The 5 Best AT&T Phones for Seniors

Cost: $429.99 when purchased from AT&T

Overview

If you want a more affordable iPhone that’s rated M3/T4 for hearing aid compatibility, meet the iPhone SE. It’s more than $100 less than the iPhone 14 Pro but still gave us the same great features: Touch ID, quality cameras, and Siri, the ever-helpful voice assistant.

We loved the iPhone SE because it is rated M3/T4 for hearing aid compatibility. Beyond that, the phone is well-suited for hearing-impaired people. During phone and FaceTime calls, we used the phone’s live captions to hear every word from the person we were talking to. We also used it in real life, to make sure we weren’t missing anything when hearing the specials from a waiter at a particularly loud restaurant.

Aside from the fantastic accessibility features of the iPhone SE, we enjoyed using the App store to explore thousands of helpful applications. We loved using FaceTime, which let us video chat with friends and family, and Apple Maps, which we used to navigate wherever we wanted to go. We took numerous photos with the phone’s 12 MP camera. It’s capable of zooming up to five times digitally. We also used Portrait Mode for some professional-looking shots. It’s hard to believe we got such features from an iPhone that costs less than $430.

The iPhone SE doesn’t have Face ID, only Touch ID. That means to log in, we used our thumbprints, not our faces, which made it difficult to sign in during the winter when our hands were in gloves. We found ourselves having to take off the gloves just to open our phones, which led to some pretty unfortunate dry skin. If Face ID is a must for you, check out the iPhone 14 Pro, which we describe in detail below.

Cost: $799.99 when purchased from AT&T

Overview

If you prefer Androids over iPhones, consider the Samsung Galaxy S24. It boasts a 50 MP camera, super-long battery life, and a 6.2-inch screen, making it the best Android on this list.

Since the Samsung Galaxy S24 is an Android phone, we had access to the Google Play store’s apps as well as Google Assistant, the Android equivalent of Siri. We used Google Assistant to give us directions, tell us the weather, or play a TV show on the phone’s 6.2-inch screen.

Another cool feature from Google is called “Circle to Search.” It means exactly what it sounds like. Let’s say we were on the street when we saw a woman wearing a cute dress. Instead of going up to her and asking where it was from, we simply pointed our camera at her, circled the dress on the screen, and Google found it for us online. The phone’s artificial intelligence made this possible. It also let us translate live text, making international travel a breeze. In terms of features, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is as advanced as they come.

With a price tag of $799.99 from AT&T, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is the most expensive phone on this list. If you want a cheaper smartphone, consider the iPhone SE, which costs around $430. Or, if you want to stick with Androids, check out our list for the best Androids for seniors. Our favorite budget option is the Iris Connect, which retails for $89.

If you have extra room in your budget for some amazing features from Google’s AI, you’ll have endless fun and function with the Samsung Galaxy S24.

Cost: $199.99 when purchased from AT&T

Overview

Not everyone needs a smartphone, and you can save a ton of money by going with a flip phone like the Sonim XP3plus. It’s an especially great option for the rugged and accident-prone, as it’s the most durable flip phone we’ve tested.

We’ve all experienced the shame and humiliation that comes with dropping your phone in the toilet. Not only do you have to fish it out, but you also have to see if it’s still working. If it’s not, go to the AT&T store and explain why. But we wouldn’t didn’t have to undergo this emotional turmoil when we purposefully dropped the Sonim XP3plus into a bowl of water.

With an IP rating of 68, it’s completely dust-tight and waterproof. This phone works even after being immersed in water. And, with an operating temperature range of negative 4 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit, we felt confident that we could use it in any location, no matter the season.

Aside from its incredible durability, the Sonim XP3plus is remarkably simple to use, with tactile buttons, a loud speakerphone, and an intuitive home screen. This is a great option for someone not as comfortable with smartphones. The phone features a small outside screen displaying the time, plus two external buttons which we could use to answer, mute, or end calls.

Of course, with the simplicity and affordability of flip phones comes a lack of features. While there is a front camera, it’s only 8 MP. Plus, there’s no selfie camera. Additionally, the phone doesn’t work with 5G, which means you won’t be able to video chat, stream TV media, or download large files on it. If those features are essential for you, we recommend a simplified smartphone like the Jitterbug Smart4. To learn more, read our Jitterbug Smart4 review.

You’ll love the rugged simplicity of the Sonim XP3plus, especially if you have cause to be worried about damaging your phone.

Cost: $540 when purchased from AT&T

Overview

With some of the most up-to-date features of iPhones, the iPhone 14 Pro boasts a super-clear, 6.1-inch screen, Face ID, and up to 1 TB of storage, the highest capacity on this list by a longshot.

Of course, the iPhone 14 Pro has all of the features we expect in iPhones. From signing in using Face ID to its 48 MP main camera, using our phone was fun and sleek. Not to mention how long we could use it for. The battery could last for up to 75 hours of listening to music, up to 23 hours of playing our videos, or up to 20 hours of streaming videos from Netflix, Max, and Peacock. That meant less time charging on our wireless charging dock, which, although it’s not included, is a great option for someone with mobility issues.

Another amazing feature of the iPhone 14 Pro was its storage capacity. While most phones top out at 256 GB, we had the option to have 1 TB of storage, which is unheard of in a smartphone. If you want to store really large files like movies and TV shows, or just a ton of podcasts, music, photos, and videos, you will find it hard to run out of space on the iPhone 14 Pro.

While it’s not the most expensive phone on this list, it is the most expensive iPhone at $540, over $100 more than the iPhone SE. Plus, although we were impressed with the phone’s battery life, charging took a while, and Apple only gave us a USB-C cord, not an actual wall charger.

Though the iPhone 14 Pro may be expensive, when you consider the fact that the latest iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro, costs $999.99 from AT&T, nearly twice as much, then it becomes quite the steal.

Cost: $74.99 when purchased from AT&T

Overview

For someone okay with using a phone for calling and texting only, it’s not necessary to spend more than $100, or even more than $80. Meet the TCL Classic, a $74.99 flip phone from AT&T.

Do you frequently have long conversations with family and friends? We tend to, which is why we loved that we could talk on the TCL Classic for up to 14 hours without it dying. Standby time is a whopping 14 days.

The TCL Classic is rated M4/T4 for hearing aid compatibility, and you’ll be able to navigate with the flip phone’s large buttons easily. While it’s nowhere near the cameras of smartphones, the TCL Classic has a 2 MP camera and 4GB of local storage, enough to store the photos you take. With a simple screen and large buttons written in white writing on a black background, this phone is great for someone who’s not familiar with the latest technology and wants a phone only to talk and text.

While some internet browsing is available, it’s not the fastest. This is because the TCL Classic isn’t 5G-compatible. We found that when we checked our email inboxes on the phone, speeds slowed to the point where it almost wasn’t worth it. Additionally, the photos we took were pretty pixelated, as the camera is only 2 MP. For comparison’s sake, the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S24 is 25 times better!

The TCL Classic is perfect for someone on a budget who wants to use a phone to talk and text, with some occasional light internet browsing.