Recommendations for a first smartphone for my wife

[JohnS305]

My wife will be eligible for her Verizon upgrade at the end of this month and she'll be getting her first smartphone. She's pretty much left the decision up to me because she's not very tech savvy and just wants a good phone. I've narrowed it down to the Moto x (2014), Galaxy S5 and LG G3. Price is a factor and Verizon has the Moto for free right now on contract and Best Buy has the G3 for $1. I'm a Moto person myself, I have a Droid Turbo, so I lean towards the Moto X but the battery concerns me. The G3 seems huge with the 5.5 inch screen and she originally wanted a smaller phone. And being she's not tech savvy and won't be a heavy user I don't think if she'll ever utilize all the features of the S5 and that is the most expensive of the three right now.

Again, I'm leaning towards the Moto X, and since she probably won't be a heavy user the battery might be fine for her but it still concerns me cause if it is a problem I'll hear about it lol . Any input that would help me make the decision would be appreciated.

 

[neonworm]

Get the Moto, have her try it out for a bit. If she doesn't like the battery life, exchange it for the G3. I agree with you, since she is not tech savvy, she wouldn't be able to utilize all of the features on the Galaxy S5. Good luck

 

[Rukbat]

The fact that the Moto X battery isn't field-replaceable immediately eliminates it from any consideration for a phone I'd be buying. I won't buy a phone with a potential bomb inside that I can't get out fast. And when the battery goes, it's about $80 plus labor for a $10 battery. (She also won't be swapping the battery in the middle of the day when it gets down to 40%, so she'll be getting a lot less lifetime out of a battery.)

The S5 is a good phone, as is the G3. My wife's first smartphone, coming from a small LG feature phone, was the Note 3, and she's been happy with it for over a year (and, due to a stroke, her non-dominant hand - the one she'd normally hold the phone with - isn't useful for much more than just resting the phone on her palm). You get used to a larger phone. As for not using all the features, until my wife got the Note 3, all a phone had to do, according to her, was receive and make calls. Now it's her laptop on the go. Texting, a family-shared calendar app, games, Skype, Facebook, watching TV - oh, and an occasional phone call. She uses the phone about 8 hours a day (we're retired and I do most of the housework because of her stroke).

Whichever phone she gets, teach her to use the Play Store, so she can find what she needs or wants in apps. There are probably a LOT of non-tech apps she'll find useful or interesting. And give her a link to this site in case she has any questions, and you want a vacation from your "phone teacher" job.

 

[codeda]

Then Android will probably only confuse her and she will probably never use 99% of the options Android offers users (while you do pay for them). So the iPhone was made for your wife.

I hate when people say this. Android isn't that confusing. My 3 year old niece can pick up my phone and tablet and use them and we got my 68 year old mom a moto G and she figured it out with a little help. She doesn't even own a computer.

With that said either way would be fine. I sort of say go with the moto x even with the battery. I suggested the moto x to my best friend last year (first gen) and a year later she loves it more than ever. The thing even has a cracked screen and she just put a screen protector on it so she could still use it. I also like the g3. Good luck with whatever you chose!

 

[Rukbat]

I hate when people say this. Android isn't that confusing. My 3 year old niece can pick up my phone and tablet and use them and we got my 68 year old mom a moto G and she figured it out with a little help. She doesn't even own a computer.

Android gives you the option to get almost as complicated as you want (a rooted Linux OS is pretty complicated), but it's an option. You also have the option of making it even simpler than an iPhone to use.

An iPhone gives you a phone with very few options. If it's a little too complicated, or just not complicated enough, that's too bad.

 

[Haalcyon]

Has your wife given any indication about size? Is she wanting a smallish phone or a bigger one? I think an S5 might be an all around winner and accessories are everywhere (she may begin to care about that).

 

[LeoRex]

X, G3, S5, all will be great phones. Will she take a lot of pictures? If so, get the G3.... Otherwise, is say go with the Moto X.

 

[JohnS305]

Has your wife given any indication about size? Is she wanting a smallish phone or a bigger one? I think an S5 might be an all around winner and accessories are everywhere (she may begin to care about that).

Originally she said she wanted a small phone but I told her when she gets a smartphone she'll probably appreciate the bigger screen because she'll do more with it than on the basic phone. The G3 seems too big at 5.5 inches but the X and S5 would be good.

