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Market study · other manufacturers' senior phones

Simple on the box, not always simple in the hand

We aggregated 3,323 public customer ratings of other manufacturers' senior phones in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States, and read the forum threads where relatives describe what happened when they bought a simpler phone for someone close to them. Many are happy with it. But almost one in five gave 1 or 2 out of 5 — and among those buying for a person with memory loss or reduced hand function, the same five things come back again and again.

This is a market study of other manufacturers' phones. It contains no reviews of CallByFace, and we do not single out any brand in the text — the sources are linked in full.

The phone is right there. The question is what happens during the ten seconds it rings.

3,323

public customer ratings of senior phones, aggregated by us

3

countries: Sweden, the Netherlands and the US

20

public sources: ratings, forums, columns, research

20

sources, all linked in full

What we looked at

This is not our own study and we do not rank products. We aggregated what is already public: seven public rating breakdowns for senior phones at retailers and review platforms in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States — 3,323 customer ratings in total — plus Swedish forum threads where relatives ask for advice, the equivalent English-language threads in dementia, caregiver and support forums, two editorial columns, and one research study on why assistive devices get abandoned. Twenty sources in total.

Every quote below is reproduced verbatim, with the first name or username already published on the source page. We have not corrected spelling or wording. Swedish quotes are shown in translation and marked as such. The only change we make is replacing brand and model names with [brand] and [model]. Each quote links to its source.

We do not single out any manufacturer or model in the text, though every source is linked in full. That is not the point — the pattern is the same across brands, and it is about a design idea rather than any one product.

What the ratings show

The average is 4.0 out of 5. Almost one in five buyers gave 1 or 2.

We aggregated seven public rating breakdowns for senior phones across three countries: a Swedish electronics chain (eleven models), a Dutch retailer (three models) and three US rating pages at a large electronics chain and an independent review platform. 3,323 customer ratings in total. The average lands at 4.0 out of 5 — but the average is the wrong measure here. A phone bought so that someone else can manage on their own has to work all the way, every time. 1,501 of 3,323 buyers gave something other than full marks, and 584 of them gave 1 or 2.

How 3,323 ratings break down

  • 5 of 51822
  • 4 of 5652
  • 3 of 5265
  • 2 of 5147
  • 1 of 5437

3,323 customer ratings from seven public rating breakdowns in three countries, average 4.0 out of 5

18%

gave 1 or 2 out of 5 (584 of 3,323)

gave 3 out of 5 or lower (849 of 3,323)
26%
gave something other than 5 out of 5 (1,501 of 3,323)
45%

Read on 5 August 2026 from each source's own public rating breakdown, written by buyers and in several cases verified by the retailer or an independent review service. The selection is every senior phone page we found with a public rating breakdown and at least thirty ratings. All seven breakdowns we read are included — none was dropped after the fact. Totals and shares are calculated by us from those same breakdowns, so the arithmetic can be checked. Shares are rounded to whole percent. We do not single out individual models or brands in the text, but every source is linked.

The more it looks like a smartphone, the worse it goes

The more it looks like a smartphone, the worse it goes
All seven rating breakdowns combined3,323 ratings18% gave 1–2
Flip senior phone, US review platform1,245 ratings25% gave 1–2
Senior smartphone, US review platform1,007 ratings20% gave 1–2
The same senior smartphone at a US electronics chain444 ratings10% gave 1–2
Eleven models at a Swedish electronics chain350 ratings7.4% gave 1–2
Three models at a Dutch retailer277 ratings1.4% gave 1–2

The very low ratings are not spread evenly. They cluster around the phones meant to be a simplified smartphone with a screen and menus, and around the markets where the rating is most often written by a relative who bought the phone for someone else. There, one in five to one in four gave 1 or 2. The plain keypad phones get fewer low ratings — but that is no proof that they solve the problem. Even in the mildest source, more than half of buyers gave something other than full marks (53% at the Dutch retailer). A four out of five with the comment "confusing menu" is still a problem, and it lands on the relative.

Beyond the reviews

The pattern has been documented for a long time

Two numbers that are not ours, and that put the ratings and the quotes in context. The second one is about Sweden; the rest of this page is international.

29%

of the devices in a widely cited 1993 study of 227 adult users had been abandoned completely. Abandonment peaked during the first year — and one of the four factors linked to it was that the user's own needs and opinions were left out when the device was chosen.

