Mobile Phone Recommendations for Highschooler - Smaller Screen Wanted

YTW on 25/02/2024 - 00:06

Daughter is going into high school next year and has been absolutely hanging out for a mobile phone (rule in our house is you get one when you are going to high school) like her big sister. We've been tentatively looking at some of the cheaper Samsung A models but she pointed out that they are absolutely huge and hard for her to handle with her tiny hands (she's young for her year and small for her age - about the size of a yr 4 kid).

Any of the smaller ones seem expensive, we were hoping to spend under $500 for a phone outright. It will need to be water resistant, able to run a few basic apps (nothing spectacular - she just wants to be able to talk to her friends online mostly) and have a half decent battery life.

Best option seems to be a refurbished Apple SE but I'm not sure about the quality of this option and how long we could expect it to last. Any comments to make on this? Or other options you suggest to look into? Thanks!

Mobile Mobile Phone

Comments

  • sumyungguy on 25/02/2024 - 00:27
    +2

    iPhone 12 mini and SE (2022) are both 5G and supported until 2027. Grade A refurb 12 mini $439 at Phonebot whom I rate for the veracity of their gradings. If you dive deeper you'll find 12 mini has a better display (OLED), a better camera and a more modern design as Face ID allows for a bigger display in a smaller lighter phone (SE has Touch ID).

    • YTW on 25/02/2024 - 01:17

      That looks a very promising option, thank you.

    • mapax on 25/02/2024 - 06:50

      This is the correct answer.
      Also makes things marginally easier if the kid goes to one of those schools that forces the kids to have iPads…

      • Daabido on 25/02/2024 - 10:20
        +1

        iPad classrooms make real teachers cry. We cry about lots of things though; a bunch of overpaid sooks who only work 9-3.

      • Nillionaire on 25/02/2024 - 10:35

        forces the kids to have iPads

        What would you rather? You can get an iPad for under $500. You can't get a MacBook under $500. Windows laptops under $500 suck. iPads are better than Chromebooks.

        • Daabido on 25/02/2024 - 11:24
          +1

          In my extensive experience, iPads are only functional in the classroom if they have an attached keyboard. That might be de rigour now, but it used to be optional and very few kids had them. Those kids who hunted and pecked did bugger all typing, whereas the ones who had a keyboard of decent quality managed multiple paragraphs.

          Save up for a MacBook, buy a non-sucky Windows laptop and avoid Chromebooks. Sorry if your school still runs iPads. A lot of schools are ditching them around the world. As much as I like Apple, the iPad classroom was a fad and a fail.

  • follow on 25/02/2024 - 00:31

    would recommend an iPhone unless you want her to ostracised

    • WatchNerd on 25/02/2024 - 00:36
      +8

      Username checks out.

      • follow on 25/02/2024 - 00:40
        +2

        i don't get it…. follow the crowd?

    • YTW on 25/02/2024 - 01:33
      +4

      It's not really an issue in the circles my kids run in. Her older sister's been at the high school for 3 years now and we've found the kids there very chill about stuff like that. Barely a Frank Green in sight.

    • Mugsy on 25/02/2024 - 09:50

      Nah, Samsung Galaxy Fold 5… be a trend setter ;-)

  • shxhshzhz on 25/02/2024 - 01:33
    +5

    The Google Pixel 6a is a good option for $379+30 that's well below your budget and brand new as well. It will get security updates until May 2027 and Android 15. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/827624

    It has a flagship grade processor (same as the Pixel 6), IP67 water and dust resistance, much better than half decent battery life, an OLED 6.1" screen which is the smallest that's generally offered in the current market, and a pretty nice camera with Google quality pictures. It also has 5G so it's futureproof.

    You can read a review here https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_6a-11229.php

  • kawinuyo on 25/02/2024 - 02:42

    It's an older phone so might be able to find it on sale… Maybe. But I loved my Samsung S10e because I also have tiny hands. I dropped it a few times so mine has a shattered back but it's my spare at home phone for kids watching things etc. Speed is still great and responsive even after so many years!

  • jackary on 25/02/2024 - 07:17

    I bought a refurbished iPhone SE for $229 and have been super happy with it. Looked immaculate - battery health was 96%. Can’t remember the name of the store off hand but feel free to PM me if you actually want me to go digging around for the emailed receipt.

    Coles have them for $249 at the service desk right now. If it all goes tits up, you have a bricks and mortar store to take it back to.

    I’ve owned a 12 mini, the battery life was really bad, and I don’t think it’s worth twice the price.

    Both will get updates for a similar amount of time.

    • ldd-mn on 25/02/2024 - 07:22

      Both the SE and the 12 mini have poor battery life, tiny batteries will do that for you.

      • jackary on 25/02/2024 - 08:03

        Oh I’m not saying either have good battery life, but I do think the SE is less worse.

    • sumyungguy on 25/02/2024 - 23:58

      I purchased a Boost/Alegre iPhone XR from Coles and had an out-of-box warranty issue, took it to back to the service desk next day, they advised I had to deal directly with their supplier. OP is in Qld where phones are now 'away for the day' so the smaller capacity battery won't be an issue.

      • YTW on 03/03/2024 - 22:58

        Some good points about the batteries, cheers. The away for the day policy does make it easier for the battery to last for the day. It's the afternoons that she'll need it most - if something goes wrong on the two-bus commute home. That said, she'll have big sis with her most days.

  • AustriaBargain on 25/02/2024 - 08:01

    iPhone SE is the obvious choice for a teenager with small hands. If you get her a mini then get her a battery pack too. The mini is a cool phone, I'd still be using it if I wasn't such a whore for the Pro models.

  • GordonD on 25/02/2024 - 09:26
    +2

    Teenagers are into peer approval.

    Ask her what her friends will approve of her for having.

    Knowing how brand indoctrinated they are, it'll probably be an iphone.

  • JIMB0 on 25/02/2024 - 09:40
    -3

    $69 android from the supermarket.

    • Daabido on 25/02/2024 - 10:21
      +2

      He actually seems to like his daughter.

      iPhone 13 mini. Better battery life than the 12 and is also a prime number, so that's cool.

      Phones should be away at school (even locked in safes at mine) and off, so battery life isn't so much of a concern.

  • Nillionaire on 25/02/2024 - 10:31
    +2

    Wow, this is the first time I've seen a younger Gen Z/Gen Alpha prefer a smaller phone. I thought they all preferred iPhone Pro Max/Galaxy Ultra/Pixel Pro models. Pretty cool.

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