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Staying connected to friends and family is critical for health and well-being in people of all ages, even as we pass midlife. It’s good to know what options are available to you, especially since cell phone use is on the rise. In fact, 62 percent of people 70 and older use a cell phone.1 What’s more, 34 percent of Americans over 65 use social media, making a smartphone a critical aspect of staying connected to the world.2
Every cell phone company has an overwhelming amount of phone options, making it difficult to choose the best one. Samsung has some terrific smartphone options for seniors, which we’ll go over in this article. We’ll take a look at what sets them apart, how much they cost, and why we chose them. We hope this will help you get a better idea of what options are the best for you.
Did You Know? Many cell phone carriers have discounted plans for seniors?
Best Samsung Phones for Seniors in 2023
Did You Know? Studies show that smartphone use can improve quality of life by making it easier to connect with family, friends, doctors, social media, shopping, and more.3
Samsung Galaxy S22+
The Samsung Galaxy S22+ from T-Mobile is a well-rounded phone with a great mix of size, battery life, and power. One of the great features of this phone is that it has an extra-large screen so you can see what you’re doing a little bit more easily. The phone is durable and should work well for at least four years. You won’t have to replace it after a year’s use unless you drop it or break it. It has good weather resistance and a pretty extensive camera system.
The Galaxy S22+ has a few accessibility features, such as being able to increase the contrast for easier reading, adaptive color contrast, and a display with vision booster. The audio is clear and easy to hear, and the phone has great reception.
Although the Samsung Galaxy S22+ may be a bit on the pricier side, the extra features and larger size might make it worth every penny. This phone will set you back about $1,000, while other similar phones are closer to $800. However, this is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an easy-to-read screen.
T-Mobile offers three different plans that go well with the S22, and they are specifically geared toward people age 55 and older. The least expensive plan starts at $45 per month and increases as you add services such as hotspot data and streaming quality.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
If you want a phone that’s got more, then you’ll want to consider the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3. This interesting phone opens up into a 7.6-inch touchscreen tablet. This will give you more usable screen space than a lot of other standard phones. This means you can see what’s on your phone more easily, as well as play games and watch movies.
If you purchase the phone from AT&T, you’ll get great coverage, but it isn’t cheap. It also isn’t as small or lightweight as a phone like the Galaxy S22+, but you do get a lot more screen to view. AT&T offers affordable plans for adults over the age of 55, but they might not be available in all states.
The Z Fold also has stylus capability, so if you have trouble selecting small icons on the screen, the stylus, which is sold separately, might help.
The Z Fold3 is a unique concept in flip phones, giving you the ability to open the screen to reveal a larger, wider screen. This quality makes the Z Fold an excellent phone for you if you love to stream videos or play games, or you just need a bigger screen to read on your phone.
The Z Fold3 will set you back about $1,800, which is significantly more than other Samsung phones. However, there aren’t really any other folding phones to compare this one to.
AT&T does offer discounts to low-income users, and it also has discount plans available for people over 55 (but they aren’t available in all states).
If you love this phone, you’ll want to make sure it isn’t too big and cumbersome to carry with you since it’s larger than a standard phone. You’ll also want to make sure that it fits your budget.
Did You Know? Many new cell phones have Bluetooth connectivity that can directly connect to your Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids.
Samsung Galaxy A03s
If your budget is tight, then the Samsung Galaxy A03s from Consumer Cellular might be a great choice for you. Compared to other Galaxy models, this phone is a real deal.
The A03s also has a long battery life, so you won’t need to charge it up throughout the day. It offers vivid colors on a 6.5-inch HD LCD screen, making it easy to read.
This is a very simple phone to use. However, it doesn’t have the fastest response time when you’re switching between apps or trying to watch a video or play a game. The cameras aren’t the highest quality compared to some of the other Samsung phones, but they will preserve your memories if that’s what you’re seeking.
The A03s is a no-frills phone, and if you just want a cheap phone with a long battery life for texting and phone calls, this is a great choice. It’s easy to use, easy to see, and relatively durable.
If you want to do a lot of other things with your phone, like watch videos or play games, you’ll probably want something that’s a little bit higher end because this one just doesn’t do those things well.
The phone itself costs only about $160, which is extremely low for a cell phone. Consumer Cellular’s plans are also very inexpensive, and you can choose a plan that is just for emergencies or for regular use, which you’ll want if you are planning on using it to keep in touch with family and friends.
Plans start as low as $20 per month with no activation fee, which is one of the best prices you can find. Not only are the plans affordable, but our Consumer Cellular review explains how you can get an additional AARP discount and a phone with no contract.
