New Phone for my Teenage Son

XMas Present for my 17 yo son is going to be a new Phone. I am massively confused by the range of options available and am keen on some suggestions.

My son's personal choice would be either a nerw iPhone 6 or the new Sony phone that has some kind of gimmicky sync feature with a PS4.

My considerations are a litle more practical however. he has totalled 3 phones and an iPad in the last 3 years, the latest victim being his previous Nexus 4 which wont even turn on now after another apparently victimless freak accident (they seem to happen quite frequently to him, the freak accidents), the latest involving a random other person and a flight of stairs, apparently the phone inexplicably came out of his pocket and beat both of the boys to the bottom! Go figure.

Not really keen to spend $1K or more on a phone only to have to agonize over the latest excuse by around Feb!

Practical considerations for me are:

his plan is on Amaysim so works on the Optus 3G network I think. 4G probably not important. I pay for the data and him being annoyed with slow roaming data is not a problem for me given he has been disallowed from using it.

He is doing year 12 next year and year 11 results have suffered badly from his video game addiction. Although he would probably place gaming ability and graphics at the top of his feature list, it is at the bottom of mine. He probably needs an OK screen and OK graphics but I dont want to pay more to enhance the attraction of more gaming for him.

He generally doesnt seem to take a lot of photos but he does text/message a lot.

He doesnt really make a lot of calls

He is probably looking for something to allow him to fit in more gaming hours in the day as well as an additional status symbol in the playground. I am looking for something durable that I can call him on to find out if I should be coming to pick him up from Karate training etc.

If he wants a more cutting edge phone to impress folks with he can get another part time job and use his own money. That said it is a XMas present and I dont want to give him something laughable like a $50 barely workable phone. I am thinking budget up to and around $350. Something with decent battery life but durable would be good. Dont want/need dual sim.

Sorry for the long post, any recommendations appreciated.

closed Comments

  • +3

    Can you tell us your budget? If Budget isn't an issue than just get him what he wants. If budget is an issue, the OnePlusOne phones offer the best value (obviously subject to personal preference). My recommendation is tell him your budget and let him come up with the rest or find something within your budget. Teenagers are never going to be happy with something you choose for them, regardless of your best intentions and advice from us OzB experts ….

  • Sorry, amended post above, budget around $350, could go higher if there is a valid reason but 'user experience' is probably going to be a hard sell to 'up' the budget.

    • +9

      windows phone? I remember when I was a teen, I bought my own phone.

      • +4

        likewise, but then again its hard to break a Nokia 3310 - they go for $13 now ;)

    • +1

      moto X or NExus 5(extend ur budget a bit)

  • +16

    I suggest if he keeps having "apparently victimless freak accidents" That he buy his own device, especially being 17 and of earning age.

    Then, when it costs him directly, these "apparently victimless freak accidents" may not happen as often.

    If he is as clumsy as you suggest a $35 coles special might be better suited.
    Not being that great for playing games or wasting time on his schooling will possibly improve as well.

    • +1

      If he buys his own device then it wont be a XMas present from me though. If he waits until he has found a job and saved up enough money then I wont be able to contact him potentially for months. I appreciate the sentiment to make him understand the value of money but realistically I would like to buy him something for XMas, it just doesnt have to be the best going around, he can take his time to save up if that's what he really wants.

      • +12

        " I wont be able to contact him potentially for months."

        You can do that on a $10 phone

      • I love your style - combining both practicality and lessons and choosing over the principle. You sound like a good father.

    • +1

      agree, then he will be restricted in what he can do compared with if you bought a good phone. :)

    • Only negging because you asked politely :)

  • -8

    Get him what he wants. He will be satisfied with what he gets. If he doesn't like the phone, at least it was his choice. If it goes above your budget, I know that it sort of goes against the holiday spirit, but make him chip in.

    I probably would sound like a brat, but when I was on the move all the time, my parents bought me a laptop that costed over $2000. The problem was that 1. it overheated to extent that it was barely usable after 5 minutes of usage. 2. It was over 2kg and I had fun running around airports with it. 3. I had no other computers or anything like that. 4. It was special edition that is only sold in my own country, so I couldn't get it fixed when it broke down in Australia.
    I was fairly young at the time so I was very frustrated with the laptop. Also I couldn't get a job and get a new one because of my visa restrictions.

    So from my experience, I really recommend getting him what he likes.

