The old figure of speech that old citizenry are hopelessly ignorant when it come to technology is somewhat unwarranted . The home electronic computer rotation is decades old at this point , and smartphones have been around for over 16 class . senior may not operate their smartphones as adroitly as their grandkids , but they are n’t just sitting around pining for the days of orbitual dial phones .
Seniors necessitate iPhones , too , but they may have unparalleled pauperization . They ’re often on fixed incomes and may have difficulty reading little textual matter , suffer from arthritis , or have other availability motivation . The beneficial iPhone for seniors is one that wo n’t cost an arm and a leg and will continue to be update for at least a few years . Beyond that , we ’re fit to make two recommendations : a small iPhone for senior who regain large phones difficult to carry and manipulate , and a large iPhone for those who need with child text and image .
aright now bribe an iPhone for an older soul is a small less elementary than usual . We previously recommended the iPhone SE because it has a Home clitoris , which simplify the iPhone user interface for the less technical school - minded and is gimcrack . However , Apple discontinued the iPhone SE in February 2025 and no longer offers iPhones with Touch ID and a household release . If that ’s what you want , check third - political party retailers and see if they have any in stock .
Also note thatApple tidings featuresare only bear by Apple ’s new phones , the iPhone 16 , 16 Plus , 16 Pro , 16 Pro Max , and 16e . Apple sells the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus for $ 699 and $ 799 , respectively , but they do n’t support Apple Intelligence , so if you want those features , you necessitate to get an iPhone 16 .
We also calculate at theiPhone 16e vs iPhone 16and theiPhone 16e vs the iPhone 15to see if it ’s deserving saving money or spending more , plus you might be interested to take about thewhether to upgrade from iPhone 14 and the iPhone 16eand you might need to take the differences between theiPhone SE vs iPhone 16e . instead , read : iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 ProandiPhone 15 vs iPhone 16 .
1. Apple iPhone 16: Best for seniors
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We recommend the iPhone 16 as the top choice here primarily because it offer up a dual camera arrangement with the additional of a wide - sentiment lens system , ideal for landscapes . It also features a Camera Control button on the side , which gives easy access to photography features and may make picture taking prosperous .
The A18 processor is more than fast enough for e-mail , checking societal media apps , necessitate pictures , making FaceTime calls , and everything else a senior want an iPhone for . And it ’ll still get several years of iOS software updates and it supports Apple Intelligence , which will no doubt lead to some useful features in the future .
The iPhone 16 proffer Emergency SOS via orbiter , Crash Detection , Roadside Assistance via orbiter , and Messages via satellite , which may be a incentive for older iPhone user , but those feature are uncommitted on all mod iPhones .
confront ID might take a lilliputian getting used to if the exploiter is used to Touch ID and the Home push button , but could prove to be an easy elbow room to batten down an iPhone for those with arthritis .
2. Apple iPhone 16e: New $599 option
The iPhone 16e is Apple ’s new affordable option . Starting at $ 599/£599 , you get an iPhone with the same A18 processor as the iPhone 16 , but with few GPU cores ( 4 vs 5 ) .
It has a undivided 48MP camera , rather than the dual tv camera set up of the iPhone 16 , but as we ’ve seen on other iPhones it ’s quite undecomposed with features like Deep Fusion for better low - brightness photography . Apple call it a “ 2 - in-1 ” tv camera since its gamey - resolution photos admit it to zoom at 2X without any detectable abasement .
Apple no longer offers the habitation button and Touch ID , which was a feature of the discontinued iPhone SE . The iPhone 16e use facial expression ID , and you swipe up from the bottom of the blind to get to the Home screen . Some seniors will witness Touch ID easier to deal with than confront ID ( particularly if their old smartphone was an old iPhone ) .
The iPhone 16e is not as modest as the iPhone SE it replaced , but it is among Apple ’s small phones in the current lineup . Despite its size , battery spirit is rated by Apple to last 26 hours , which is the longest ever for a 6.1 - inch iPhone .
The iPhone 16e patronize 5 G and comes in 128 GB , 256 GB , and 512 GB electrical capacity . If you decide on the 128 GB modeling , you may opt for an iCloud subscription program if you find yourself needing additional computer storage . We ’ll update this with our full brushup but if you ca n’t wait , the iPhone 16e should be a firm option for user looking to spend a little less .
Learn more about the iPhone 16e .
3. Apple iPhone 16 Plus: Big-screen iPhone
The declamatory showing of one of the Plus - sized iPhones will bemucheasier for old oculus to see clear . Excluding the iPhone 16 Pro Max , there are two pick with a 6.7 - inch filmdom here : the iPhone 16 Plus , and iPhone 15 Plus . Again , you could save $ 100/£100 by buying the iPhone 15 Plus ( at $ 799/£799 ) alternatively of the newer iPhone 16 Plus ( at $ 899/£899 ) . This prison term we recommend drop the supernumerary money if there is a budget available because the iPhone 16 genesis is a leap before of the iPhone 15 in terms of mainframe and camera .
Another reason to select the iPhone 16 Plus : it supports Apple Intelligence . The iPhone 15 Plus does not . The Apple Intelligence features may not appeal to you now , but they turn out to be useful in the future . If you want Apple Intelligence and a great iPhone then the best option is the iPhone 16 Plus .
For more advice about accessories for your Mac , iPad or iPhone see all ourBest Picks .
Wecompare battery living , electrical capacity , mah and watt hours for every iPhoneseparately .
