Mobile Phones For Seniors Australia | Quick Comparison Chart 

June 2020 Update

What is the best mobile phone for seniors in Australia? Compare Mobile Phones

Sound like a familiar question,? You’re not alone. How do you find the balance between the most up to date technology coupled with simplicity + taking into account various ailments, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, dexterity challenges and dementia?

As we get older we become less patient and any new technology can seem daunting resulting in frustration and giving up. The frustration is not only with the user, however, expands to loved one's trying to assist the user. 

Wouldn't be handy if you were able to make changes to a mobile phone remotely so that your senior loved one could get the best out of their phone?

What about a phone that connects to the users Hearing Aids, so that that can hear the conversation in pure stereo?

Please take a moment to read through our investigation into the Mobile Phones for Seniors, so that you too can make an informed decision.

Buying for a loved one? Here are some key points you need to consider 

Is the user mobile? Do they venture out of the house i.e do any of the following: shopping, driving, restaurants or social activities etc. If you have answered yes to any of those then you should also consider getting some sort of protection for their phone. Nimble hands might result in the mobile phone being dropped causing damage and frustration. 

Is the user home / retirement home based / cared for? Then a simple mobile phone with a cradle is a great way for the user to always know where the phone is and keep it charging.

Does the user have internet or any kind of cable TV? If not then a simple Mobile Phone for Seniors is a great way to reduce their hard-earned savings and do away with costly monthly landline rental, saving roughly $29.00 per month.

Particularly in a retirement village / nursing home, landline fee’s can be costly and then if they change rooms, there are generally extra connection costs associated with the move.

Which Mobile Phone Network Provider? There are some good deals out there, for the conscious user, but none of that matters if you’re not able to make / receive good quality calls. When choosing your mobile phone network provider / SIM card, take into account where the user is based and connectivity in that area. This is quite important for those not based near a metro area and / or live in an apartment where mobile signal is not strong.

Why a smartphone may not be the answer

At Hear for Less we are inundated with enquiries, mainly from the sons and daughters of a frustrated parent. Sadly, in a lot of cases, the user has been to a high street mobile phone provider and upsold to a smartphone. Yes, smartphones have some great features and functionality geared towards the hard of hearing / vision impaired user, however, it’s the usability that causes major issues, headaches and frustration.

Feedback regarding Smartphones for people on average at the age of 70 years and over results in issues swiping, confusion with apps, bill shock, answering calls and so on.

Top five most common issues with Smartphones for seniors

1. The most obvious, like with any new technology is that smartphones are easy to use, when you know how; however smartphones can quickly become frustrating for seniors and prove the technology is too much for them to handle, especially with the touchscreen.

2. Ageing skin on smartphone touchscreens. Feedback, as voluntarily provided by consumers or loved ones, is that smartphones don’t behave the way they’re supposed to when touched by seniors. Touchscreens require static electricity from our fingers to swipe, text and navigate a smartphone. The feedback we receive is that smartphones respond poorly to ageing skin resulting in the smartphone acting up – photo’s pop-up all over the phone, misdialled numbers, if they can be dialled at all and so on.

3. Messaging can become a big issue as there are no tactile buttons, meaning typing becomes ’blurred’ and wrong keys are commonly hit by mistake; add in predictive texting on top of that and the simple task of messaging can quickly become a minefield.

4. Apps are great and make our life easier, but can also chew through data. With lots of digital mobile advertising these days, a user can accidentally click on an ad app which, unknowingly to the user, create bill shock through unwanted monthly subscriptions. And there’s the fun and frustration of having to contact your local network provider to get that removed and money refunded, if it’s caught early enough.

5. With the latest craze in curve screen technology and a super smooth outer shell, smartphones have become slippery little things. Smartphones are becoming larger, wider for better entertainment viewing and there’s not much depth to grip onto, which can result in sore hands or even dropping the phone regularly.., a costly exercise.

These common issues lead to frustration and loss of confidence in the use of today’s technology and ultimately result in the device not being used at all.
How do I choose the best mobile phone tailored for seniors?

Now that we’ve covered off the main common issues for seniors and smartphones, you can easily make an informed decision on what’s best moving forward.

So let’s discuss what makes a great mobile phone for seniors.

Here we have compiled a list, in no particular order, for you to consider.

Size does matter?

1. Large Screen This makes incoming call numbers and texts easy to read.
2. Large tactile buttons. This heavily reduces the user pressing too many or the wrong buttons at once, which can lead to misdials or incorrect messaging.
3. Grip. As we get older we may lose the grip in our hands; having a medium wide phone can make a world of difference.