    • +9

      "I probably would sound like a brat"

      You said it

      • +4

        I thought the same too. I am more satisfied with the $700 one I bought few months ago. At the very least, I don't have to panic about computer crashing all the time. To be honest, that $2000 laptop brought me more frustration than anything. Don't get me wrong, I am not ungrateful about what they bought me, but I am saying that I would've been so much happier if they gave me a choice in what they got me. They spent a lot of money on the present, which made me feel overwhelmed and just bad about how much they've spent, when they could've spent less and made me happier.

        I just wanted to say that giving him choice would be better in terms of what he gets and how much joy he gets out of it. I knew I would sound like a brat, but I thought it might bring a point that some people might benefit from.

        • +5

          I agree. My parents don't buy me anything without asking which one/where is the best price because otherwise I feel really bad that they overpaid for an inferior product. Though I'd also feel bad if I kept asking my parents to buy me new phones when I destroyed them over and over again. So OP I'd ask him what he wants

  • He has totalled 3 phones and an iPad in the last 3 years.

    Not really keen to spend $1K or more on a phone only to have to agonize over the latest excuse by around Feb!

    If you are willing to gloss over the 3G network capability, lack of PS4 sync but has "OK graphics" and can be bought dirt cheat (<$12), then a Nokia 3210 is your answer.

    Ok, in all seriousness it's hard to find such a phone which meets the practical requirements. I've noticed the physical aspect of phones is decreasing little by little. I can't really make a good recommendation for a phone as anything which meets your requirements is not so good physically.

    If I find anything soon, I'll add to this comment.

    • +2

      Also, make him work for it in order to take better care of his phone. Some kids may or may not know how hard you personally need to work to provide them with such a gift.

      Not suggesting this is the case, but when some kids break things, instantly they think "LOL!!! Looks like I'll just get a new one! YOLO!!!"

      • So true, OP, did you buy him all three of the phones and iPad he's broken this year?

  • Guys I would like him to have a phone for 3 reasons:

    1. There are times when I would like to contact him to know if he is safe or needs picking up from somewhere etc. I would still like to know he has a lifeline for help if needed.

    2. He has had part-time jobs to earn his own money, he is looking for a summer job at the moment but in the past has worked as a soccer referee for little kids sports and as the guy that takes the orders in a fish and chip shop.

    3. He has asked for a new phone as a XMas present. I want to get him one but don't understand the options. He isn't a bad kid that intentionally breaks things, he just leaves things lying on the end of tables, hanging out of pockets, leaves all the zips of bag undone and then wonders why bad things happen when stuff falls out etc.

    We are very focused on making sure he understands the value of money and have made him pay for things out of the money he saved from his last job (fish and chips shop). We obviously want to buy him a Christmas present but it would seem stupid to buy him something very expensive that is broken in a month or that ends up sabotaging his VCE study.

    I am hoping there is a mid-range phone that is usable for around $350-ish. Probably not prepared to spend an extra $400 for a better resolution display, larger screen, more intuitive interface etc.

    • "There are times when I would like to contact him to know if he is safe or needs picking up from somewhere etc. I would still like to know he has a lifeline for help if needed.

      You can do that on a $10 phone

      At the end of the day I have a phone I bought new for $30 about 5 years ago
      http://www.lg.com/au/mobile-phones/lg-Optimus-Spirit-P690
      It sends emails, text messages and makes phone calls.
      I also spend a lot of time travelling and delivering boats.

      It has no rugged case, just a $2-00 gell case from ebay
      It still works just fine

    • +21

      Look at the Moto G or Moto E. They are <$300, great phones for the price and will do everything he needs.

      If you think he's not going to be happy with that, my suggestion would be to give him the $300 cash and say he can buy any phone he likes and if it costs more than that, he'll have to chip in the rest.
      That way, you're not leaving him without a phone, but if he's not happy with it he'll have to make a sacrifice which will give him the appreciation for money that others have talked about.

      I understand he's not a bad kid, but he does sound careless. I know there are personality elements here (my brother was exactly the same at that age), but remarkably my brother never lost things he really cared about that he had bought.

      • Yep these are potentially the most underated phones on the market. OP if budget is an issue these are what you need to look at.

