HMD · from £75
Nokia 3210 (2024)
Our first recommendation for almost every family. It looks like the phone your child's friends will think is cool, which matters more than parents often admit.
Phone reviews
Every phone, written up properly.
One review per phone, written from real use in our own family. If you want the ranked list with reasoning, that's the phones page. This is the long form.
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Punkt · from £295
Punkt MP02
The grown-up pick. The MP02 looks like a serious object. Older teenagers, parents leading by example, and a quiet number of grandparents.
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HMD · from £40
Nokia 235 4G
The starter pick for under-tens, and the no-fuss phone for anyone who genuinely does not want anything beyond calls and texts.
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Pinwheel · from £279
Pinwheel Plus
For families who need a smartphone-shaped device but want a hard boundary on what runs on it. The portal lets you whitelist apps from a curated list. There's a monthly subscription for the Caregiver Portal.
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Light · from £399
Light Phone III
Quiet, minimal, slow on purpose. The Light Phone III ships from the US, which means import VAT and a longer wait. For the family who is sure this is right and is willing to pay for it.
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Apple, refurbished · from £169
Refurbished iPhone SE (3rd gen)
The fallback for parents who have decided a smartphone is the answer (often because of a specific school or medical reason) and want the cheapest, longest-supported route in.