The 5 Best 5G Phones for Seniors

Cost: $429 from Consumer Cellular

Overview

If you need a phone that’s compatible with hearing aids, meet the iPhone SE (3rd generation), a more affordable alternative to the iPhone 14. You’ll appreciate the iPhone’s many accessibility features, from text magnifying to Siri voice commands.

If you suffer from hearing loss, you’ll love the accessibility features of the iPhone SE. Not only did it work with our hearing aids, but it also gave us what it calls “Live Captions,” transcripts of conversations as they were happening. We used this even on FaceTime calls when we couldn’t hear the other person. Moreover, the phone helped us hear conversations in loud places, like restaurants, by sending the audio to our wireless headphones, a feature called Live Listen.

Aside from the fact that it works with hearing aids, we loved all of the accessibility features on the iPhone SE, which help people who are blind as well as deaf. For example, VoiceOver described what was happening on screen with auditory descriptions, which could help someone with low or no vision. Additionally, we used the magnifier to blow up text, and we turned this text into audio, as well.

Another way to make your iPhone even easier to use is with Assistive Access mode. With Assistive Access mode enabled, you can enlarge icons on the home screen, simplify app layouts, and streamline the entire iPhone experience. We think this feature is great for both seniors and anyone looking for a simpler phone experience.

>>Read more: Guide to Assistive Access Mode

While the iPhone SE is available on just about every network, we recommend Consumer Cellular, a carrier with prices ranging from $20 to $50 per month — the lowest prices on this list aside from Mint Mobile. We recommend the $50 per month unlimited plan, but all plans offer unlimited talk and text, plus 5G access throughout the nation. To learn more about the various options from Consumer Cellular, read our guide to Consumer Cellular senior plans.

Because this is an older iPhone compared to the iPhone 14, it lacks Face ID, which lets us unlock our phones using facial recognition. It still had Touch ID, but some people will want the latest in biometrics.

Additionally, the phone lacks a headphone jack, although it’s compatible with hearing aids and wireless headphones. We’re slaves to our AirPods, so this wasn’t an issue for us. However, if you like more old-school headphones, it may be an issue for you.

If you want the benefits of an iPhone with some awesome hearing and vision accessibility features, you can save money by getting the iPhone SE (3rd generation). It costs hundreds less than the iPhone 14.

Cost: $179.99 from AT&T

Overview

Spending less than $200 on a smartphone is impossible, right? Wrong. Meet the Moto G 5G, which sells for $179.99 at AT&T and supports 5G signal.

The Moto G 5G is an especially good option for someone with visual impairments, as it has the largest screen on this list at 6.46 inches. We loved using the phone for video chats with faraway friends and family — it felt like we were in person.

In addition, the phone has some of the best cameras we’ve ever seen. The rear camera was 48 MP, which meant that we were able to take some really professional-looking photos, if we do say so ourselves. While this wasn’t as high quality as the Galaxy S23 or Google Pixel 8’s 50 MP cameras, it comes pretty close, for hundreds of dollars less. In total, the Moto G 5G has three cameras: at 48 and 2 MP in the rear, and one front-facing 8 MP camera for selfies.

If you’re 55 or older, and live in Florida, then AT&T offers affordable plans with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and yes, unlimited 5G data. These plans start at $40 per month per line, and the higher-tier plans, though more expensive, include bonuses like free in-flight Wi-Fi and Netflix subscriptions. AT&T offers affordable prepaid plans, too.

We could only store up to 64 GB of files on the Moto G 5G. This pales in comparison to the storage capacities of the Google Pixel 8, Samsung Galaxy S23, and iPhone SE, which support up to 256 GB; in addition, the iPhone 14 caps out at 512 GB. If you have a lot of photos, videos, and other files that you want to store on your phone, you’ll run out of space pretty quickly on the Moto G 5G. Thankfully, you can always opt for cloud storage.

If you’re looking for a 5G smartphone that won’t break the bank, the Moto G 5G will get you there.

Cost: $699 from Mint Mobile

Overview

If you’re already in the Google ecosystem, you’ll love using the Google Pixel 8; it has favorites like Google Assistant, Google Calendar, and of course, Gmail. But aside from these classics, we were blown away by the phone’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, which let us expertly edit photos and videos, to name a couple.

The Google Pixel 8 has an incredibly impressive 50 MP wide camera in front, plus a 12 MP ultrawide camera and a 10.5 MP front-facing camera. This made our photos and videos the crispest on this list, but Google took things several steps further with its AI.

For example, we took a group photo where someone blinked, ruining the photo — that is, until we combined multiple photos to make a brand-new one. We also played around with studio lighting, moved our subjects around photos, and erased background noise in videos. For the amateur photographer, this phone is a Godsend.

