TechJunkie is a BOX20 Media Company

Home The Best Phones For Kids in 2022

TechJunkie Expert Recommendations

The Best Phones For Kids in 2022

TechJunkie is supported by our readers. When you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. Read More.

The Best Phones For Kids in 2022

Even kids need smartphones. If not for games and entertainment, they can use phones for educational purposes as well as emergencies. As parents, it’s wrong to deprive your child of technology as with proper guidance and checking, your kids can benefit a lot from having a good phone. Now comes the important part, which are the best phones for kids?

When finding the best phones for kids, one thing that you should consider first is how easy it is to use the phone. While kids might be more tech-savvy than most adults, it’s still important that a phone is easy to use. If you’re having trouble picking a phone for your kid, then this guide might help you come to a decision.

01 iPhone SE

At the top of this list is Apple’s budget-friendly iPhone SE. While cheaper than its premium counterparts, this smartphone doesn’t lag behind when it comes to features. True to Apple’s principle, the iPhone SE is simple and easy to use, perfect for kids.

The iPhone SE is the cheapest and smallest Apple offers, so it’s one of the best phone for kids. As it was released in 2020, this means that you will be provided with software updates for 4-5 years. There is no reason for it not to last that long. There are many cases and accessories out for it right now that can protect it and extend its life. 

If the whole family is using an iPhone, kids will never miss a family iMessage chat and can easily share photos and other files via AirDrop. You can get an old used iPhone, but a new iPhone SE is the best bet. 

While older, this iPhone SE model isn’t too shabby. It’s still fast, and efficient. You also need to consider the fact that there are loads of games on the iOS app store too. That means your kids will have hours upon hours of entertainment waiting for them with this amazing smartphone. If you have the extra budget, we highly suggest going for the newer models of the SE instead. It might be a bit more pricey, but in terms of quality and durability, it’s more than enough.

Pros

  • Cheapest iPhone
  • Easy to use
  • Comes with software support for years

Cons

  • More expensive than most budget phones

Specification

  • Price $220.00
  • Storage 64/128/256 GB
  • Battery 1,821 mAh
  • Screen Size 4.7-inch
  • OS iOS 13
  • Ram 3 GB
iPhone SE

02 Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC

Xiaomi may be relatively new as a smartphone brand, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t able to contend with others in the market. In fact, they are best known for creating budget-friendly phones. For kids, the best phone that they have is the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC.

If your kids want to play on the go, they will definitely enjoy the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC. It may have a mediocre camera, but your kids are going to ignore that thanks to the fact that this smartphone comes with extraordinary gaming performance, backed by a decent battery life. Additionally, a 120 Hz wide HD display means everything looks like it’s in high definition.

It’s these little things that can captivate kids the most. It’s all better when you can buy this type of gear at a relatively low price. It may seem a bit basic, but this top-of-the-line smartphone is more than enough. In terms of performance, the phone will definitely play some of the high-end games out there, which is surprising considering that this isn’t a premium phone.

Let’s face it, kids are going to use their smartphones mostly for gaming, so you may as well get them one of the best gaming phones that don’t cost too much. While being focused on gaming, this smartphone is of course more than capable of sending messages, making calls, and doing a lot of other tasks. As one of the up and coming brands out there, Xiaomi has proven that its phones are far from lackluster and this is proof of that.

Praises aside, you’ll need to monitor this phone if your kids as they might overcrowd the phone with too many apps. The phone can play a lot of games, so might be too tempting for them.

Pros

  • Good for gaming
  • Impressive screen

Cons

  • Poor camera

Specification

  • Price $266.40
  • Storage 64GB/128GB
  • Battery 5,160 mAh
  • Screen Size 6.67-inch
  • OS Android 10
  • Ram 6 GB/8 GB
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC

03 Moto G10

Motorola was one of the top phone makers during the 2000s, but when the smartphone revolution came, it slowly faded out of the limelight. However, it has made a comeback with smartphones of its own. Now, Motorola is one of the top brands as well. For kids, the best they have to offer is the Moto G10.

However, with just 4 GB of RAM and the Snapdragon 460 chipset, you’ll find that the performance of this phone is budgetary. While watching a movie or checking what’s happening on the internet are simple enough, sophisticated things tend to take a long time. Your kids might need a little bit of patience when using this phone. Even simple tasks such as using the software keyboard are significantly slower than the mid-range smartphones.

Ultimately, this is a bargain phone that really impresses the kids. As it is a budget phone, however, you might need to adjust your expectations accordingly. The Moto G10 is a very good-looking phone with two well-chosen colors, purple Aurora Gray and silver Sakura Pearl.

The Google Assistant button is a good addition that we are always grateful for. Kids might also like the texture of the back of the Moto G10. Motorola did a good job with its ribbed surface, which is comfortable and very easy to use. Apart from this, it also adds a touch of sophistication as well. Motorola proves with the G10 that they’ve still got the touch. The overall build of the phone might be cheap, but your kids are going to enjoy this phone thanks to its amazing performance.

