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Help a senior citizen

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vog1323

Lurker
The Mrs and I are both in our late 60s
She has rheumatoid arthritis and her hands are both slightly disfigured and weak
She is currently using a Samsung Galaxy s7 and it's time for her to get a new phone
The problem is that her phone is as BIG as she wants to go so a 5.1" body is about all she wants
The technology isn't as important. She's a light tech user - gaming, texting, phoning

I believe that in todays world this would be considered a "mini" phone
We (I have an S7 too) are not worried about the latest and greatest. Give us something that works, and (for her) something that fits in her hands comfortably
Any suggestions? Currently on Verizon and wish to stay there
 
what's your price range? since you have a samsung device, its best to stay in that ecosysytem. if you get another samsung device, you can use Smart Switch to transfer all of your data quite easily.

so my suggestion is maybe an s9 or s10, you can probable get a really good deal on those now.
 
Price isn't that big a deal for us, we are comfortable.
I agree about staying on the samsung reservation. We are the type of people that baby our devices and don't replace until needed. I'd still be using by Razor flip phone if I hadn't dropped the damned thing after 8 years of use. I have also used Motorola smart phones as well.
Like I said the main concern is size. We went to a store just to let her handle the new phones. She was really struggling with the large size of some of the android phones and told me.
Thank you for taking the time to reply
 
ocnbrze said:
what's your price range? since you have a samsung device, its best to stay in that ecosysytem. if you get another samsung device, you can use Smart Switch to transfer all of your data quite easily.

so my suggestion is maybe an s9 or s10, you can probable get a really good deal on those now.
Click to expand...
Boy, do I feel dumb !!! I was looking for a 5.1in phone but when I researched the dimensions of the S10 compared to the s7 it struck me that our old s7 has buttons camera lens and other things that "take up" space on the face of the device. The difference in overall size between the S7 and S10 is only 7mm in height and 0.8mm in width. (the width for her is the main problem). I will definitely check that our.
 
vog1323 said:
Boy, do I feel dumb !!! I was looking for a 5.1in phone but when I researched the dimensions of the S10 compared to the s7 it struck me that our old s7 has buttons camera lens and other things that "take up" space on the face of the device. The difference in overall size between the S7 and S10 is only 7mm in height and 0.8mm in width. (the width for her is the main problem). I will definitely check that our.
Click to expand...
take her to either your phone carrier or places like Best Buy where she can actually handle one and see if it is to her liking. and yes there are no more physical buttons. its all pretty much all screen now which makes it seem larger then it actually is.
 
Has she tried using a stylus before? This may or may not be a viable option if her arthritis makes it more comfortable just using her finger vs holding a pen-like device. If you buy something like this cheap 10-pack, about $6, you can leave them scattered throughout your home (kitchen, living room, bedroom, etc.) so there's always one within handy reach:
https://www.newegg.com/ace-cards-po...lus-_-9SIABFB6J55376-_-Product&quicklink=true
 
I went from an S5 to an S9, the difference in size was incremental and ease of handing is about the same. I don't have dexterity issues but I just don't like large phones so this suits me well. The next device I would look at is the S10e which is not quite as big as the S10 and very close to the S9.
Since these are older devices you won't be able to find them new at the major retailers, but if you're comfortable with the used market and buying online I'd suggest taking a look at www.swappa.com
Their sellers have to meet strict requirements and the devices are ESN-checked to make sure they are legit, not blacklisted etc. so it's safer than buying on Ebay/Amazon etc. You can filter the listings by device and carrier so it's easy to find what you are looking for. I've bought my last two phones on swappa.
 
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60's the new 40 - OLD is a state of mind... never grow old!

I'm pretty sure you and your darling bride would do well with a Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Even though it's a bigger phone than 5", it has a one-handed mode that can shrink the screen down to a manageable size in the lower corner. However, with Android 11's gesture navigation (swipes instead of the three navigation icons along the bottom) and S-Pen controls, I believe you will fall in love with it.

You will find great deals on the Note 10 and Note 10+ since they were 2019 models. The caveat is that as older models, Android 11 (or Q) is their last major OS upgrade and they will not receive this year's Android 12 (R).

As @Fox Mulder said, you can buy these phones either Verizon-branded or factory unlocked from anywhere, not just from Verizon at full retail. Your Verizon SIM will connect just fine from a factory-unlocked phone. Just check that the ESN or MEID is clean and the device wasn't reported stolen... that's easy to do online.
 
The_Chief said:
60's the new 40 - OLD is a state of mind... never grow old!

