My mum needs to upgrade from a Nokia 3315 and I have no idea what to get her.

Mum has been using my Nokia 3315 from high-school for about 13-15 years now and unfortunately the phone looks like it's finally worn out. The problem is because of the way the phone market has changed there's seemingly nothing as good as the 3315 out there anymore, when you consider what she's been used to for the last 15 years (ie. a phone that works consistently for making calls and sending texts with a battery that lasts for 3 to 5 days without going flat).

She is an older woman and has zero interest in anything smartphone related. Doesn't care about emails or the internet and has no experience with any touch screen devices. The other massive factor is that she lives in the bush and has been on the same Telstra prepaid sim for the whole time. Only Telstra customers can get reception up there and only certain handsets seem to be able to find signal even then. As it's a fireprone area, whatever we get has to work there without dropping out.

Can anyone recommend a good phone for these circumstances? I've checked a bajillion reviews and nowadays good battery life is considered to be 16 hours even on low powered simple smart phones, and all the cheap old-school phones I look at seem to be really little and hard to operate, and/or seem to have sub-par network capabilities (though admittedly I have no idea what impact this will have on someone who only wants to be able to make calls and send texts).

Any help would be appreciated. It's really bizarre that in 2015 you can't really find something as good as hardy and decent as a 3315.

Comments

  • Is it an option to buy another 3315 or something similar?

    • +2

      I don't recommend doing this, as the network that that phone relies on is being shut down. (See links in my post below)

  • +1

    what about this - big text and big buttons

    https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/tel…

  • +5

    Good on your mum!

    Have a look at what Telstra offers in terms of 'basic' phones on pre-paid.

    The EasyCall 3 looks like it might fit the bill:
    Battery Capacity 1100mAh
    Talk Time Up to 240 minutes talk time
    Standby time Up to 300 hours standby
    Weight 88g
    Size 112.8mm x 50.6mm x 13.9mm

    Links on the EasyCall 3: Telstra's online shop; Manufacturer's page

    If you're really worried she'll find a completely new operating system tough to use, you could find a suitable Nokia somewhere on eBay. The operating system won't be exactly the same, but should be familiar enough. This one looks alright.

    Important: For coverage, make sure you get a handset that uses the 3G 850 MHz frequency band (Telstra used to brand this as 'Next G'). Telstra has started to shut down the old 2G network (the one that your 3315 uses), and it will be gone by the end of next year. If your mum has had the same SIM card all that time, you might also want to get Telstra to replace it (for free), as a 15-year-old SIM mightn't be compatible with 3G.

    More on the 2G shutdown: Telstra corporate site; SMH news article

    • The ZTE Easy calls are great. I had one as a backup a while ago and they're very lightweight, and have a dedicated torch button.

  • There are 3 candybar style phones in the Telstra prepaid section, all for under $100 and all with blue tick. What about one of those?

    https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/mob…

  • One phone that suits what you describe perfectly, is a Samsung that Coles and/or WW sells (I got mine at Coles). It's $30 or $40. It was my next phone after a Nokia 3310 - for a few years. I've only just now bought an Android phone. The Samsung was an easy step from the 3310 to use. Battery lasts several days if you're not turning the screen on. Text works the same. You can set it to be either predictive text, or, so you have to push the buttons multiple times until you get to the right letter.

    Only negative is - and I don't know if this is still the case because they have changed the model a couple of times since then - mine came with one 240V charger, no car charger (and it WAS very difficult to find one that suits - I never could get a 100% confirmation because the phone used some weird proprietry plug). Like I said, I don't know if this is still true, but at that price it probably is. The charger cable is very thin too - thinner than even an earphone cable. I haven't broken mine, but I can see how some people could easily break it. If you ever need a new charger for it, obviously you're better just buying another of the same phone. BUT… they may have changed all of this.

    I tried to find it online, but their site doesn't list it. Maybe they don't have it anymore, but I saw it in there only a few months ago. It will probably be network locked. So go to a store, find the model number, if it's not the same network as she uses, there's a guy on here that sells unlock codes - ask him before buying if he can unlock it: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/167230

    Just noticed WW sells an unlocked Nokia 108 for $49 too.

  • Doesn't Australia Post shop still sell those old phones?

  • The alcatel one touch from Dick Smith has large buttons, but I haven't seen it in person.
    http://www.dicksmith.com.au/unlocked-mobile-phones/alcatel-s…

    EDIT: I take that back. This phone only supports 2G and will become obsolete soon.

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