Ask your 16 year old please if he is BU

[HerderofDragons]

16 year old DS needs a new (to him it will be a refurbished decent second hand) phone. This apparantly has to be a iphone as a Samsung is, I quote, "social suicide" and that "just about every 16 year old in the UK would agree".

I am deliberately leaving out vital details like who is paying (though it is fair to say neither he nor I are rolling in cash) to get a pure opinion poll on his statement please. Obviously he clearly is being VU but if you have a 16 year can you ask them if they think he is BU please?
Is he being unreasonable?

My daughter hated the Samsung because of the shit camera.
That is the reason she tells me that girls like their phones.
I love my Samsung and would have brand loyalty at this stage as I am used to them and am a bit of an old fart.

Mine is 17 and ditched iPhone for Samsung when he was 13.

Surely you choose the item that suits you best? Why would it be important to not have the same as other people? What a strange way to make decisions.

I think who pays is imporant OP. His money? He can buy what he likes. Your money? You buy what will do the job.

Never paid more than 150 for refurbished "as new" iPhone.
Personally I love a Samsung but I get why the kids prefer iPhone....there are practical aspects that work both ways. Iphone has apps/features that only work well with other iphones.

My lot have Samsungs - but mainly because I pay and I can't afford iPhones, and they know better than to complain. My youngest has a Motorola, but it's shit so will switch next upgrade.

I switched from iPhone to Samsung and have no problems with it. I thought I'd hate it as had had iPhones for years, but it's fine, and loads cheaper. Mumsnet app on Android is shit though (don't think teens will care about that!)

17 year old has a Samsung S something, 15 year old has a Google Pixel, they both say nobody cares what brand your phone is.

7 to 10 years if you had a budget of 100-150 now?

Anyway, my point was I'd have a budget to cover a functional smartphone that would see him to the end of sixth form, and if he can get the phone he wants for that, then great!

Mine has always had an iPhone. They had an iPad at school from Y5, and he is apple all he way since. He has always had refurbed phones, but they are still v expensive. Most of his friends used to get their parents' old phones, but DH and I are both Android.

you can get a case with the ape logo for the samsung...

tbh all the smart phones are a bit much of a muchness.

I'm a Samsung fan. Having iPods and using iTunes in the 00s put me off ever having an iPhone. But DDs and their mates mostly have iPhones, and DH prefers them. I have a choice at work and always get a Samsung. I did have an iPhone as my work phone for a year but jumped back to Samsung asap.

God your nephew sounds thoroughly nasty and rather insecure.

It’s not a “burn”, you’re just making your relatives look like arseholes on the internet.

I never even considered using the app. Website works great on Samsung.

I don't know what phone DS1 has - he bought it refurbed off eBay 3 years ago and we pay the contract. I know he bought a new (to him) one when he couldn't put the Uber app on the previous one.

DS (nearly 15) has my old iPhone X and doesn't really care what he has as he just wants to have a decent phone. His friends have a mix of their parents' old phone - do a mix of Samsung and iPhone. It doesn't seem to matter what you have more what you use it for (which games, apps etc).

You have a very smart nephew

Mine have Samsung A somethings. They are younger teens and I use parental controls from mine which is also Android DS briefly had an old iPhone but I couldn't check and limit usage etc so when he broke it he didn't get another. The school I teach in has a real mixture.

My teens have got refurbished iPhones off Amazon ( paid max £140 ) and then a cheap sim only deal £6 per month.

Well you’re not wrong there. In many ways it is stupid. (Although there’s also some great creativity in actual fashion.)

But I’m already a weirdo in many other ways. Sometimes it’s just nice to know you have the right trainers.

Two of my late teens have Chinese phones that they really like, they really dislike Apple, one has an iPhone but it’s just an ancient one - he has no interest in phones at all. Maybe there’s less peer pressure where we are, it’s very rural and life is quite pragmatic for most.

13 and 15 yr olds, both techy, both say iPhone would be last on their list. They have Samsung now, they say majority of their friends have Samsung too but 15 yr old is monitoring the spec progress of the Google pixel phones, as recommended by my 19 yr old nephew who is doing a Computer Science degree so very into tech.

My DS17 would rather have an IPhone.

As your DS is the one that will be using it (and not you), why not get him the make he likes and is comfortable with.

All his mates are likely to have an IPhone, and they do like to all fit in at that age.

15yo male and 18yo female here. Both have Samsungs. None of their mates are bothered which phones anyone else has from the point of view of commenting about it, but most happen to have Samsungs because the general thinking is that Apple are crap. There certainly isn't any 'social pariah ' about having a different make phone these days in their school/college

My teens have iPhones.

My 16 yr old needed a new phone last year he's had a Samsung for years but requested an iPhone. I have an iPhone so I was happy to get him one.
Not sure what would have happened if I'd said no.