Best phones for kids in 2024, tried and tested by kids and experts

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That's why we turned to our Top Testers Club to find out which smartphones they bought for their children and why before putting those phones to the test to find the best phones for kids.

When we asked our Top Testers what age they'd consider buying a phone for their child, the majority pointed to age 10/11 or around when they head off to comprehensive school. For more information, check out our article on the best age to buy your child a phone.

For more kids tech recommendations, check out our best kids tablets guide and our list of the best smartwatches for kids as well as our breakdown of the best kids audio players on the market including the Yoto and Tonies.

Best phones for kids

1. iPhone 15, £681

Best for families that use iPhone

Battery Life: Up to 26 hours of video playback | Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Pros:

Family Sharing
Build quality
Exceptional screen
Great design

Cons:

Expensive

The iPhone is the king of the smartphone for good reason. It's built to last, includes thousands of apps and it looks great. Of all the models available, we found that the iPhone 15 was the most popular with our Top Testers Club and for good reason.

"It is particularly useful for families that use Apple iPhones as a family," noted parent tester Sarah. "When the parent has an iPhone this allows you to make use of all the security settings such as ask to buy, screen time and find my iPhone. It also allows family sharing which allows you to share purchased products such as apps."

Thanks to almost 20 years of design tweaks, the iPhone's user experience is incredibly easy to use, with a design that works for a range of ages. "My child is able to use the iPhone 15 easily," Sarah continued. "Most things are intuitive. It is not too big for her to hold and she is able to use all the features like the camera and messaging easily."

The iPhone 15 is remarkably durable, though we'd 100% suggest picking up a good case and using a screen protector to keep your child's phone in good condition.

Thanks to Apple's Family Sharing settings, you can customise the iPhone in a number of ways to suit your child's age by adding age settings, restrictions and downtime, as Sarah noted in her feedback. "For example, I can set a one-hour time limit for YouTube I can also choose what age rating I want so I can reduce the risk of my child viewing inappropriate things."

Overall, if you're looking for the best quality phone on the market that will last a long time and comes with a robust range of parental control options then the iPhone 15 is the perfect, albeit expensive, pick.

Available from: Apple, John Lewis, Very

2. Samsung A25 5G, £149.89

Best for a great camera

Battery Life: Up to 21 hours of video playback | Storage: 128GB, expandable up to 1TB with a micro SD card slot

Pros:

Great parental control settings a great
Sleek design
Solid camera
5G access

Cons:

Not the fastest phone

If you're looking for a cheaper phone with robust parental controls and a solid camera then the Samsung A25 5G is a great pick. It has a fantastic display as you'd expect from Samsung as well as 3 cameras, each of which provides something different.

The overall design is simple and sleek, with 3 colours on offer including blue/black, blue and yellow.

Samsung's parental control settings a robust, with everything you'd expect including the ability to restrict access to inappropriate content as well as the ability to remotely lock your child's phone. You can create kids' accounts that allow you to monitor screen time and set limits, all in a straightforward way.

As the Samsung A25 5G runs Google's Android software, you'll also have access to their 'Family Link' app which works much the same way as Apple's Family Sharing by allowing you to track, restrict and share purchases with members of your family. The beauty of 'Family Link' is that it works across any phone running the latest version of Android.

"My little one doesn’t have any of these but does have the Samsung a13 4g, she’s 9 and it has “family link” on it so I can monitor what she’s on, authorise downloads and turn it off when her times up or set timers," said Top Tester Cheryl. "Family Link is just an app but I think it’s crucial for kids phones. The Samsung range for us is very reliable."

Overall, if you're looking for a low-cost phone with a great camera, screen and parental control options then the Samsung A25 5G is a solid pick.

Available from: Amazon, John Lewis, Very

3. Samsung A15, £119.89

Best budget Samsung phone

Battery Life: Up to 20 hours of video playback | Storage: 128GB, expandable up to 1TB with a micro SD card slot

Pros:

Great value
Solid camera
Fast charging

Cons:

Cheaper build quality

Speaking of Samsung, if you're looking to buy a budget phone that doesn't compromise on parental controls, camera quality and battery life then look no further than the Samsung A15.

Another phone in their 'A' series line of budget smartphones, the A15 punches above its weight in terms of specs, with a 3-camera array that's perfect for taking pics on the next family holiday.

As this is a Samsung phone that runs Android, just like the A25, you get access to Samsung's suite of parental control settings as well as the Google 'Family Link' app.

Overall, if you're looking for a solid first phone that won't break the bank while still providing all the features your child could need then the A15 is a great pick. We'd definitely suggest getting a case and a screen protector, though.

Available at: Amazon, Very

4. Google Pixel 8a, £499

Best Google phone for kids

Battery Life: Up to 24 hours | Storage: 128GB, 256GB

Pros:

Vibrant colour options
Great battery life
Fast charging

Cons:

Expensive
Google's AI is quite intrusive

If you're looking for a phone that feels a bit more premium without paying iPhone prices, then look no further than the Pixel 8a. A part of Google's fantastic Pixel line, the 8a comes with all the features you'd expect from a premium smartphone, including some gorgeous colourways.

As this is a Google phone, you can expect to get all the latest software updates as soon as they are released as well as access to the Family Link app to help you share and manage your purchases. Google's phones also have robust parental control settings allowing you to manage your child's screen time.

Overall, the Pixel 8a is on the more expensive end of smartphones we'd recommend for kids but its fantastic battery life, fast charging and great cameras make it more than worth it, especially if you're buying for older kids.

Available from: Amazon, Currys

5. Nokia 3210, £74.99

Best dumbphone for kids

Battery Life: Up to 14 hours standby time| Storage: Up to 32GB when using micro-SD card slot

Pros:

Cheap
Great build quality
Simple

Cons:

Poor battery life

If you're a millennial parent, the sight of the Nokia 3210 probably brings back memories of your own first phone back in the days before smartphones. But the 3210 is having a bit of a resurgence of late thanks to it being a particularly good dumbphone.

A dumbphone is basically just a phone that does the basics like calls and texts without any of the complications of modern smartphones.

As parent tester Sophie said, "Take me back to the dumbphone era! I might crack out my Nokia 3210 seeing as they are coming back around."

As you'd expect, the Nokia 3210 is particularly good with robust build quality and a fantastic price. The 3210 is ideal if you're looking to buy a simple phone for your child just to keep in touch without having to worry about the range of parental controls available on more feature-rich devices.

Available from: Argos