing about with it at night).

I highly recommend the Samsung range as I am totally "untechy", but I got his hand me down of the Galaxy Y and even I can use the features on it including Facebook, Youtube, eBay and even on here...lol