Best kids’ phone 2024: Child-friendly handsets put to the test
If you're looking for a phone for your child, you'll want something cheap and robust. We’ve tested all the best contenders
Choosing the best smartphone for your child isn’t as straightforward as you might expect. Here at Expert Reviews, we test all of the best smartphones that hit the market, and a handset needs to meet specific criteria in order for us to classify it as kid-friendly.
If you’ve decided that it’s time for your child to have their first phone, you’ve come to the right place. Our team reviewed more than 50 phones last year alone, and for each of our reviews, we take note of all the relevant factors that make a handset appropriate for children – or otherwise.
Below, we’ve gathered a list of the best handsets for your little ones, along with a run-through of our vigorous testing methodology, so you can understand how and why we’ve made our selections. Towards the bottom of the page, we’ve supplied a useful buying guide to make your decision easier.
Best kids’ phone: At a glance
| Best overall phone for kids | Motorola Moto G31 (~£100) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best kids’ phone under £150 | Nokia C21 Plus (~£109) | Check price at Amazon |
| The cheapest Apple smartphone | Apple iPhone 11 (Renewed) (~£154) | Check price at Back Market |
| Best camera phone for older kids | Google Pixel 7a (~£368) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best value Android | Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 (~£129) | Check price at Amazon |
How we test kids’ phones
While we don’t have any young children on staff, we do have a set list of requirements that we use to determine a phone’s suitability for kids. First of all, we’re looking for value – nobody wants to be dropping hundreds on their child’s first phone, so we look at what the handset offers for the price.
From there, we’ll run our usual tests, starting with downloading the Geekbench and GFXBench apps, which assess the CPU and GPU, respectively. The apps deliver a set of scores that we can then use to compare the phone’s processing power to similarly priced competitors. For the display, we use a colorimeter and DisplayCal software, which judges how well a screen reproduces colours, as well as contrast and brightness.
The final two aspects are likely to be most important to your kids – battery life and cameras. To test the battery, we set the brightness to 170cd/m², to maintain consistency across all tested devices, engage flight mode and run our looping video. When the phone dies, we record the timestamp to see how long it lasted. Finally, we put all camera lenses to the test in a variety of settings, including indoor and outdoor shots, landscapes and low light, as well as seeing how the stabilisation holds up to rapidly panning video.
READ NEXT: Best budget phone
The best kids’ phones you can buy in 2024
1. Motorola Moto G31: Best overall phone for kids
Price when reviewed: £100 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… excellent screen and phenomenal battery life
- Not so great for… so-so performance and poor video capture
While it wasn’t the best value at its original price, the Motorola Moto G31 has since been reduced to a point where it’s pretty much unbeatable. The G31 offers reliable performance, a decent array of cameras and an attractive design, all while barely making a dent in your bank balance. Best of all, the epic battery lasted for nearly a full day in our tests, so should ensure that your child will always be available should you need to contact them.
Read our full Motorola Moto G31 review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2GHz MediaTek Helio G85; Display: 6.4in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 64GB; Camera: 50MP, 8MP (ultrawide), 2MP (macro); Operating system: Android 11
2. Nokia C21 Plus: Best kids’ phone under £150
Price when reviewed: £109 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… sleek design and solid performance
- Not so great for… weak battery life and slow charging
If you want to keep your buying budget as close to £100 as possible, the best option out there is the Nokia C21 Plus. Unlike some other budget handsets, the C21 Plus incorporates a sleek design that looks more expensive than it is, with slim borders around the screen and wavy ridges on the back panel. The performance is the fastest you can get for this price and the cameras are reasonable enough, too. The battery life is on the shorter side, but otherwise, this is a solid and capable budget smartphone.
Read our full Nokia C21 Plus review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 1.6GHz Unisoc SC9863A; Display: 6.52in 1,600 x 720; Storage: 32GB; Camera: 13MP, 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 11 Go
3. Apple iPhone 11 (Renewed): The cheapest Apple smartphone
Price when reviewed: From £154 | Check price at Back Market
- Great for… compact design and quick performance
- Not so great for… big display notch and no telephoto camera
Let’s face it, your child probably wants an iPhone. Instead of forking out four figures for the latest model, we recommend picking up a Renewed iPhone 11 on Amazon – a great Apple smartphone that costs peanuts in comparison. Sure, it’s not quite the cheapest option on this list, but if you’re willing to spend a little more for the sake of the Apple logo, you’ll be rewarded with an excellent screen, great battery life and a superb camera.
Read our full Apple iPhone 11 review
Key specs – Processor: Hexa-core 2.65GHz Apple A13 Bionic; Display: 6.1in 1,792 x 828; Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB; Camera: 12MP, 12MP (ultrawide); Operating system: iOS 13
4. Google Pixel 7a: Best camera phone for older kids
Price when reviewed: £368 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… class-leading cameras and crisp UI
- Not so great for… display not the smoothest and not exactly cheap
You’ll have to put down a bit more for this one, but the Google Pixel 7a is the first and last place you should look if your children are a little older and looking to take some serious photographs. As well as taking flagship-quality photos, the Pixel 7a features Google’s handy Magic Eraser feature, which digitally removes unwanted background objects in the camera app. On top of that, you’ve got excellent performance, a gorgeous colour-accurate display and impressive battery life that competes with plenty more expensive phones.
