Need Advice Regarding Smartphone for Daughter

[ncridgerunner]

Planning to get my 17 year old daughter a smart phone for Christmas. It seems most of the kids that have smartphones have Razors or iphones. I love my Bionic and prefer the android phones but am not sure what would be the best phone to get for a high school senior. She is a great student but very hard on phones and cameras so a well built phone would be a plus. As with most families we want the best price as well. Any recommendations (or non-recommendations) especially from parents or students who have recently made this decision would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jackiescivic]

I think the Razr M could work. It's small(er), fast, good battery, lightweight. If you think she is going to be rough on the phone, I would recommend getting an Otterbox case and definitely look into a SquareTrade handset protection program. If you have a Costco membership, the Razr M is rumored to be the Verizon coupon item next month. More than likely, it will be priced less than the $89.99 it currently is at. Plus you get paperwork to mail in for a navigation dock and portable battery charger. We also offer a SquareTrade handset protection plan for $99.99 that covers drops and spills for your entire 2 year contract plus one battery replacement in that 2 years. Best part is, the replacement device is only $25 compared to Verizon's $100 deductible. Now if she is one to lose her phone, you'd be better off going with either Best Buy's handset protection or Verizon's through Asurion.

 

[dezymond]

What would you think she would use her phone for, other than the obvious texting and calling I'm assuming. You think she'll watch alot of videos or browsing? Maybe a bigger screen may be nicer. She'll probably need a long lasting battery (going on the assumption of the "average" 17yr old girl).

My usual advice is to check out the phones in person, but if you don't want to hint at the fact you're getting her a phone then this could be be difficult. In terms of durability, I think the Razr line would be top notch regarding that, battery life isn't too shabby either. The best screen goes to the SG3 imo with the Nexus and Rezound a close second, only downside is the sg3 is huge imo, too wide, and I got some pretty big hands. The Rezound and any other HTC device are great, but battery life is left to be desired.

Point is each phone has it's positives and negatives, but as you know the variety on Android can't be beat. The iPhone is a solid phone as well and the 4s can be had for cheap now, though considering your daughter's track record with phones and cameras, maybe the unibody iPhone 5 may be more suitable. And I HIGHLY recommend insurance, I personally don't find it worth it, but in your case it will be.

 

[mysticalmalissa]

I would suggest anything from the Razr line.
I have the Maxx and love it! It is durable enough to hold up in my purse (its scary in there) and my 5 year old. It has even been played with by one of my dogs and still looks brand new, and the battery life can't be beat.

 

[jackiescivic]

I would suggest anything from the Razr line.
I have the Maxx and love it! It is durable enough to hold up in my purse (its scary in there) and my 5 year old. It has even been played with by one of my dogs and still looks brand new, and the battery life can't be beat.

Wow Melissa, you've really given your phone the run-around! I remember my dog getting ahold of one of my Blackberry's. Got a few teeth marks in the bezel LOL

 

[TisMyDroid]

Hmm ncridgerunner, tough choice! I think the Razr's and the rezound are excellent choices. I started with the Razr Maxx and now have the Razr M. The M is as good as my Maxx and I love the size. I thought I would find a reason to want to switch back to my Maxx but so far, not at all. And the battery life on my M is as good as it was on my Maxx. If you think she would prefer something smaller, go with the M...great call reception, no dropped calls and I have yet to lose my data connection, on 3g or 4g.

My son (in college) wanted the iPhone. I had him play with my Droid Charge before finalizing his decision. He loved Android. When he went to pick out his phone, his top choices were the Razr, rezound, and nexus (the latest and greatest at that time). After lots of playing, he chose the rezound. He loves it and all his college buddies with iPhones now wish they had Android. It is a great solid phone, great signal, great call reception and his camera takes better pictures than my Razr's. I think it was the sense UI that made his decision for him.

 

[ncridgerunner]

Thanks folks for the replies. Your insight gives me a lot to think about. I've just ordered a replacement battery for her ipod and the process to replace that battery is kind of moving me away from the iphone. The Razr line seems to be the most popular in our area but I haven't had the opportunity to play with one. I believe my wife and I will check them and the rezound out at Verizon. You can bet I will get insurance and probably the Otterbox. I use the Otterbox on my Bionic but I don't think she will like the bulk. The Otterbox may have to be one of the conditions of her getting a data phone. I am certainly open to any other suggestions and input. Thanks again!

 

[TisMyDroid]

Not sure if this will seem protection enough but I use a screen protector and gel case on my phones...they seem to add minimal bulk with great protection. I have dropped my phone a couple times and it seems to add like bounce-cushion (best descriptor I can think of) protection. I always get blue but there are other colors.

With that being said, one of my sons is brutal with his phones and usually broken much too soon. When he inherited my Droid Charge, he inherited the gel case and screen protectors that went with it. I really did not think that would be enough protection for his carelessness. As recently as last week, the phone surprisingly still looks like new.

 

[ncridgerunner]

Sounds good. Thanks again.

 

[Rhino94]

I love my razr maxx. It has fallen on the ground more times than an iphone can withstand. Im also a senior in high school i think you should want another month and probably just take her there and have her pick it out and that way she won't be disappointed. That way on Christmas she can still open up presents like cases or a phone dock for the phone. Just my suggestion.