Jitterbug Smart3
Jitterbug Smart3 is a specialized phone made with seniors in mind. The Jitterbug features a large, 6.2-inch screen with a simple, list-style menu to make it easy to make calls and send messages.
The Jitterbug (made by Samsung) has a robust and clear speaker to make it easy to hear your conversations and built-in video chat to help you communicate with loved ones. It also has voice-to-text, so you can send messages without having to type.
Jitterbug easily connects to an on-call service, so you always have emergency help at your fingertips. If you sign up for the Premium plan, you also get access to a care advocate and an on-call nurse to help you with all your questions.
The Jitterbug Smart3 is a terrific cell phone if you are new to technology and smartphones. The large screen with an overview list makes it extremely easy to use. And you can easily connect to emergency and health services, such as an on-call nurse, if you sign up for a top-tier package.
Lively plans start at low prices, but be careful not to run over your data allotment because those fees can add up fast. The best part about this phone is being able to connect to Lively’s medical alert system features. This cuts out the need for both a phone and an alert system, saving you money and simplifying your technology.
Samsung Galaxy A13 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A13 is one of the few budget-priced 5G phones. This no-frills phone gives you fast service without a lot of extra stuff to weigh you down. It features a large, 6.5-inch screen with a basic camera that will take decent pictures if you have good lighting.
There really isn’t anything fancy about this device. It’s a reliable phone with a good battery life, a larger screen, and enough storage space if you don’t download too many apps or pictures.
The Samsung Galaxy A13 offers 5G coverage at a really affordable price. Otherwise, it’s a pretty basic phone that will work well for your standard talk and text. The phone costs only $349, which is an excellent price for a 5G phone. You can even save money by bundling the phone with a 12-month plan from Mint Mobile.
What makes this phone even better is when it is bundled with a great-priced Mint Mobile plan. Mint Mobile offers compatible 5G plans starting at just $15 per month. This is a great phone if you are really focused on a high-speed network for texting and calling.
Did You Know? You can find more information about cell phone plans on our page: The Best Senior Phone Plans.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
If portability is important to you, then you’ll want to consider Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip4 from Visible. The phone opens up into a 6.7-inch screen that is large and easy to read. But when you’re done using it, it folds in half, making it small enough to put in your pocket.
There’s also a neat little display screen on the outside of the phone when it’s folded. It has the same display as what you would see inside but with limited functionality. The phone has good cameras, and you can customize the apps you see based on the position of the screen.
The Samsung Galaxy Flip4 Is a neat device. What works great is that it gives you a large display screen but is able to fold up for portability. So if those two things are important to you, then this is a great option. The small external display is also a pretty handy feature, as you can see who is calling without opening up the phone.
If technology is not your strength, you might want to consider a phone like the Jitterbug, which is a little more user-friendly. The Flip4 may take just a little bit of getting used to.
The Galaxy Flip4 isn’t a budget phone. It will cost you around $1,000, which is higher than a lot of other Samsung phones. However, the small package and large screen might be worth the extra investment. It’s an even better value when you purchase from Visible because its plans start at just $25 per month, so you’ll save money there.
Samsung is one of the most well-known manufacturers of cell phones today. But the options it offers can seem overwhelming, so we’ve studied the options to create a list of our top Samsung phones for seniors so that you can wade through the choices more easily.
We considered a number of criteria, such as price, screen size, accessibility options, coverage, and ease of use. You can use this guide to get an idea of what Samsung phone will work best for you.
Need more information? Check out our cell phone hub, which has everything you need to know about buying a cell phone and choosing a plan.
You need a phone that fits your needs and your lifestyle, so you’ll want to consider some options:
The easiest-to-use Samsung Galaxy phone for seniors is the Galaxy A03s. This phone doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. It’s just a simple phone that’s perfect for calling and texting.
The phone with the best emergency services is the Jitterbug. You can easily set up on-call services with your Jitterbug phone so that you have regular access to an on-call nurse and other emergency services (additional fee required).
The least expensive Samsung phone is the Galaxy A03s, which costs about $160.
For over five years, Taylor has been writing, editing, and researching products and services covering topics such as senior care and technology, internet and the digital divide, TV and entertainment, and education. Her work has been cited by publications such as Forbes,… Learn More About Taylor Shuman
AARP. (2020, Jan). Older Adults Keep Pace on Tech Usage.
Pew Research Center. (2017, May 17). 1. Technology use among seniors.
National Library of Medicine. (2022, Apr 28). Assessing Older Adults’ Intentions to Use a Smartphone: Using the Meta–Unified Theory of the Acceptance and Use of Technology.