      • +1

        +1 Moto G
        Got a 1st gen from Kogan for about $200 earlier in the year… Yes, it's not the greatest and latest but great value for money plus will be getting the latest Android update Lollipop soon

  • +10

    which ever phone you would buy, invest in a rugged case could be quite helpful.

    http://www.otterbox.com/defender-series/defender-series,defa…

  • +2

    My brother had a Galaxy S4 Active from Kogan, which lasted him a whole year.
    What I know from my brother, he's clumsy and careless. I remember him chucking his phone everywhere and stuff so that phone might be what you are looking for. S4 Active is not that decent in terms of its spec, but I think it should fall within your price range. I think it is on par with Nexus 4 in terms of its spec, but probably worse in terms of performance because of Nexus getting updates from Google.

    I remember people talking about how sturdy Lumia 920 was, and that phone is within your range, but I don't think your son would like a windows phone. I just bought it up because of how sturdy I've heard it is, but Windows phone has no apps whatsoever so… I'd be hesitant on buying it as a present.

    Though, I seriously doubt that your son needs a rugged phone, a decent case would probably stop it from getting damaged too much.

    I personally think you should ask him if he wants to chip in and let him choose what he wants to buy. The phones in the price range of $350 would probably be mediocre at best. The phones right now are stagnant in terms of hardware upgrades, so spending $400~$500 now would go a long way. If he chips in, he'd probably be more careful as well since he made some investment on it. If you get him a decent case with it, it would probably be enough.

    If you're really concerned about your son using the phone for the gaming purposes, it might be better to get him a Nokia 3310 or whatever the modern equivalent it is. Get him a new phone when he gets into uni. Though, from my personal experience, forbidding it usually makes it more attractive. Also, it does takeaway the meaning of present a lot.

    I am sure there are more options out there, but those are the ones that I could think of right now.

  • +7

    I think its as simple as, tell him your budget and let him pick the phone.

  • +1

    Go with a cheap phone, if he wants a fancy one he can pay for it and will learn the value if he breaks it in a freak accident. If you really think he needs a fancy phone, then make him buy a tough case to protect your investment.

    If he purchases a fancy phone on his own budget, offer to get him a tough case for Christmas to make it harder to break the next one.

  • Give him a $300 budget and then let him pick what he wants. Make it clear it's his responsibility to take care of his own phone and not lose or break it, because the replacement he will get will be a refurbished Nokia with monochrome display :)

    He's also welcome to ask on the forums for phone advice.

  • +2

    Thanks all for the comments and advice, I rushed out over my lunchbreak and bought one of these https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/172109?page=1#comment-2421… iPhone 5c from a Telstra shop. They were also selling off their iPhone 5c cases so I bought the toughest one I could find for $10 to go with it!

    • This one also cost $10 from aliexpress, and its tougher than iphone 5c:

      http://i0.wp.com/digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Scre…

    • -2

      Good job, I know its hard for some of the older guys on here to understand but when you are 17 you would get a lot of crap at school for having an old Nokia/budget $50 phone, as you mentioned he wanted an iPhone so he would be happy with the operating system and its still a fairly new phone. Would be ecstatic to have a gift like this when I was younger. Good pick!

    • +19

      You bought a $400 phone for a 17yr old? You want to adopt me?

      • +4

        Yeah, exactly. When my kids hit that age they'll have 2 choices: pay for it yourself or have one of my spare ones. And I can assure you neither of these options will will involve an 'i'!

    • -1
  • Get an Otterbox case

    • +3

      Was going to say something similar, but yes, get a decent case !
      3 phones in 3 years is a terrible track record by any standards!

      On the phone, stretch you budget to $400's and get the Sony Z1
      Z1/2/3 all look similar to me and I believe you'll get the PS4 streaming thingo, and it's water proof(ish) so that'll save you some worry.

  • Just get him a OnePlus One. Maybe have a stern talk about breaking it, getting a job and all that.

  • What about a Nokia smartphone?

  • +2

    If you buy with 28 degrees or coles MC with the insurance and it breaks within 6 months, you can get it repaired or replaced… though I'd get him something a bit more modest until he can prove that his phones don't miraculously break themselves so often.

  • You could look into having his new phone insured with your contents insurance as a specified item.

    • lol heard of the term 'excess'?

      • Yes, I know about excess but it does depend on what level of excess you have on your cover. Some insurance companies allow you to pay more for your insurance to lower your excess.

        • It may be worth it for something like a 6+, but not a 5c (plus it won't be covered out of the house anyway, although the "exact location" of an accident isn't always "known.")

