Many people have different opinions on the best smartphone., just like which device is the best cell phone for seniors. The Easyfone Prime A1 is one of the many options available today. It has an SOS big button, is hearing aids compatible, easy setup process, color front display, speed dial capabilities, a classic flip-phone design, and also comes with a charging dock (red and black versions have the same charger).
Why We Like It – Easyfone Prime A1
The Easyfone Prime A1 is an easy to use basic cell phone that can easily be activated with a prepaid sim card. This unlocked senior flip cell can run on the AT&T network or other GSM networks, offers big buttons, displays in a big font, and is also hearing aid compatible.
- Can Be Charged Via USB or the Included Cradle Charger
- Long Battery Life
- External Color Screen
- Doesn’t Work On CDMA Networks
- SOS Button Can Be Easily Activated By Accident
Overall Performance
As this phone is fairly expensive when compared to similar senior flip cell phone options, you’d expect a solid performance from this device. Thankfully, the Prime A1 doesn’t disappoint! It offers high-quality phone calls, allows you to listen to FM radio, and can even take (low-quality) pictures. This phone won’t be great if you’re trying to text though, because even simple phrases can take a while to type because the A1 lacks T9. If you intend to text or browse the web, you would be better off with a more modern option like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus.
Battery Life
Powered by an 800 mAh lithium-ion battery, you can expect a decent battery life from this device (at least initially). While the initial battery life seems to be up to 10 hours, multiple customers have reported the performance dropping severely after only a short time. On the plus side, you can get spare batteries for these cell phones, but it’s still something to consider, and a major drawback for a phone at this price point. If you do get this phone, we would recommend purchasing backup batteries as well.
Display
Unlike the Nokia 3310 TA-1036, this phone has two displays: the main display and an external screen. The main screen is a 2.4” color display; the external display is also a color display! The external screen won’t show you a lot of information, but it displays the important things (calls, reminders, time, and date). It doesn’t seem to be a widespread issue, but multiple users have reported the external display failing after a couple of months, so that’s something to consider.
Durability
For the most part, this phone is fairly durable. You won’t have to worry about infrequent drops or cracking the case during normal use. Apparently, the only problem this phone suffers from is screen failure (on the external display). Beyond that, you shouldn’t have any issues. One thing we really like is the addition of the charging dock. If you get dirt in your USB port and are having trouble charging the phone, you can use the charging dock instead!
Value
This phone is a nice device, but frankly, at $64.99 it’s overpriced (for a cheaper option check out the BLU JOY Cell Phone). Fortunately, that price includes both free shipping and returns so you won’t have to pay extra for that. There is a protection plan available for an additional $13.99, but unless you’re extremely hard on your devices we probably wouldn’t recommend purchasing it. Customer reception was fairly mixed for this product, as it only scored 3.5 out of 5 (based on 2,376 Amazon ratings). Once you want to upgrade to a smartphone, you can get the Moto G Power that offers a decent performance at a nice price.
Easyfone Prime A1 Wrap Up
Overall, you get a decent amount of features on this flip cell phone: big button, hearing aid compatibility, FM radio, a flashlight, and even a charging dock. That said, we don’t think it’s worth the $64.99 asking price, but if the price was a little lower it would be a worthwhile device.
