Smartphone recommendations please for elderly mother?

[Pinotpleasure]

My widowed mum is in her 80s and still has her landline (which is expensive) and a very basic mobile phone (with large buttons) from which she makes most of her phone calls and to send text messages.

Virgin was in her area (she lives 180 miles from me) and she allowed them to install a cable box but has no interest in going online and just watches the Freeview channels on her TV. We were going to buy her a basic tablet but the model most suited to her needs is being withdrawn and will soon stop being supported.

My mum loves it when my brother calls in to see her and then he contacts me (and/or my sisters) on WhatsApp; she loves being able to see us on a video call.

I’m happy to pay outright for a basic Smartphone for her, primarily so she can call her family with WhatsApp video. She would never want to do banking on her phone, watch videos or listen to music via her phone. I think the only App she would want is WhatsApp or Messenger.

She says she keeps getting text messages from Tesco suggesting that she upgrades her phone.

Can anyone recommend an easy to use phone suitable for her needs? I’ve looked at the Tesco mobile site but it gives scant information tbh. Thank you.

No recommendations as such but I would say avoid Doro. I bought my mum the Doro Smart phone that was marketed to seniors and it was hopeless. Even my teenager struggled with it!

Mine only uses hers for texts, whatsapp, email, taking photos and a bit of web browsing. We decided to get her an Iphone SE, I know apple aren't the cheapest but we are an entirely apple family and it means I can talk her through any problems over the phone by looking at the settings on mine, we can use imessage, airdrop, I found it very easy to set up for her etc. You can get them secondhand at reasonable cost.

I just bought my mum one and boy is it a struggle I'd forgotten how hard the move to smartphone is. The Doro has avery strange systems lay out and won't help if they need to use anything else so we were talked out of it

I pad mini, she can face time, call on WhatsApp, big enough to see

What about taking her into a Tesco's. To have a look. They always have a nice selection, without it being overwhelming.

What does she have atm? I agree an apple SE could be perfect, so easy to set up, and then hide all the stuff she wouldn't use?

I recently set up a new Smartphone account for a friend who is 101. The device he chose was a Xiaomi RedMi Note 10 5G (arranged through Vodafone). He managed that very well. Everyone's abilities and needs differ though, so a trip to Tescos with your mum as a PP suggested might be a good idea..

Hope this is helpful.

Avoid the Artphone too if they do a smart version.

I bought the basic one for DM and it's a nightmare to use and even harder to set up for those of us used to the simplicity of modern phones. I had to find a Youtube video to even open the thing to put the sim in!

Seconding the point about getting her something similar to your own as it's easier to debug problems.
OTOH the fact most of my rellies are Apple (and I'm not) gives me plausible deniability and an "out" from all that (I will give things a go but it's all from first principles!)