        • +1

          @McFly:

          Specified personal items are covered for loss or damage in and out of the home. I added my daughters iPhone 5 to my policy and the cost was something like $20 for the years, excess is $100.

  • +2

    Do yourself a favor and get the Xperia Z3 or z3 compact , Just sell the iPhone on eBay later

  • +10

    Kids today are so spoiled. $300 xmas present …really? Is this the norm??

    • Yes, unfortunately it is. Some get a lot more than $300 worth.

    • +3

      My parents have never spent more than 20-30 bucks on a present for me. I guess my kids are getting the same ;)

    • I guess I wanted to get him something useful rather than some socks/jocks and a cheap RC helicopter etc. I understand the budget might be steep for some.

      Until now he has had mostly hand me down phones when my wife has upgraded her phone. The Nexus he had was my wife's old phone which only partly worked (top half of screen lost touch sensitivity and would only work in loudspeaker mode).

      My younger son has asked for a PS4!!!!!!!

      What kind of a $30 XMas present do you think would be suitable for a 17 yo boy? I'm not being smart I am genuinely interested. Maybe some aftershave from Chemist warehouse? Itunes card?

      • +4

        Nokia lumia 530 is under $40 if u can stretch the $30 budget a little.

        • Apparently the "flow" keyboard is one of the fastest, so great for texting.

          Put it in a $5 TPU case off eBay and you're good to go!

          A bonus is that you can get it in different colours, so it'd look pretty cool as well.

      • No don't ever get an itunes card for a present…it's a piece of plastic and 1's and 0's.

  • +3

    How about a Nexus 5? It's quite close to your budget, huge screen, decent specs and seems like it could survive a few drops.

    https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_5_16GB_B…

    • -1

      It can survive a few drops if you put it in a case and wrap it up. Otherwise, it can be pretty fragile.

    • Yep, you can get it straight from google for about $420 delivered. Unbeatable phone for the price, full stop. I still have mine and it still puts some new front-runners for other companies to shame, especially with the software side of it (exactly how google wants it). Can't recommend it enough.

      • The problem is, that the kid doesn't seem to value possessions that are given to him.

        You really shouldn't reward bad behaviour. Instead, you should teach him to value them.

        Buying a great phone to replace one intentionally destroyed is rewarding bad behaviour.

        • Buying a great phone to replace one intentionally destroyed is rewarding bad behaviour.

          It's OK, they didn't.

        • +4

          Where did I say that my son intentionally destroys stuff. I actually said he is very clumsy and forgetful, if you must know it is a side effect of his diagnosed Aspergers at least that is what the psychiatrist tells us anyway. Kid doesn't have a bad bone in his body he just forgets to do things like close zips and leaves things hanging off the edge of tables etc. I didnt want to mention his medical stuff on an internet forum but he definitely doesn't intentionally destroy stuff.

  • JB currently has the iPhone 5C on special for 32GB $399

  • The Sony Xperia Z1 is a very good phone personally recommend, own one myself, would like to upgrade to Z3 but maybe later, it may be a bit pricey but it is waterproof and shock proof, have had mine for half a year, dropped it about 8 times with no case with nothing but minor scratches, if it was an iPhone id guarantee those drops would've smashed it to bits by now. just a tip, you could always try Gumtree or second hand purchase as long as it is in good condition it'll save a few $100.

    http://www.sonymobile.com/au/products/phones/xperia-z1/

    also has a pretty good quality camera.

  • +3

    buy him what you think he needs… if he can afford to buy something he wants then that's a bonus.

    • sounds like he NEEDS a basic phone for you to contact him on…
    • sounds like he wants something to fit in more gaming time and be cool…
  • +3

    If he wants an expensive stuff, he should work for it.
    It doesn't seem he cares about your hardworking. Things broken so mum/dad will give me a new one.

    Nokia 530 will fit him fine.

  • +3

    I wouldn't give it to him until he pulls his grade average up - year11 is on the atar and making up for a bad year is urgent. It's his number one job to get good grades and your job as a parent to make sure he does, after being fed and clothed. If you're in a position to reward his school work with fancy gadgets - that's great, but rewarding him because it's santas birthday is just silly if this time next year he is screwed choosing uni courses.

  • +2

    I suggests you to buy 2 phones:

    1. As Xmas Present, windows Phone probably fit into your budget with nice specs. The benefit is the fact that WP has less apps, so less games. Hehe

    2. Buy him a $30 Nokia non-smartphone. Tell him if he breaks that new phone, he will need to use that and tell him the next 10 phones will be the same.

