Smartphone for senior citizen

[theterminator]

Yet another thread for buying smartphone .

I will be purchasing a smartphone for an elder person (60 years). The phone has to be very simple to use. I don't want him trying to figure where's the settings for this and that. It has to be a smartphone because priority is to take photos/videos, surfing the web & there aren't any feature phones with those specs.

1. Budget?
A: 5k-20k

2. Display type and size?
A: TFT/OLED, 3.5" - 5.5"

3. Form Factor? bar, slider, flip?
A: Bar

4. Preferred choice of brand?
A: Only Premium brands such as Apple,Samsung,Sony,LG,HTC,Nokia,BlackBerry.

5. Preferred input method (QWERTY, touchscreen, numpad, touch-n-type).
A: Touchscreen

6. What camera option you want? Please specify need for flash, autofocus, front facing camera.
A: 5MP or more(Front-facing camera would be a bonus but MUST be HD otherwise its of no use, Autofocus,LED Flash)

7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android, iOS, Windows Phone,BlackBerry OS.

8. Preferred connectivity options (3G, Wifi etc)Please specify clearly.
A: HSPA+ >=7.2 Mbps, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n support.

9. Preferred applications (Flash, Swype, GPS, etc)?
A: Skype should work smoothly(if front facing camera is available).

10. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, mails, internet, gaming etc)?
A: Taking Photos, Capturing Videos (720p), Internet, Calling.

11. Any specific mobile phones in consideration?
A: Samsung Galaxy S Advance, Apple iPhone 3GS (can its 3MP compete with 5MP of other phones), Samsung Galaxy S Duos, LG Optimus L7 II P715 (0.3 MP Secondary Camera is a compromising feature), I need more suggestions.

12. Any other info that you want to share
A: The Phone MUST have the option for bigger text since eyesight of the citizen is weak (that's why I have taken iPhone 3GS into consideration). Dual SIM is desirable but not essential. Also, the phone should not be laggy.

 

[nikufellow]

Lumia 720 but no front cam i guess

 

[Shah]

Lumia 720 but no front cam i guess

720 has a front cam.

@OP: Get a windows phone, probably Lumia 720. Or increase your budget and get a iPhone 4 or get an used iPhone.

 

[theterminator]

720 has a front cam.

@OP: Get a windows phone, probably Lumia 720. Or increase your budget and get a iPhone 4 or get an used iPhone.

iPhone 4 is definitely on my mind but its only the cost factor that's freaking us out. BTW, how & where can I safely & reliably get a used iPhone?


Lumia 720's specs are impressive, what about its battery life?

 

[Empirial]

iPhone 4 is definitely on my mind but its only the cost factor that's freaking us out. BTW, how & where can I safely & reliably get a used iPhone?


Lumia 720's specs are impressive, what about its battery life?

WP8 is damn easy to use & the battery life of L720 is great aswell. Trust me, that elder person will shower tons of blessings on you

 

[Flash]

Lumia 720's specs are impressive, what about its battery life?

Nokia Lumia 720 battery testing is complete, here are the results - GSMArena Blog

It will easily last for a day;
For senior citizens, it will hold for more than one..

With the typography in WP8, one can easily get what they want even they're not techie.. Trust me;

 

[Shah]

iPhone 4 is definitely on my mind but its only the cost factor that's freaking us out. BTW, how & where can I safely & reliably get a used iPhone?


Lumia 720's specs are impressive, what about its battery life?

I don't know from where you can get an used iPhone.

Lumia 720 has got one of the highest battery endurance ratings. It should last longer than most smartphones out there.

The typography and icons of WP8 are larger making it easy for senior citizens to use. You can even have a live tile of Apps, contacts, settings and etc.. So, He doesn't need to scroll through the UI.

Remember, If u get an iPhone for him, He may have to struggle with the iTunes.

If you are not comfortable with both iPhone and Lumia 720, Get an Nokia N9. It has the best easy-to-use UI, IMO. But, It's availablity is a question mark. I heard that It's easily available in Dubai.

 

[theterminator]

Windows Phone 8 indeed has bigger & clear text than other phones. The Apps Store, despite being small than Android & iOS, should have most of the general-purpose apps , right (Skype, Gmail, I forgot to mention the most important use of the phone , he would mostly spend time reading national/international newspapers) ? Do anyone have their hands-on a Windows Phone (I haven't so I don't have any idea )?

 

[Flash]

Windows Phone 8 indeed has bigger & clear text than other phones. The Apps Store, despite being small than Android & iOS, should have most of the general-purpose apps , right (Skype, Gmail, I forgot to mention the most important use of the phone , he would mostly spend time reading national/international newspapers) ? Do anyone have their hands-on a Windows Phone (I haven't so I don't have any idea )?

Apart from Google search by Google, there's no official app for Gmail. We can't trust the 3rd party apps for gmail.
However, Skype got official as it was belonged to Microsoft.

Reg the news, check the app for yourself. Don't forget to look in the app screenshots to get an idea.
Top free news + weather apps | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (भारत)

 

[bhushan2k]

@OP for a senior citizen, wp8 is the best as suggested above by all..also increase ur budget bit by 4k if u can get future proof lumia 820 instead of l720..

 

[theterminator]

DUAL SIM turned out to be the ultimate priority for the buyer despite my explanation of the niceties of WP8. Anyways, its been a week & he seems to be happy with the variety of apps available at the Play Store .

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/chit-chat/45694-post-your-latest-purchase-629.html#post1919775

 

[omega44-xt]

Which phone BTW ?