Study: Phillips & Zhao, Predictors of Assistive Technology Abandonment, Assistive Technology 5(1), 1993

Five things that keep coming back

The numbers above come from seven rating breakdowns. The quotes below come from the written reviews in those same sources plus forum threads in Sweden, the UK and the US, sorted by what actually went wrong. Almost none of it was about call quality, battery life or price. It was about the first ten seconds with the phone in hand.

The quotes below are individual users' own words from public review pages. They are not our assessment of any product, and they are not representative of everyone who uses the phones reviewed.

1

The menus are still there — there are just fewer of them

A simpler phone removes apps and features but keeps the underlying idea: you are somewhere, you need to get somewhere else, and you have to remember how. For a person with memory loss, that is precisely the step that no longer works.

“Thought it would be easy to use for my elderly mother but it is far too hard to handle in the menus etc. Illogical menus”
Carlverified buyer, 1/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“The operating system, an Android that is supposed to be simplified, makes both operating and programming it harder because you don't recognise anything in the menus and can't find where to change things, or whether the setting even exists.”
Bengtverified buyer, 2/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“My dad has dementia and he still has a smartphone. It is extremely hard for him to use and I don't know what the best solution is.”
Forum memberdementia forum, 2026Source
“I got one of those [brand] phones made for seniors, but one can quickly tell a bunch of 20+ year olds designed the software and didn't have seniors beta test it.”
Relativecaregiver forum (US)Source
“For example, to make a phone call mom has to click 5 times through menu options. These are the steps Click Contacts, select name, select phone number, then click place phone call and then must click on the Speaker button to be able to hear.”
Donnareview, US review platformSource
2

Answering is still a small target against a clock

Answering requires finding the right area and making the right movement before the ringing stops. With reduced fine motor control or a slower reaction, there isn't enough time — and the phone feels broken even though it works.

“Hard to handle. Wrong to describe as a good phone for the elderly! Doesn't answer when pressed. Very slow. Don't sell any more!!”
Kerstinverified buyer, 2/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“Small navigation buttons, slow processor”
Perverified buyer, 2/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“recently when she answers the phone she somehow is hitting the silence button on the side off the phone so that the phone is no longer rings”
harlleecaregiver forum, 2024Source
“sometimes there is a notification popup that is hard for her to clear. Also when looking for a contact if something is entered into the search field by mistake she does not know how to backspace to clear it out.”
brad4cellforum threadSource
“My 92 yo mom has long since ceased to be able to use her 'smart phone'. She cannot answer it, most days, and she can only call 'out' on numbers that are listed as contacts.”
Relativecaregiver forum (US)Source
“Now, my father owns this phone, we pay for [brand] service, AND HE CANNOT EVEN CALL 911 OR ANSWER A CALL because this phone goes into devil mode.”
Sherryreview, US review platformSource
3

Slowness gets read as personal failure

When the screen answers half a second late, you press again. And again. For someone already unsure about technology, the conclusion is rarely that the phone is slow — it is that they can't manage it. Worth saying plainly: when a phone demands a fingerprint, a code or a fast swipe and then locks itself, it is the phone's requirements that could not be met. Nobody failed.

“Hi, I find it very difficult. I'm disappointed, I can't manage it.”
Lailaverified buyer, 3/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“Sometimes she couldn't answer because the screen had frozen somehow; other times I had to use the neighbour's phone to talk her through restarting it because it gave no response at all.”
Columnist, tech magazinecolumn about a parent's phone — translated from SwedishSource
“It was in permanent security lockout mode. My mother had failed 10 times to access the phone with her fingerprint or a pass code.”
Reported accountfeature article, 2026Source
4

The relative sets everything up — and gets stuck

The phone is sold to a senior but is almost always configured by an adult child, often remotely. If the settings are hard to find, the whole solution stops there.

“I was going to "upgrade" to 4G and this was my third 4G phone. They say they make simple phones for seniors. My 3G [brand] was considerably simpler than these three.”
Tommyverified buyer, 3/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“I am 1,000 miles away and programming these things with her is nearly impossible.”
Question askercaregiver forumSource
“What often happened was that they'd hold a thumb on the screen and try to type at the same time = nothing worked.”
Vänsterbackenforum thread, 2025 — translated from SwedishSource
“My husband and I also could not figure out how to stop the insane mode that made the phone COMPLETELY NON-USABLE. We went to [retailer] and it took the tech at least 10 minutes to figure out how to get the phone back to usable mode.”
Sherryreview, US review platformSource
5

The phone ends up in a drawer

The clearest pattern is also the quietest. The phone is returned, replaced or simply left unused — and the person is still just as hard to reach.