 

Pros

  • Good battery life
  • Comes with Android 11 support
  • Good camera

Cons

  • Poor display

Specification

  • Price $165.00
  • Storage 64 GB
  • Battery 5,000 mAh
  • Screen Size 6.5-inch
  • OS Android 11
  • Ram 4 GB
Moto G10

04 OnePlus Nord 2

The Nord 2 is one of the first smartphones that utilizes MediaTek’s very impressive and high-performance Dimensity 1200 processor instead of the major Qualcomm processor. MediaTek was previously known for developing cheap, low-performance chips for low-cost devices, but recently it has enhanced its games and tried to compete with Qualcomm.

On papers, the Dimensity 1200 has the same performance as Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line smartphone chip last year. In short, the mid-range Nord 2 is about the same speed as last year’s finest Android smartphones, and much faster. The result is a very fast smartphone that can handle high-end games and important work tasks for school. This makes it a perfect phone for kids.

The phone’s battery life is slightly below average with 34 hours of life on a charge. The charging time is less than 5 hours and it will work from 9 am on the first day to 7 pm on the second day. Keep in mind that aggressive use of data services above 5G had more impact on competitors’ phones with Qualcomm chips. There are three cameras on the back of the phone. It has a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel monaural camera.

The main camera captures 12.6 MP images by default and is extremely powerful, enabling HDR to provide crisp, balanced images in bright places, and performance in low light environments is good, as is the dedicated Nightscape mode, which is a solid step up from last year’s Nord. The video recording was nothing special, but it was dependable.

The OnePlus Nord 2 is a great smartphone for kids. While more expensive, it’s definitely a great smartphone for kids because of its processing power and overall build.

Pros

  • Good design
  • Speedy software

Cons

  • Slightly expensive

Specification

  • Price $414.00
  • Storage 128 GB
  • Battery 4,500 mAh
  • Screen Size 6.43 inches
  • OS Android 11
  • Ram 4 GB
OnePlus Nord 2

05 iPhone 8

If you’re looking for an iPhone, but your budget is limited, look for the iPhone 8, which is currently discontinued. The case selection you have out on the market is unmatched and it still has the specs you need. The camera is rugged, and it can be charged wirelessly. One drawback is that it is not supported by software updates for more than a year or two. Therefore, if you need the latest security features and longer features, try iPhone SE 2020.

As with most iPhones, one of the key downsides of the iPhone 8 is that it has rather lackluster battery life. However, your kids are not really recommended to spend hours and hours on a smartphone, so you could think of this as an advantage as it can actually limit the time they spend on their phones. Apart from this, everything from the iPhone 8 is great and will definitely make it worth investing in.

Since this is an old phone, it only is a matter of time before the OS support is cut off. However, that doesn’t mean that you can no longer access the wide selection of apps and games on the iOS App Store. Your kids are still going to have a lot of fun with the iPhone 8 despite its age. Keep in mind that the iPhone 8 is still a mainline phone from Apple. You can expect a good build and a lot of amazing features for this phone.

If you don’t have the budget to spend on the latest releases of Apple, the iPhone 8 is the best iPhone you can buy that’s still mainstream. Your kids are definitely going to love this phone.

Pros

  • Cheapest high-end smartphone that's available
  • Lots of cases for customization
  • Good overall feel

Cons

  • OS support is limited

Specification

  • Price $599.00
  • Storage 64/256GB
  • Battery 1,821 mAh
  • Screen Size 4.7-inch
  • OS iOS 13
  • Ram 2GB
iPhone 8

06 Samsung Galaxy A32

It’s hard to create a best smartphones list without having a Samsung phone on it. When it comes to the best phones for kids, the best one that Samsung has is the Samsung Galaxy A32. It’s cheap, powerful, and very durable as well.

But that’s not to say it’s perfect. The A32 5G’s display screen isn’t incredible; the overall performance is a bit laggy, but it is still capable. Its digital digicam is limited too. If you can spend a little extra, you might get a newer version of this phone that has higher performance in such areas. The Samsung A32 may be lacking in a few areas, but overall, it’s an amazing smartphone for your kids.

Pros

  • Good display
  • Good performance of software
  • OS support

Cons

  • Can slow down quickly

Specification

  • Price $292.70
  • Storage 128 GB
  • Battery 5,000 mAh
  • Screen Size 6.4-inch
  • OS Android 11
  • Ram 4 GB
Samsung Galaxy A32

Jonas Sunico

Apr 21, 2022

Jonas is a writer with over 6 years of experience in the tech and gaming industry. He holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from University of the East Philippines and is one of the proud leaders of the academe's Journalism Society. At heart, he's a hardcore tech junkie that loves video games, the latest gadgets, and the wonderful science behind social media and AI.

314 Articles Published

Our Process & Method

We're not just tech junkies, but we're also tech experts. Each and every "Best of.." list on TechJunkie is curated by our content-area subject matter experts to provide a well-rounded, unbiased perspective to help and inform you, our reader. Our lists are constantly reviewed and updated, so you can be sure you're reading relevant and up to date information.

TORRAS Ostand Power Banks: Top 5 Features You Must Know

Read More

More