    I reckon he broke it on purpose for new phone. Giving him the idea of having a shit phone in advanced might help prevent some of those issues. ;)

  • -2

    Sounds like this is more of a parenting issue…. But I'm not even going to go there…

    • +4

      Please do not assume it is a parenting issue.

      There are a lot of armchair parenting experts on Ozbargain, but I don't wish to go there either :).

      Let us recall the "daughter wants iphone" thread and see how well that went…a lot of people pushed their own opinions there, but how many of us actually here are parents?

      Also there are no right or wrong answers to this question, some people suggest buying as cheap as possible while others will say buy the best phone because it will suit his current and future needs. Both are valid suggestions and opinions but ultimately it's the parent's choice and not ours (a complete internet stranger)

      • +1

        There are a lot of armchair parenting experts on Ozbargain, but I don't wish to go there either :).

        Let us recall the "daughter wants iphone" thread and see how well that went…a lot of people pushed their own opinions there, but how many of us actually here are parents?

        I am.

        1) I would never buy my kids an iPhone or any other high-end phone. I won't run the risk of it being stolen. Nor can I justify spending that much on my kids when I don't spend that much on myself

        2) If my kids were prone to breaking things, they are getting a low-end, durable phone. If it breaks, they get a crappy $10 phone and are forced to save up for a replacement.

        Kids need to learn about responsibility. You can't do that when all you ever do is fix their problems and in the case of OP, buy a high-end replacement phone each time! His son will just develop the attitude of "My dad will just get me another" and continue to expect the same results. When does it end?

      • +2

        I'm only going on what I'm reading.. "He is doing year 12 next year and year 11 results have suffered badly from his video game addiction."

        I can actually speak from experience, going through the same sort of lifestyle at his age and being given what ever I wanted, ultimately I ended up with a dead end job and no real life skills, it took my almost 10 years to finally further my education and make a life for myself.

        I'm not judging the parent, but why reward this kind of behaviour, like others have stated he is heading into the most important year of school.

        I'm allowed to have an opinion, just like anyone else, it's not my problem if you don't agree.

  • +7

    Woolies is selling the Nokia Lumia 530 with a case for $39.95. Good value for a good phone. Your son doesn't need anything better, or if he does, he can use his jobs to save up for one himself. Guaranteed the phones won't be breaking so often when he's paid for it himself.

    You only need to be able to call him or text him, and vice versa. So no need to spend anything over that amount for gimmicks and functions

    EDIT: Oh FFS, your son has broken 3 phones in 3 years and you buy him an iPhone. You gotta be kidding me….

    • I got one of those cheap lumias today. I use an iphone 5. The lumia is just as good bar the camera, and i never used a windows phone til a few hours ago. I agree - FFS.

    • I bought one of the Lumia 530s and its fast and smooth for the price but omg wp8 sucks hard.

  • I would say get a Nexus 5 16GB and a spigen neo hybrid case.
    The limited storage will limit how many games he can have on the phone.
    I used this case while working in a warehouse where I dropped the phone at least 5 times a day as it fell out of my top pocket. Phone is still in mint condition.
    Otherwise would also recommend Moto G.

    If you really want to limit functionality go for a Nokia 830.

  • So that he's not bitterly dissapointed and ends up with a cave man brick even worse than his previous phone, I suggest either:

    Outright: Nexus 5 32GB OR;
    Plan with insurance: iPhone6, S5 or Sony Z3 That way your not forking out up front, a downside is he needs to keep the same phone for 2 years min (more reason to get a top end phone). Check that the insurance covers clumsy handling/accidental dropping…

  • I'd recommend a Nexus 5… with Insurance (credit card?)

  • Since you've picked up the 5C would this comment thread be closed now?

    • +1

      yes, absolutely, how do I close it?

  • Iphone 5 bad move you've gone to the dark side.

  • Get him a super cheap Android phone so he realises the value of money and not to mention bad workmanship.

  • I have a suggestion - get a phone on outright through a carrier, this way you can get it with insurance. Eg. Virgin - you dont even need to be on a contract, just need to buy thru them to pay the premium and be eligible for insurance.

  • Huawei Y550 (99 + 3.99 unlock) or Lumia 530 (39.50 + 15 unlock)

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