“I have returned it.”
Bengtverified buyer, 2/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“We tried switching to an old-fashioned button phone, but that was completely wrong and worked even worse.”
JojjeMthread starter, 2025 — translated from SwedishSource
“My experience is that a 'simpler' smartphone with a screen won't work well, or for long.”
Vänsterbackenforum thread, 2025 — translated from SwedishSource
“She has had a smart phone for three years now, but is forgetting how to use it and charge it.”
Original postercaregiver forum (US)Source
“She is 99 years old and needs an EASY to maneuver device. Well- we gave up on the [brand] and now use the [model].”
Carolreview, US review platform, August 2024Source
“Whoever redesigned this phone did not do so with their demographic in mind. We couldn't be more disappointed in the [model]. It's doesn't increase my mom's independence at all.”
SarahAromasreview, US review platform, May 2025Source

And the buyers who were happy

The picture is not one-sided, and it shouldn't be. Many buyers are satisfied — especially those buying for someone who still handles technology without difficulty, or who just needs bigger buttons and better sound. The criticism comes almost entirely from people buying for someone with cognitive or motor impairment.

“Easy to make calls with, maybe a bit more fiddly to learn to type text messages, but that skill carried over from the old phone.”
Larsverified buyer, 4/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“Good home phone for when the children are left alone briefly so they can call if something happens.”
Rolfverified buyer, 5/5 — translated from SwedishSource
“A relative had this one and absolutely loved that phone. Problems with the hands plus poor hearing, but zero problems both answering and hearing what people said.”
weldionforum thread, 2025 — translated from SwedishSource

What we concluded

The problem is not that these phones are badly made. The problem is that "simpler" almost always means fewer choices inside the same structure — fewer menus, less text, bigger buttons. But the structure itself is what demands memory, and it is still there.

  • No contact list to scroll. Six faces sit directly on the screen.
  • No swipe. An incoming call is answered by pressing anywhere on the photo.
  • No settings on the phone. You set it up, and the screen is locked afterwards.
  • No new phone to learn. CallByFace locks down the Android that is already at home.

See what the screen looks like

Two screens, no menus. Take a minute and look at how it actually works.

How it worksOrder CallByFace

Method and sources

All quotes come from publicly available pages and are reproduced verbatim. Swedish-language quotes are left in the original and are not translated by us. We reference the sources rather than republishing them in full. We do not single out manufacturers or models in the text, make no claims about the quality of any individual product and rank nothing. The rating distributions are read from each source's own public summary in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States, and aggregated by us. Sources were read on 5 August 2026. We name no manufacturer in the text, but the source links point to the original pages, so the address may reveal which product a quote refers to — we weigh traceability higher than full anonymisation.

How the quotes were selected

  • We started from the five source pages listed alongside and read their public reviews in full — not a selection found by searching for negative words.
  • Quotes were chosen because they describe a recurring obstacle in how the phone is used, not because they were the most negative ones we found.
  • The page reports the complete rating distribution from each source, including the positive ratings, so the share of satisfied users is visible.
  • A separate section reproduces positive reviews from the same sources, so the picture is not one-sided.
  • We have not edited, shortened or merged quotes in a way that changes their meaning.

How we handle the quotes

  • Quotes are short extracts from already published texts, reproduced with attribution under the right of quotation in the Swedish Copyright Act (22 §).
  • We use only the first name or username already published on the source page. We add no personal data.
  • We do not single out manufacturers, models or retailers in the text, and we do not compare products against each other. The sources themselves are linked in full.
  • We draw no conclusions about the quality of any individual product. This page is about a recurring pattern in how phones are designed.
  • Are you the author of a quote and want it removed? Post in the forum and we will take it down.

Objections and removal

Are you a manufacturer, retailer or source and believe something on this page is inaccurate, misleading or should be removed? Post in our forum. We reply and correct or remove the content without requiring a justification, normally within five working days.

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