iPhone 5C or Nokia Lumia 1520 for my mom? (60 years old)

[gsquared]

I agree with others. Take her to the phone store and let her choose. My money is on her walking out with another feature phone.

 

[pankaj981]

My father was using a Nokia 1100 which I upgraded to a Samsung Focus (w/ my first salary). He absolutely loved it (except the inferior battery life when compared to the 1100 . Eventually he got over it and finally started using his phone as a smart phone. He did learn most of the stuff about the phone himself, though he still comes up w/ questions which i am happy to explain everytime. Eventually i got him a L920 then a L810 and now I am going to give him the L925. He plays games, uses whatsapp and emails etc. apart from the basic stuff and he absolutely nailed it on his own.
The bottom line is, WPx is easy to use and quite intuitive once the purpose of live tiles and pin-to-start is explained, worked for my dad when he got his Focus at 57.

Good luck!

 

[maj71303]

I vote for the 925 as the 1520 is to big to handle properly, even a 520 - 720 would do well for your mom. Take her too look at all of them to decide.

 

[boovish]

Instead of a 1520 which is really big, why not a 925?

Because no offense, but the 925 looks awful. Anything but the 925

 

[05Paris]

Cost is something else you should consider. With an upgrade to a smartphone she will take a big hit with a data plan. You should consider adding her to your plan that way it would only cost $10 a month plus the fees. I really think she would really like the 520 and wouldn't have to have a data plan. She would be able to do everything else a phone can do.

 

[luk3ja]

My mother is 74 and has an android phone. She hates it because she just wants a phone to be a phone and last a week on a charge. The idea of keeping it on the charger all night doesn't register with her .

She's a bit of a tech when it comes to PCs so she doesn't see the need to have apps and the sort on the phone.

She's always missing my calls now because her battery is dead.

she needs one of these then http://forums.windowscentral.com/other-oss-devices/251464-new-simple-phone-microsoft-concept.html

 

[luk3ja]

Because no offense, but the 925 looks awful. Anything but the 925

Lol it's funny how opinions differ. I'm crazy about beautiful and simplistic design which is why I like Windows Phone and I think the 925 is the nicest looking of all the Lumias

 

[etad putta]

I'm not sure any mid-range or better modern smartphone could be considered looking awful these days. There are just a lot of great choices that anyone who isn't a ****** could make and be perfectly happy.

 

[Subserved_Meteor]

How about an Ativ S? It's a good phone too and not too small either ��

 

[MyNL822]

Eh...
The Nokia Lumia 1520 doesn't seem like a good option for your mother. I'm 14(almost 15) with pretty big hands(Not like Chris Bosh, but bigger than average and most of my friends.) and the phone just looks awkward to hold because it is so big.(My Nokia Lumia 822[hence the name] fits in my palm with 2 inches left for me to grab my phone at an easy to use way.) If it seems awkward for me I can't imagine what it would feel like in your mother's hand which I'm guessing is smaller than my hand and more delicate. I'm pretty sure a first time smartphone user wouldn't adapt well to that kind of phone. If you think she might like the windows phone path, maybe try something smaller and comfortable. I do think WP might be harder for her to adapt to, but maybe you could help her. iOS is simple and easy to find your apps. My grandmother(around your moms age.) easily adapted to the Android phone when she got into the smartphone, and she has been using primarily HTC phones, but she was going to get the Nokia Lumia 925 but decided on HTC one instead. She doesn't need much help with her phone and seems to get it for all her uses. I personally suggest iPhone 5c, the android path, or if WP seems like a good fit, a smaller phone that will be more comfortable for her.

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

I'm going to say go for the Windows Phone. As for the specific model... let her find her comfort zone in terms of screen size.

 

[xandros9]

I would normally say the iPhone, but since iOS 7, teaching my mom to use feels harder than it wouldve been on OS 6.