Another feature of Google’s AI is its ability to translate language in real time. We did this both by pointing our camera at foreign words and by using the Transcribe feature for real-time conversations. The app could hear the conversation and translate what the other person was saying. From there, we could type what we wanted to say and it would translate it for the other person and say it out loud, as well as give the translated text. If you’re a senior who likes to travel, you’ll love the confidence this provides in foreign countries.

We got the Google Pixel 8 from Mint Mobile, which meant that, if we signed up for 12 months, we could get anywhere from 5 GB to unlimited data from $130 to $310, which breaks down into about $11 to $26 a month. Those are the cheapest options we’ve seen from a cellular provider; plus, we saved $50 off the device by signing up for 12 months.

To learn more about these plans and their costs, read our guide to Mint Mobile’s senior plan.

At $699, the Google Pixel 8 certainly isn’t a good budget option, though it’s cheaper than the iPhone 14 and the Samsung Galaxy S23. It also has the smallest screen on this list at only 5.92 inches. That said, if you have smaller hands, then this might be a benefit.

If you’re looking for the latest and greatest in AI, you’ll have hours of fun with the Google Pixel 8; it will also prove useful while editing photos and videos and traveling.

Cost: $729.99 from AT&T

Overview

The iPhone 14 is one of Apple’s latest iPhones, released in 2022, meaning it has some of the company’s most innovative features: A Super Retina XDR display (translation: super-clear), Portrait mode with the ability to control focus and depth, and a great battery life.

>>Read more: The Best iPhones for Seniors

We’re used to iPhones, and the iPhone 14 did not disappoint. Unlike the iPhone SE, it has Face ID, meaning to unlock our phones we just had to show our faces. Once we were in, we used Siri to answer questions like, “What is the weather today?”, FaceTimed friends and family, and listened to Apple Music. We also paid for purchases with Apple Pay, which made transactions super quick and easy. No fumbling with wallets for us!

Like the iPhone SE, the iPhone 14 is also rated M3/T4 in terms of hearing aid compatibility, making it a great choice for those with hearing loss. The phone can last for up to 80 hours of audio playback, up to 20 hours of video playback, or up to 16 hours of streamed video playback; this meant we could watch a streaming subscription like Netflix or Max at our leisure. If you’re someone who forgets to charge your phone a lot, you’ll appreciate the iPhone 14’s long battery life.

We got our iPhone 14 from AT&T, which offered us plans ranging from 4 GB of data for $50 a month, all the way to unlimited data for anywhere from $50.99 to $85.99 a month. And for Florida residents 55 and over, you can get two lines with unlimited data, talk, and texting for just $80 total, which is quite the steal. Read more about AT&T’s cell phone plans.

Second to the Samsung Galaxy S23, the iPhone 14 is the most expensive phone on this list at $729.99. It also has a rear-facing camera that is only 12 MP, which is a bit disappointing, considering that the Google Pixel 8 has a 50 MP camera and costs about $30 less.

The iPhone 14 is a good option if you’re used to Apple products and are already in the Apple ecosystem. Plus, you must be willing to spend a little more for 512 GB of storage, a large screen, and Face ID, when compared with the iPhone SE.

Cost: $899 from Cricket

Overview

Are you a budding photographer? If so, you’ll appreciate the Galaxy S23’s incredible cameras, which allowed us to take beautiful photos — even the ones that weren’t selfies! Like the Google Pixel, it made our photos look even better using AI.

The thing we liked the most about the Samsung Galaxy S23 was the cameras — three to be exact. There was a 12 MP selfie camera, a 12 MP rear-facing ultrawide camera, and a 50 MP wide-angle camera, tied for the highest resolution on this list with the Google Pixel 8. These cameras allowed us to take great pictures not only during the day but also at night. In fact, we took clear pictures of ourselves outside at night and were shocked to see how well-lit we were, as if we were being professionally lit! Thanks, AI. And with the ability to zoom in three times, we were able to capture all of the beautiful details around us while we were walking through a botanical garden.

Aside from the cameras, we loved the fact that we could play videos for up to 22 hours, two hours more than the iPhone 14. Despite this phone’s high-performance capabilities, its battery was long-lasting enough to get us through the day without having to recharge.

We bought our Galaxy S23 from Cricket Wireless, which offers plans with 5 GB to unlimited data ranging from $30 to $60 a month. We recommend an unlimited plan for either $55 or $60 a month. What does the extra $5 give you? Well, we got a 15 GB hotspot, a subscription to Max with Ads, and 150 GB of cloud storage compared to 2 GB. Given the fact that the Max subscription alone costs $9.99 a month, this plan more than pays for itself.

To learn more about this provider, read our guide to Cricket Wireless senior plans.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the most expensive phone on this list, rounding out at $899 from Cricket Wireless. That’s a lot of money to shell out for a phone, especially one that doesn’t have as much storage as the iPhone SE. That being said, if photography is your passion, the phone could be worth it for the cameras alone.

We recommend the Samsung Galaxy S23 if you want high-quality cameras that use AI to enhance your photos.