The Best Smartphone Deals in Australia - Live Now

• Apple iPhone 15 Pro (128GB, Natural Titanium) – A$1,649 (was $1,849, save $200)
• Motorola Moto g54 5G – A$197 (was $299, 34% off)
• Motorola G84 256G – A$296 (was $449, 34% off)
• Nothing Phone (2a) 5G 128GB – A$482.87 (was $529, 9% off)
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB – A$1,609 (was $2,199, 27% off)

Check out more Australian Electronics deals here.

Everyone needs to be connected. Seniors, who might be isolated from their families or have specific health needs, shouldn't be left out. The smartphone industry, by and large, isn't thinking about the particular needs of the senior market, but if you pay attention, you can find carriers and phones that offer a streamlined and accommodating phone experience.

Being in what phone manufacturers think of as the "senior market" isn't about chronological age so much as it is about faculties, preferences, and lifestyle. Many of these phones accommodate reduced eyesight and hearing, plus are affordable. Others have high-end features that streamline aspects of your life.

Our list includes both voice phones and general-purpose smartphones. Most of the phones on this list are available unlocked, which means you can pair them with any compatible carrier.

The Best Voice Phones

We regularly get emails from readers who are frustrated because they don't feel like there are enough simple, high-quality voice phones. They look at the current lineup of voice phones and see them as a step back, not a step up.

They're right. The hardware demands of 4G LTE voice calling mean inexpensive voice phones are slower and less reliable than in the past. We tested several, and the one we most recommend is the TCL Flip 2. It's cheap and it works well.

There are a bunch of flip phones kicking around the cell phone aisle at Walgreens and Walmart from carrier brands like Tracfone and Net10. We don't review them, but some appear to be older, decent-quality models. If your budget is tight, try one of those. Avoid phones where the carrier appears to be the phone maker; those are typically rebranded phones from low-rent manufacturers.

What Phone Features Are Most Important for Seniors?

Icons and touch targets on large, affordable devices with lower-resolution screens are easier to hit, so you should consider buying an older, less-advanced phone if one suits your needs. (That said, a flagship phone is a good choice if you want to look at photos and videos at full quality.)

If a smartphone's default abundance of options feels too cluttered or confusing, try Samsung's Easy Mode. It's available on handsets from the low-cost Galaxy A15 5G to the high-end Galaxy S24 series.

Fans of pen and paper might enjoy using Samsung's S Pen stylus on the S24 Ultra or the stylus on Motorola's Moto G Stylus 5G. You can also use a third-party passive stylus with many iPhones.

It's worth looking for a phone with an IP rating and strengthened glass covers. With those features, you can worry less about dust or water ingress as well as damage from drops. Just note that most affordable models lack an IP rating.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Finally, if you depend on a tech-savvy person for smartphone tech support, you might want to get the same type of phone they have (either one that runs Android or iOS). The two main phone operating systems are very different, and someone familiar with one might not be able to answer questions about the other. There are a lot of iPhones out there; here's how to choose the best iPhone. We also have a roundup of the top Android phones and the best cheap phones overall.

What Are the Best Senior-Specific Phone Carriers?

Two wireless carriers specialize in the senior market: Lively and Consumer Cellular. Lively, formerly known as GreatCall, uses the Verizon network, while Consumer Cellular runs on AT&T. Of the two, Lively has more specialized features for those who need health monitoring: an urgent response button, 24/7 access to nurses, and connected medical alert devices.

Now a subsidiary of Best Buy, Lively sells first-party hardware. Its flip phone, the Jitterbug Flip2, is the company's easiest phone to use. We haven't reviewed it and therefore don't have any opinions to share about it, but it sells for around $100.

On the other hand, we recommend Consumer Cellular highly. Consumer Cellular has a marketing arrangement with AARP and doesn't offer specialized services, but it received high marks from our readers in the past for customer service. It sells several phones from our list. 

Do Senior Phones Work on Standard Carriers?

Many seniors are more comfortable with older phones, but some might no longer work. You must ensure your phone supports 4G LTE networks, which will remain active until at least 2030. All three major carriers have turned off their 3G already. That means you need to go with a voice phone that supports voice over 4G LTE, also known as VoLTE.

There are other benefits to 4G as well. 4G LTE basic phones support HD Voice; that means you can conduct high-quality voice calls with anyone else who has an HD Voice-capable mobile phone. Those higher-quality calls can be easier on aged ears. As for 5G, many of the phones on our list already support it.

The major carriers offer senior discount plans for smartphone users. T-Mobile has special plans for people over 55. AT&T and Verizon have much more limited offers that are available only to people who live in Florida.

The Best Prepaid Carriers for Senior Phones

Seniors on fixed incomes might want to check out our story on the best cheap phone plans, which has a lot of low-cost virtual carriers—prepaid carriers that use the major carriers' networks but tend to charge a lot less per month for basic service. If you're looking for limited, voice-only plans, you can get them on a range of carrier networks for around $10 per month. Those plans usually require that you bring over an unlocked, compatible phone.

Dave LeClair and Sascha Segan contributed to this article.