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ilovemusic

1439 posts

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#215261 19-Jun-2017 16:30
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looking for a reliable, easy to use phone for an older user

 

 

best contenders ?

 

 

motorola g4 ?

 

 

samsung galaxy j3 ?

 

 

Vodafone smart ultra 7 ?

 

 

???

 


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rb99
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  #1803547 19-Jun-2017 16:35
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my two-penneth -

 

https://www.einfo.co.nz/xiaomi-redmi-note-4x-32gb-gold.html





“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

 

rb99




chevrolux
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  #1803557 19-Jun-2017 17:18
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Galaxy J5 or that Smart Ultra thing from Vodafone. Plenty of phone for sub-300.

 

As for the "old user" thing, not sure exactly what that might entail, but accessibility type apps are all over the show as well as the built-in accessibility options you get with Android.


tchart
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  #1803594 19-Jun-2017 19:08
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+1 for Xiaomi

I have a Mi Max. Great phone. Might be a bit big for some users but it's easy on the eyes!



jonathan18
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  #1803628 19-Jun-2017 19:41
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chevrolux:

 

Galaxy J5 or that Smart Ultra thing from Vodafone. Plenty of phone for sub-300.

 

As for the "old user" thing, not sure exactly what that might entail, but accessibility type apps are all over the show as well as the built-in accessibility options you get with Android.

 

 

In reality there's really not going to be a huge amount of difference for older people between different Android handsets unless you set the handset to use a specific (and more limited) interface. I see my phone (a Huawei) has a 'simple' home screen style, which essentially just turns the desktop into a set of large block icons, but the apps themselves are no different. For my parents' phones, I installed Wiser, which goes a bit further than this and provides its own basic apps for things like messages, contacts and the dialer. A big limitation of such interfaces, however, is the inability to use widgets, so in reality it's just like having an iPhone (jj!).  

 

But I'd certainly recommend a smart phone over an old-fashioned mobile for an older person any day - my father NEVER managed to work out how to use his Doro "Seniors" phone, whereas he was sweet with a cheap and cheerful Android handset (a Vodafone Smart something) with Wiser installed. He was, however, generally still a bit at sea with the phone sans Wiser. 


vexxxboy
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  #1803630 19-Jun-2017 19:43
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rb99:

 

my two-penneth -

 

https://www.einfo.co.nz/xiaomi-redmi-note-4x-32gb-gold.html

 

 

 

 

 i would buy from here , think of them as  the Amazon of China. choose EMS and you will get it in the time stated. Sent through Singapore.

 

 

 

https://www.banggood.com/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-4X-Fingerprint-5_5-inch-3GB-RAM-32GB-Snapdragon-625-Octa-core-4G-Smartphone-p-1124772.html?rmmds=detail-bottom-alsobought





Common sense is not as common as you think.


logo
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  #1803636 19-Jun-2017 19:57
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vexxxboy:

 

rb99:

 

my two-penneth -

 

https://www.einfo.co.nz/xiaomi-redmi-note-4x-32gb-gold.html

 

 

 

 

 i would buy from here , think of them as  the Amazon of China. choose EMS and you will get it in the time stated. Sent through Singapore.

 

 

 

https://www.banggood.com/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-4X-Fingerprint-5_5-inch-3GB-RAM-32GB-Snapdragon-625-Octa-core-4G-Smartphone-p-1124772.html?rmmds=detail-bottom-alsobought

 

 

 

 

Go aliexpress - wouldn't buy from banggood. Got my Redmi Note 3 from there and it had a custom rom on it. Full of adware which randomly popped up no matter what app you were using and the rom couldn't upgrade. Had to manually flash the official international rom to get rid of it. Should have read the reviews on banggood first as lots of people were complaining about the custom rom.

 

 

 

Better pricing and service on aliexpress too (I bought a second phone and two mates bought Xiaomi's from there with no problems)

 

 

 

 


rb99
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  #1803639 19-Jun-2017 20:03
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Personally, went for Expert Infotech cause

 

a) it was a birthday prezzie, they had local stock and was a bit short of time, and

 

b) they have a local warranty. No idea how good it is but at least its in the same country





“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

 

rb99


 
 
 

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gzt

gzt
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  #1803735 20-Jun-2017 01:05
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ilovemusic: looking for a reliable, easy to use phone for an older user

In that scenario I'd go for a smart ultra for the local support. Ideally one from the closest friendliest shop.

Davy
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  #1803751 20-Jun-2017 07:26
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The Huawei GT3 is pretty good and we have one of those at home on 2 degrees.

In my experience I'd avoid the low end Samsungs because the build quality isn't up to much and even a minor drop will give your older user a cracked screen ($200 to fix?!!)

dafman
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jonathan18
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  #1803812 20-Jun-2017 09:31
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dafman:

 

https://www.doro.co.nz/mobile-devices/smart-phones.html

 

 

 

 

The problem there is the only Doro "smart phone" listed there is Mini by name and mini by design - it's got a 4" screen at 800*480 resolution. Smaller screens are not only harder to read for older people, but are trickier to control. These kinds of phones are usually not power-houses either, so can be fairly slow.

 

Most older users, I would suggest, will get a better experience with a larger phone using an appropriate launcher.


jonb
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  #1803858 20-Jun-2017 09:56
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If you go for the Xiaomi 4x, which I also recommend - the UI is quite Apple iOS like and easy to use on the whole - I would get the cheaper $100US version with the 2GB ram and 16GB storage.  They are unlikely to install lots of apps and games on it.  


1101
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  #1803926 20-Jun-2017 11:28
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ilovemusic: looking for a reliable, easy to use phone for an older user best contenders ? motorola g4 ? samsung galaxy j3 ? Vodafone smart ultra 7 ? ???

 

Cheap/mid range Samsung galaxies are really easy to use, great for non techy types .
eg . camera icon that looks like a camera rather than some round icon thing :-)
And reliable with good local support .
Real unmolested Android possibly isnt what they want (hence I recommended Samsung)

If you buy from overseas, any issues & you'll be the person trying to sort it out for them. Could turn into a real headache for you .

 

or get a phone with buttons for the numbers . Doesnt get any easier than that , as long as the bottons arnt too small

 

 


Yabanize
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  #1803982 20-Jun-2017 13:07
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IMO iPhones are ideal for older people who aren't good with technology. Just a sham they're too expensive


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