I'm pretty sure you and your darling bride would do well with a Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Even though it's a bigger phone than 5", it has a one-handed mode that can shrink the screen down to a manageable size in the lower corner. However, with Android 11's gesture navigation (swipes instead of the three navigation icons along the bottom) and S-Pen controls, I believe you will fall in love with it.

You will find great deals on the Note 10 and Note 10+ since they were 2019 models. The caveat is that as older models, Android 11 (or Q) is their last major OS upgrade and they will not receive this year's Android 12 (R).

As @Fox Mulder said, you can buy these phones either Verizon-branded or factory unlocked from anywhere, not just from Verizon at full retail. Your Verizon SIM will connect just fine from a factory-unlocked phone. Just check that the ESN or MEID is clean and the device wasn't reported stolen... that's easy to do online.
Click to expand...
As my friends just said, it varies on how you really carries a cell phone around, you honestly do not want something so big and bulky either, just think about what size is a book you carry around, would you like to type on that?
 
I would recommend trying any device first: if limited mobility of the fingers is an issue then it might be a bit different from how size affects someone without that problem to deal with. I don't have that experience, but on a more modest scale I know that my daughter can use a larger phone more easily than I can despite our hands having identical spans: the difference is that she has small palms and long fingers and I'm more the other way round. So I can easily imagine that fingers that are a bit limited, possibly a bit of a twist, might not handle a larger phone even with one-handed modes or gestures. Hence I'd definitely try before I buy.

But yeah, screen size is useless these days, because with the screens all being different shapes the diagonal extent of the screen doesn't mean the same thing it used to (and not necessarily the same thing for different models of phone). You really do need to look at the phone dimensions. If you want to stay with Samsung then the Galaxy s10e is almost exactly the same size as the s7, while the s9 or s20 are a bit taller but marginally narrower, s10 is marginally wider, s21 slightly wider than the s10 (all apart from the s10e are taller). But do consider the stylus option, because maybe holding in one hand and using a stylus to operate it with the other would work (where "stylus" can include the S-Pen of the Note series or a cheap soft-tipped pen thing that just replaces a fingertip and can be used with any device - albeit without the precision or the features of the S-Pen).

If you are prepared to spread beyond Samsung the Pixel 4a is very similar in size to the s7. There are rumours that Sony are going to release one that's smaller, but (a) rumours, (b) Sony pricing, and (c) will you be able to get it on Verizon?

Sadly the smallest modern phones these days are from the other side of the tracks (iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone 12 Mini are both smaller than any of the phones listed above). I'm still hoping that some Android manufacturer will follow that, but no sign so far.
 
Thanks to all who replied.
It appears as though the manufacturers are saying bigger is better. Our advancing age(s) say "uh - no, that's not entirely correct."
The trouble the Mrs is having is not with texting - she can compensate for her slight disfigurement for that - it's with the actual holding of the phone and what is comfortable for her.
One thing I did note about some of the inquiries I've made is that Verizon only allows the trade in $ on NEW models. It's the buy often, buy new, keep up with the Joneses thing that ALL cell phone companies thrive on, especially Apple.
 
When I go into my phone museum and dig out my first Android phone (LG Optimus M) it seems so tiny now. I think it was a 3.5" screen.
The 6" phones we consider normal now were regarded as huge "phablets" not that long ago. Progress- ;)
 
vog1323 said:
Thanks to all who replied.
It appears as though the manufacturers are saying bigger is better. Our advancing age(s) say "uh - no, that's not entirely correct."
The trouble the Mrs is having is not with texting - she can compensate for her slight disfigurement for that - it's with the actual holding of the phone and what is comfortable for her.
One thing I did note about some of the inquiries I've made is that Verizon only allows the trade in $ on NEW models. It's the buy often, buy new, keep up with the Joneses thing that ALL cell phone companies thrive on, especially Apple.
Click to expand...
maybe a pixel phone might be something to consider. they have a line up of phones with varying sizes to consider.

but like i said earlier, if you can travel maybe go to a place where she can handle the phone first and see if it is something she can work with. plus the salesman can make better suggestion as to what is available for her.
 
Fox Mulder said:
When I go into my phone museum and dig out my first Android phone (LG Optimus M) it seems so tiny now. I think it was a 3.5" screen.
The 6" phones we consider normal now were regarded as huge "phablets" not that long ago. Progress- ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I recall those early Notes being mocked and ridiculed! Yet here we are...
In late 2019 I actually posted a YouTube video contrasting the Galaxy Note 10+ and the Motorola Droid from ten years prior. This is a shot from that.

:)

Droid_10_b.jpg
 
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