 

[briannamarie91]

Go with the lg g3! It feels great in the hands. I'm a girl with small hands, the screen is amazing and the phone does not feel big. I had an s4 and s5 wasn't impressed . I'm also not a moto girl but the g3 is flawless in my opinion best Android I have ever had hands down. Camera is great, feels so light and perfect in the hand, removable battery, expandable storage, amazing display, even if she doesn't use it right now she may grow to be a tech freak like us also you can play with the lg g3 too lol

 

[Haalcyon]

Originally she said she wanted a small phone but I told her when she gets a smartphone she'll probably appreciate the bigger screen because she'll do more with it than on the basic phone. The G3 seems too big at 5.5 inches but the X and S5 would be good.

I auditioned the Galaxy Alpha. That's a nice phone to. Very snappy and it's only 4.7".

 

[zynigma]

Go with the G3. Moto x isn't a bad phone, but still. And the S5 seems a bit much for new comer, as you mentioned.

 

[mickeycoding]

I'm with Haalcyon on this. Ask your wife what she wants in a phone. The device physical and software appearance probably matters. Show her some of the features of a smartphone with what you have and let her get comfortable with it. Once she has a rough idea of it's many features and how it'll fit her lifestyle, bring her to look at the physical device.

The phone is going to stick with her for a while. The appereance will somewhat reflect on the user. If your wife isn't comfortable (or worse, ashame) of the phone you pick, you might be making another post soon. The things that come to my mind are, the phone's color, shape, size, weight, and design (it's physical design & layout, curve, etc.). Se wouldn't let you pick her shoes would she? (Unless you're a fashion guru...)

 

[Andrei Serban]

All smartphones listed by you are big. Yes they are great, fast, reliable etc. but will your wife love it? I don't know but if she said she wants a smaller smartphone then S4 mini is the best choice imho. This is coming from a guy that the only reason he switched to smartphones was because the job demanded it. If i have to choose between S5, Moto X or G3 i would choose S4 mini (currently i have an S3 min). It just feels solid, it's smaller, cheaper,easier when it comes to weight then the competition and i guarantee your wife will be fully satisfied by it.

 

[DJantel Ware]

Regarding the size: People coming form "not so smart"phones often tend to say they want a smaller one. So did my wife. But after I got my S3 she saw how much better a bigger screen is, her current phone is a Note 3 ^^. Turns out women can have even bigger phones because they have it in their purse anyway (given they use purses and their hands can hold the device comfortably). I would not use phones in this size because they would not fit into my pockets.

 

[JohnS305]

Regarding the size: People coming form "not so smart"phones often tend to say they want a smaller one. So did my wife. But after I got my S3 she saw how much better a bigger screen is, her current phone is a Note 3 ^^. Turns out women can have even bigger phones because they have it in their purse anyway (given they use purses and their hands can hold the device comfortably). I would not use phones in this size because they would not fit into my pockets.

That was me two years ago. My first smartphone I wanted something small so I went with the Razr M. It was a great phone but once I started to really use it I wished it had a bigger display. She will have the final say and if she really wants something smaller that would be fine but I have pretty much convinced her that she won't regret going larger.

 

[JohnS305]

Well we ended up going with the G3. Best Buy had it for $1 with a contract so we couldn't really go wrong. She checked it out and really liked it. It seems like a really good phone, some features I actually like better than my Turbo. When I compared the size it's really no bigger than the S5 or the Turbo.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Well we ended up going with the G3. Best Buy had it for $1 with a contract so we couldn't really go wrong. She checked it out and really liked it. It seems like a really good phone, some features I actually like better than my Turbo. When I compared the size it's really no bigger than the S5 or the Turbo.

And I was just going to suggest she goes in with you to play with live devices. It's one thing to be like, I really want <random device> but something completely different to actually hold it and see how the display is.

The G3 I have seen, and I really like the color clarity, and sharpness for such a small screen footprint. I honestly think LG has set the bar for future devices.

On a side note, I take it you have set the phone to connect with Google servers to back up contacts and pictures?

 

[MinhJWaterman]

Get the Moto, have her try it out for a bit. If she doesn't like the battery life, exchange it for the G3. I agree with you, since she is not tech savvy, she wouldn't be able to utilize all of the features on the Galaxy S5. Good luck

Yeah, I think that would be great. Try this one.

 

[JuhnyJohn]

I've also heard that Moto X is a very good phone to begin. Many people recommend it. I think you can try

 

[throssel]

I would personally get her the Moto X because of the simplicity of stock Android. It just makes the whole process of learning a smartphone easier when there's not Samsung's or LG's UI and features all up in your face.

Posted via Samsung Galaxy S5