What's the best android phone for a teenager?

[overcookedcoffle]

My niece is turning 16 in a month. I was thinking of getting her a new phone that's suited for her age. I mean with the social media demanding quality photos and all. I just want her to have fun. I think having a nice phone is a requirement nowadays, or I can be wrong. Any thoughts?

 

[chanchan05]

Pretty much most Android phones have the same functionalities, limited only by the capacity of the hardware. This is most glaring in terms of the gaming aspect. If the photos are for social media use anyway, you don't need a really great camera because uploading to Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or whatever compresses the photo and reduces the quality anyway, so it's really not that relevant to have the top quality photos a phone can produce.
In the sense of what I mentioned, it's not as much as "age appropriate" as rather, how much are you willing to a spend for a phone to be given to a teenager?

 

[fredphoesh]

My niece is turning 16 in a month. I was thinking of getting her a new phone that's suited for her age. I mean with the social media demanding quality photos and all. I just want her to have fun. I think having a nice phone is a requirement nowadays, or I can be wrong. Any thoughts?

Xiaomi mi a1 is SUPERB value.

 

[overcookedcoffle]

Pretty much most Android phones have the same functionalities, limited only by the capacity of the hardware. This is most glaring in terms of the gaming aspect. If the photos are for social media use anyway, you don't need a really great camera because uploading to Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or whatever compresses the photo and reduces the quality anyway, so it's really not that relevant to have the top quality photos a phone can produce.
In the sense of what I mentioned, it's not as much as "age appropriate" as rather, how much are you willing to a spend for a phone to be given to a teenager?

I see. If camera doesn't matter, how come some photos look professionally taken? Actually, I have no idea. As long as it's of good quality. Sometimes, getting cheap on stuff like this could turn out to be a waste of money instead. I was thinking of getting a quality phone already. By the way, thanks for your response.

 

[overcookedcoffle]

Xiaomi mi a1 is SUPERB value.

Yey, thanks, i'll check this.

 

[belodion]

Try to find out first whether teenagers regard it as preferable to have an iPhone. If they do, the iPhone SE is relatively inexpensive right now, including the 128gb version....in the UK, at least.

 

[chanchan05]

I see. If camera doesn't matter, how come some photos look professionally taken? Actually, I have no idea. As long as it's of good quality. Sometimes, getting cheap on stuff like this could turn out to be a waste of money instead. I was thinking of getting a quality phone already. By the way, thanks for your response.

Some photos look professionally taken because the photographer had skills. A professional photographer with a decent smartphone can take better photos than a newbie with a DSLR. All he needs is access to manual controls for iso, shutter speed, white balance, etc. But you need to know how to use them in the first place.

If you want your teen to learn to take great photos, it's better to learn to use an actual camera.

Also, not all photos you see on social media are taken by phones. I know professional photographers and their posts on social media are from pictures using professional cameras.

 

[overcookedcoffle]

Thanks. That's really useful information. I want my niece to have a great time and take her mind off some bullies from school. She's dealing with a lot lately. I hate bullying. Not sure if buying her a phone will help, but I hope it will. She has a nice smile, and I haven't seen it in a while. Would love to see it again. Anyhow, thanks for your response. I know this may be TMI, but thanks for your time.