Cheap but reliable smartphone for my tech dinosaur husband

Annie1612

Could anyone please recommended a brand/model of smartphone I can buy my husband to replace his rapidly failing iPhone 6. Another iPhone would be a waste of money - he has only ever had the kids hand me-me-downs and this free source has now dried up so I will have to sort him out something from scratch. Budget of around £100. He only ever uses it to make/receive calls and texts and WhatsApp to keep in touch with family. And to Google things sometimes.He has an iPad for everything else. He is not very good with tech at all and neither of us have tried android phones. It just needs to be simple to use and last for a good few years. I am looking at the Motorola range but struggle to compare them and have seen an E20 at curry’s but there are no reviews for it. Are there any other budget brands worth considering? 

Thanks for any recommendations.

pramsay13

Why are you looking for a new phone?
How about another iPhone 6 if it is the actual phone that is struggling?
Or just the next phone up.
Are there any other relatives that will sell you a hand-me-down, or even just go for a refurbed one online.
Generally I would recommend android phones but if he is used to Apple it's probably worth sticking with it.

Annie1612

I was just looking for anything about that price range that I could get quickly. Yes, phone is failing and is unreliable now. He simply needs something reliable quickly as he is the first emergency contact for his elderly mum and needs a working phone with him all the time whereas he just used to leave his phone on the kitchen worktop all day. Although, it is imperative he has one, making phone calls and texts are largely all he needs it for so I think another iPhone would be a waste of money. No old phones coming our way for free at the moment unfortunately!

pramsay13

It doesn't necessarily need to be free, ask your (young) relatives if anyone has an old iPhone 6 lying around that they will part with for £50.
If not you can search online for refurbished iPhones. 6s are selling for around £90.

Cisco001

realme C21 4+64GB is £89 at the moment.
https://buy.realme.com/uk/goods/167

Alcatel 3L 2020 4 + 64 @ £89
https://www.ebuyer.com/1262833-alcatel-3l-2020-6-22-64gb-smartphone-chameleon-blue-5029y-2balgb11

But I can't comment the ease of use as he will be changing from apple to android.

bengalknights

used iphone from cex or fb market sounds like the solution

Grumpy_chap

If he wants a smartphone and willing to go to Android, then I fully recommend the Moto G- series phones.  Between my wife and I, we've had G4, G5, G7 Power G9.  I can't see any reason we'd move away to an alternative.
The latest one we got was from Argos:
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7835216

An absolute bargain in my book.  Plus the battery lasts for ages, so that provides the confidence for your husband always having the emergency phone with him.

However, if he truly only wants calls and text, why not revert to a traditional Nokia?
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/phones-broadband-and-sat-nav/mobile-phones-and-accessories/mobile-phones/nokia-105-4-mb-black-10201786-pdt.html

Being smaller, that would be less likely to be left behind on the kitchen table.  I still have a Nokia and use it for work as any smartphone can get smashed on a construction site, plus I drop phones in water too regularly.

MSE_Chris

Hi Annie,

We have a small feature on our Cheap Mobile Finder to help narrow down the huge choice of phones available. It sounds like your husband is pretty flexible if he's not tied into Apple.

You can find it here, it asks some basic questions about requirements and sorts by price.

You can then narrow down the options further (camera etc) using the filters on the left: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/phone-finder/#handsetfinder

I hope this helps,
MSE Chris

matelodave

I second Grumpy_chap, we've had Moto phones for years. Mine is still a more than serviceable Moto E4 bought in 2017 and the battery still lasts 3-4 days.

My wife recently replaced her Moto G (one of the very first from 2014) with the G9 Play (as per G_C's link) as the battery was beginning to fail. The battery on the G9 lasts her a week or more and it does everything she needs it to. For £99 it's a bargain. 

Ibrahim5

I was quite late getting a smartphone and got a cheap Motorola. I was at work and everyone was scratching their head at a crossword question. I just tapped my phone "What is the answer to this question". My Motorola just told me the answer. Suddenly everybody around me was shouting "Hey Siri". I didn't know what was happening at first. Their Apple phones costing many times more than mine couldn't even recognize "Hey Siri" so they had no chance of answering the question.

anotherbob

Seems to me the safest option is to stay with Apple. If you switch to Android and he's as clueless as you suggest you're asking for problems. There's plenty of refurb iPhone 6 to be had on ebay and elsewhere within your budget. Just swap his SIM and Bob's your uncle.

There might be one of those s/h phone shops near you who could sort it out easily.