Read our full Google Pixel 7a review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2.85GHz Google Tensor G2; Display: 6.1in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 128GB; Camera: 64MP, 13MP (ultrawide); Operating system: Android 14
5. Motorola Moto G13: Unbeatable value
Price when reviewed: £150 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… stylish design and great battery life
- Not so great for… low-res display and so-so camera
The biggest draw of the Motorola Moto G13 is that it doesn’t look like a phone whose price barely crosses into triple figures. The flat edges and sleek back both look and feel premium, and the 6.5in display, while only a 720p panel, hits a decent maximum brightness and refreshes at a smooth 90Hz. Performance is above-average for this price range, and the battery life is particularly impressive, lasting for nearly 20 hours in our tests. If you’re looking to get the most value for money, the Moto G13 can’t be beaten.
Read our full Motorola Moto G13 review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2GHz Mediatek Helio G85; Display: 6.5in 1,600 x 720; Storage: 128GB; Camera: 50MP, 2MP (macro), 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 13
6. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11: Best value Android
Price when reviewed: £129 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… excellent screen and reasonable price
- Not so great for… mediocre performance and cameras
You might not have heard of Xiaomi before, but its cut-throat Android smartphones have been quietly gaining traction over the last few years. This successful record doesn’t carry fully across to the Redmi Note 11 – the inconsistent performance and so-so cameras led us to recommend the more expensive Pro 5G version instead – but the competitive price and excellent screen make this one worth considering. While not class-leading, the battery life is also very good, and should easily manage a full day of use.
Read our full Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 680; Display: 6.43in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 128GB; Camera: 50MP, 8MP (ultrawide), 2MP (macro), 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 11
7. Motorola Moto G62: Best 5G phone for kids
Price when reviewed: £71 | Check price at Amazon
<ul
- Great for… 5G connectivity and solid performance on a budget
- Not so great for… limited display and storage capacity
If you live in an area with decent 5G coverage and you want your child to have the best download speeds possible, Motorola’s Moto G62 is our current favourite budget 5G phone. As well as being one of the most affordable ways to get 5G connectivity, the Moto G62 also benefits from decent performance, a solid camera array and a battery that lasted over 20 hours in testing. The display is only an IPS panel, so doesn’t quite match the vibrancy of OLED technology, but it’s still nicely colour-accurate and gets bright enough for use in direct sunlight.
Read our full Motorola Moto G62 review
Key specs – Processor: Octa-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus; Display: 6.5in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 128GB; Camera: 50MP, 8MP (ultrawide), 2MP (macro); Operating system: Android 12
8. iPhone SE 3 (2022): Best new iPhone for kids
Price when reviewed: From £379 | Check price at John Lewis
- Great for… excellent performance and decent camera
- Not so great for… small display and poor battery life
While the renewed iPhone 11 above should be good enough for younger children, older kids may prefer something a little newer, which brings us to the iPhone SE 3 (2022). Don’t let the old-school design fool you; beneath the classic exterior, the SE 3 runs on the same flagship A15 Bionic processor used in the more expensive iPhone 13 series, pumping out performance that’s pretty much unrivalled at this price point. There’s only one camera on the back, but it’s a decent unit, producing detailed images with a great balance of colour and exposure.
Read our full iPhone SE 3 (2022) review
Key specs – Processor: Hexa-core 3.22GHz Apple A15 Bionic; Display: 4.7in 1,334 x 750; Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB; Camera: 12MP; Operating system: iOS 15.4
It doesn’t really matter how old you are, it’s pretty easy to pile up a huge bill without realising. We’ve found that the simplest way to keep track of costs is with a pay-as-you-go tariff, instead of a contract phone.
However, if you’re keen to get your teenager on a contract, then make sure you pick one that caps the amount of data they use. The best ones we found currently on the market are from Tesco Mobile, iD Mobile and BT Mobile. Hopefully, you won’t get a shock of a massive bill from your teenager’s Snapchat antics.
You don’t need an expensive phone
Disregard what your child is doubtless telling you and listen instead to a team of experts who test dozens of phones a year – you don’t need to spend hundreds of pounds on the latest smartphone. Most budget phones these days do the job quite well, and there are some excellent phone picks that you might not have considered. You’d be surprised at what you can get from the low end of the spectrum, and your bank balance would likely appreciate it, too.
What are your child’s phone requirements?
Of course, much of your buying decision depends on what your child will be using the phone for. Are they hoping to get snap-happy and make their first leap onto social media, or is it only being used as a phone for emergency purposes when walking to/from school? Whatever the requirement, we’ve added the very best in our list above.
