Cheap smart phone deals for 10 year old

[Jaaxe]

Hi all, budget for Christmas is tight, kids are just getting one main present and a stocking. My eldest has had to wait till 10 for a phone but I would like to get her a cheap smart one for Christmas that isn’t going to cost the earth but will do her for what she needs till she goes high school. Obviously she doesn’t need it for much but does want to start walking home herself from school in summer so I’d prefer she has one I can contact her on this short walk if needed. I always have iPhones so don’t have a clue on other makes anymore and what is good for the price. Anyone recommend one suitable for a 10 year old and any deals on anywhere? Thabks

I think that if you always have iPhones then I'd consider sticking with what you know and Buy her an iPhone too. We bought ds a reconditioned one from giffgaff. It was in good condition and didn't cost too much (got him an older model) also got a bit of a warranty so better than just buying off eBay. We then bought a sim on the same network as us and pay £7.99 a month for unlimited calls and texts and 8gb of data.

Another vote for giff gaff refurbished-iPhone 7 or even later should be reasonable. Their basic ‘goodie bag’ is £10 with free calls and text and, I think, 12gb of data.

I would go pay as you go as honestly she might not really use it (although as you said its great for emergancies if shes out alone, if they ever remember to take it with them lol).

My DS got his first phone at 8 which was 6 years ago and he has barely ever used it, him and his friend all chat 'online' using the PC or games consoles and his phone has been religated to 'fancy alarm clock' lol.

If you ask 100 different people they will give you a dozen different answers on 'best phone'... as someone who knows nothing about phones I would say Iphone and Samsung seem the most popular brands.

We got a pay as you go Samsung Galaxy one (I forget which model, not the latest one though). It was under £50, worked fine, and was mainly used in the house on WiFi like a mini tablet, but have a little bit of credit for ringing us in an emergency.

My DD has a contract phone with three which is linked to my phone so I have to approve any apps and things. She has an Xiaomi redmi 9at and loves it.

A basic Xiaomi or Motorola, possibly refurb and a £5 per month Lebara Deal. £5/month gets 5GB data plus unlimited calls and texts.

I love my Xiaomi.

Definitely stick with iPhone seeing as it’s what you know - a refurbed older model with a 1pmobile.com sim should do the trick, e.g. £5 a month or even classic 1p per minute, 1p per text, 1p per mb.