I would think the WP because of the contrast and large typography and stuff. Feels more consistent too. at least IMO

 

[mary beth hale]

60+ years of age using the ativ s and loving it. Have to chuckle at some of the ideas of what we "older folks" would prefer in a phone.

 

[Editguy1900]

It's really not about age except for the size of the screen, because somewhere around forty people begin to have problems reading small print or in low light. I had a phone the size of an a iPhone screen and had a terrible time reading text messages. With the Lumia 925, problem solved. The other part of this applies to anyone at any age - how tech savvy are they. If understanding technology eludes them, then a smartphone of any kind is a bad choice.I teach high school technology classes and, in spite of what people think, not all young people are tech savvy. They are constantly coming to me asking me questions about their phones, laptops and cameras. Some of them would be better off with feature phones, but they buy to fit in with their peers.

 

[Reflexx]

The 1520 has that amazing screen. Easy on the eyes. It's also great in sunlight.

She likely has a purse for her phone, right? So size shouldn't be too much of an issue. I would also guess that she doesn't stay on phone calls too long. You could always get her a headset so she doesn't have to keep this big thing on her ear all the time.

Also, the 1520 looks really slick and posh in those cases that are available for it. Like a nice address book, but with a high tech device in it.

And imaging when her friends send her pictures and she shows them that she received them on her amazing screen. They'll be telling her how awesome her son is to get that for her.

 

[michail71]

60+ years of age using the ativ s and loving it. Have to chuckle at some of the ideas of what we "older folks" would prefer in a phone.

It's good to know I won't fall apart in 20 years and be all confused by new fangled things

 

[vc-10]

My technophobe mother (50) has a Lumia 800 and loves it. Not quite worked out how to download her own apps yet, but calls, texts, uses apps and the internet all fine.

 

[ikissfutebol]

yeah i am not really into which popular side to back, am too old for all that, just giving my opinion based on op requirements, my elderly father was only able to get to grips with an iphone, nothing else, but thats not gonna be everyones story, i am WP owner myself

Just to play devil's advocate- I am sure there are plenty of people that find the iPhone hard to figure out while Windows Phone is easier. The main advantage of an iPhone is having your icons labeled. The main disadvantage (in my eyes for someone learning) is you need a different app for seemingly everything so keeping apps straight could cause issues. I know my techno-phob mom has "learned" how to use her iPhone well enough. That's also because of the amount of time people spent helping her. I wanted her to get a Windows Phone so she would only need to learn one new interface (she'll never, ever buy an Apple computer- lucky if she spend $350 on a PC).

To the OP- Whatever device you get your mother, make sure it is one that lends itself to her other devices. I would agree with another poster that said try a Lumia 520 just to see if she has a use for the device. My in-laws keep talking about getting a smartphone, but they have zero need and keep putting it off (which I tell them is a great idea for them).

 

[Reflexx]

Come on... you know mom wants to bust this out in front of her friends.

"Oh, let me pay for that. I'm just going to pull out my debit card...
Oh this? Yes. It's my new phone.
Hold on real quick. It looks like I have a text with an attachment. Wow. Would you look at that photo Janet send me? Hilarious! Those grandkids of hers...
Yes, the screen is amazing isn't it? My son bought it for me.
Yes, I know that I'm so very lucky to have him.
Thank you. But I can't take all the credit for him. But I will take most... haha.
Let me send him a picture of the restaurant's menu and ask if he wants anything.
Oh... don't worry about handing me the menu. I already took a picture while it was there on your side. I can just zoom in on the text afterwards."

 

[frizodanizzo]

I'd say the Windows phone 8 would actually be the easiest software to learn. The text goes massive for anyone who needs reading glasses. The OS is centered around Text and understanding that text rather than relying on a picture to tell you something you may not even know. I have given a windows phone to my mother who is 53, also my girlfriend neither of them have ever used a smart phone and picked up on them fairly quickly. The iPhone I can myself actually find to be tricky at times, I work with computers and phones all the time, they still annoy me lol.