Make it work for you:

4. A Cradle charger is a great way for seniors to keep their phone charged and ‘give it a home’
5. Unlocked to any network is a great way to give you control over which carrier you wish to choose
6. Speed dials make calling someone instantly a much easier experience
7. Bluetooth gives you options to connect with other devices, such as hearing aids
8. Simple technology. The more bells and whistles on a phone, the more issues there can be. A phone that can reduce the menu options is going to really help with the user experience
9. One-touch easy access buttons. This saves having to navigate through the menu to achieve simple tasks, enlarge text, lock screen, volume control…
10. SoS button, especially for seniors, this feature could be a lifesaver. The ability to press a button to alert your loved ones instantly is a great feature.
11. 4G and GPS Location, 4G allows for data and having a GPS locator means that loved ones can track the user to their location immediately.
12. A lightweight phone makes it easier to carry around
13. Long battery life is a great way to keep the phone active, if not charged for a couple of days
14. Assisting a 'non-tech' phone user from afar can be a huge winner With new technology if you can remotely assist a 'non-tech savvy' loved one from afar then it's really going to help them achieve a better user experience. The ability to instantly increase the users volume, add contacts, locate the user and so on. This not only assists in the set up of the phone but ongoing programming (eg reminders) and troubleshooting.

A phone that suits my condition

1. Hearing; If you wear Bluetooth or Telecoil (Tcoil) enabled hearing aids, then you will want a mobile phone that is M4/T4 compatible. Once connected you use the phone as normal, however, the quality of sound is amplified through your hearing aids creating a much better conversational experience. Loud ringtones and call volume are also key here.
2. Vision; If you experience issues with your vision then getting the right mobile phone is key. A large screen with the simple ability to enlarge the text will provide for a much better experience.      
3. Osteoarthritis / limited dexterity; A medium body mobile phone allows the user to maintain a better grip, a lightweight phone reduces the users' hands from becoming inflamed, tired and finally large tactile buttons makes pressing each key easier. A flip phone will offer a form of respite with easy answering upon opening and terminating the call upon closing.

Save on monthly phone line rental bills

With the rollout of NBN, or users being in a retirement village / care facility, a mobile phone with cradle charger is a great way to mimic a portable home phone, without the extra monthly landline fee’s

What's the difference between 3G and 4G Technology

"G" standard for Generation, however, both 3G and 4G were created with data in mind. 3G is a much older technology which Telstra is the first mobile phone network provider to announce the decommission of their 3G network mid 2024. 4G was created for faster bandwidth of larger data, such as streaming, Apps and internet usage, something that Smartphones required for a better user experience.

However, with the rise of touchscreen Smartphones, simplified mobile phones for seniors have become scarce. In fact, the large mobile phone providers have only one or so. Their main focus is on Smartphones with their biggest feature push surrounding the highest quality of pictures their phones can produced. This is measured in pixels. The higher the camera pixels, the clearer the image. 

 

What are the best Pre-Paid mobile phones for seniors available today?

The following table takes into account all of the above information and compares the latest in today's technology from a pre-paid point of view. We will continue to update this information as new technology is released.

 

Compare Mobile Phones

What about other mobile phones for seniors?

Yes, there are some other mobile phones in the marketplace, some quite economical, however, they have been poorly built for the seniors marketplace and like issues with Smartphones these can equally cause frustration. The might have a large screen, but the buttons are too small and fidley. They might have a large screen and big buttons but to access simple calling volume is hidden within the menu - settings area. All of the annoyances are personified and results in time-consuming frustration.

Out of the few mobile phones for seniors in the current marketplace across Australia, Hear for Less we have carefully selected and fully recommend the 

Olitech EasyFlip 4G Unlocked Mobile Phone For Seniors.

The Olitech EasyFlip was designed by two Occupational Therapists who have dedicated a lot of time and investment to bring the seniors of Australia an award-winning mobile phone.

The lightweight Olitech EasyFlip 4G Unlocked mobile means that users can choose any mobile phone network provider, connects to Bluetooth / Telecoil enable Hearing Aids, offers the perfect hand size, easy call answering, terminating, allows for picture dialling, offers voice reminders (i.e lets the user know it's time to take their pills), can be accessed remotely to increase volumes, add contacts and troubleshoot and comes with a hand charger.

Being 4G makes the Olitech futureproofed and will work on any 3G/4G network around the world, which makes for a superior mobile device. This mobile also comes with a handy cradle for easy storage and instant charging.

The Olitech EasyFlip ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to simplicity and the full customer journey. Olitech has just been voted #1 Mobile Phone for Seniors by Choice Magazine since 2018. 

What Is MyEasyAssist?

MyEasyAssist allows your EasyFlip to be remotely programmed, located and backed up via our custom-designed web platform. This not only assists in the set up of the phone but ongoing programming (eg reminders) and troubleshooting. Perfect if the user is in a rest home or far away.

Afterpay Mobile Phones for Seniors means you can stretch your payments over 4 weeks to assist you with your full payment.