How to Pick a Cell Phone for a Teenager

(748 Words)
The time has come to get your teenager a cell phone. You will find many different options, with a number of features and at different price points. There is no one that will be right for everyone, thus you will need to take a variety of factors into account. These include the following.
First choose the service
Before you pick a particular cell phone, you may be best picking a plan since that is the monthly cost that is likely to have the most impact on your wallet. In general the family plans are the best deals for a group. You may simply add a line to the plan that you already have. Once you have chosen the plan, you can consider the cell phones that are available for that carrier.
Some parents will choose a prepaid plan for their teenager. Although this can be more expensive per minute, they want to know that their child cannot suddenly rack up a huge bill.
Consider the features that your teenager wants
Cell phones have many different features. Of course many of them are also smart phones, which allow one to surf the Internet. The IPhone is extremely popular, and your teenager may want to have one to be “like all of the other kids.” They may like some of the apps that you can buy from them or from a phone on the android network like the Samsung Moment. They may want a phone that can act like a hot spot and let them tether their laptops such as the HTC Evo. They may want a phone with dual cameras so that they can have a video chat with their friends. Many teenagers also like cameras on their phones. They may want a virtual or a physical keyboard. They may want a quality speakerphone. Talk to your teenager about the features he or she wants. Of course some parents specifically do not want certain features such as if they do not want their teenager to be able to surf the Internet.
Consider price
Of course, price is a large consideration for many parents. They simply cannot afford to get their teenager a $300 cell phone. Many otherwise extremely expensive phones can be purchased for very little or even nothing when you sign up for a plan. Some cell phones do not cost more themselves but they may cost more to use such as if you get one on a 4G network instead of a 3G. Think about the price you can afford.
Consider battery life
One of the main reasons you are getting your teenager a cell phone is likely for safety. You do not want his or her cell phone to die in the evening just when they need it. Of course, they could get a second battery, but many teenagers may not be good about carrying it with them or keeping it charged. Teenagers also like to talk on their cell phones a lot so they would probably prefer one with a long battery life as well.
Ask for recommendations
You probably know a lot of people with cell phones. You can ask around to find out about the cell phones that they have for themselves of their teenagers. Ask about what they like and do not like about them. You can ask about how long they lasted and how well they delivered on their promised features.
Look at reviews
There are a number of places that list reviews of different phones. You may want to consider one that is reviewed well. For instance, you can look on www.amazon.com and read reviews from users. You can look on www.consumerreports.org to look for professional reviews. You will find many other websites, which list the different phones and satisfaction of their users. Look for important items such as quality of talking and features.
Consider durability
You want to think about how durable the cell phones are. Teenagers are generally not known for being gentle with their items. It may get thrashed around in a shallow pocket, voluminous purse or messy backpack. Certain phones are more durable than others. This can be something that you can look up and ask in particular.
There is no one perfect cell phone. Many of the features above are a trade off. For instance, many of the smart phones gobble up a lot of battery life. Consider all of these issues and work with your teenager when picking out the telephone.
Sources:
http://www.squidoo.com/ateenwhoknows
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10041377-94.html