MiniWishy will be going to big school next year and in preparartion will start to walk home from school after Christmas. He'll be getting a mobile phone as part of this arrangement. If it was entirely up to me it would be one of these, if it was entirely up to him it would be one of these. Some form of compromise is obviously required but seeing as I'll be footing the bill it will be closer to my ideal than his.

Budget £50~100 for the phone, £10/month for PAYG/capped contract. Nothing too big and would need to be touch screen because touch screens are apparantly "cool" and anything that doesn't have one isn't.
Purpose from our side will be to enable us to keep in touch, from his side it will be caning the data allowance with puerile games and youTube.

What do you recommend, from where and what contract arrangement?

A quick look has found the likes of this which I've seen at £50 sim free and Sainsburys Mobile do a sim deal which gives 300mins, unlimited texts and 500Mb/30 days for £10.

I recently bought a cubot x6 and the iPhone people seem really surprised by it! They do quite a few others might be worth a look.Not sure how cool they are though?

The cool factor would be fine and I've heard good things about them but they're too big.

My 12-year-old stepson had other people's hand-me-down phones (and quite right too, in my opinion, etc, etc).
His first phone of his own choosing was a Motorola Moto G.
Pretty unanimously the best value phone for the money on review websites and I can't fault it.
Not sure it helps with the cool factor, but my 83-year-old Mum has one and loves it too...

What about a secondhand iPhone 3GS, or is that phone too old for him? Can be bought for less than £100 now.

What's the 3 network like around your area? I've just had my iPhone unlocked from the 02 network and am think of getting one of 3's sim only contracts next month.
They do one for 12 months for £7 a month with 200 minutes, 500Mb data and unlimited texts, although not sure if these can be capped.

I had the same discussion with my son when he went to high school and got him a Huawei Android smartphone on PAYG - very good value.

There are some pretty good, relatively inexpensive smartphones around. As long as your lad shows he can be trusted with a smartphone as opposed to a basic phone, it might be a better investment, as he will probably look after it a bit better than something he resents and only carries because you make him! Having said that, I've lost count of the number of phones my kids/stepkids have lost and/or broken - generally through not thinking.

I have the Huawei Ascend that my mum ditched for her Motorola and I don't think it's as good a phone as the Moto G. I was hoping to compare it with the Cubot S208 that my elder stepson got for his birthday in September, but unsurprisingly, he has already trashed it by putting it in the back pocket of his jeans and sitting down. I don't think that is a reflection on the phone though...!

There are also cheaper own-brand smartphones from Vodafone (Smart 4 turbo, £65 on PAYG) and others (EE Kestrel) that I think are probably rebadged Chinese phones. My stepdaughter got one to replace (another) lost phone a few months ago and has hung on to it, so it can't be that bad.

Lots of choice out there...

3 do cap contracts well they certainly did a couple of years ago!
if Miniwishy is the average kid (would depend on the phones capabilities too) 500mb wont last long you may be better getting a sim only deal

3 seems to be the best value at the moment but thats upto you, what you are willing to spend each month

My eldest daughter dropped her first phone,an old first generation touch screen samsung just weeks after receiving it, breaking the screen, that cost £50!
My youngest had hers stolen from her school requiring a replacement!

I personally would not spend much on a handset just now, get him a cheap one with the promise of getting a better one if he can look after it keep it undamaged and actually answer it when you call him!

My kids hardly answer their phones straight away! perhaps girls are different having them in handbags etc. but as we all have iphones of some description we are all on find my friends so we can see where they are! i imagine android do something similar but i have no idea

You can get some good second hand bargains on ebay if you are savvy my daughter got a brand new iphone 5c 16gb for £270 in april and there was a place selling unlocked brand new in peterborough (on ebay)iphone 5s c etc for around £300-£350
But thats a lot for a first phone

My tuppence worth anyway

Best of luck

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Hadn't thought of that as an option and neither has he so it's not happening for various reasons that I won't go into lest this become an Apple Fanboys vs haters thread.

Never used them but poor according their coverage map. Shame as I like the idea of paying £7/month instead of £10.

This is pretty much the exact reason why are looking at smart phones and not one of these.

and this is the reason that the budget won't be over £100 and closer to £50 if possible.

Saw some decent looking Huawei options in the shops, I'll have a look at them further but being a bit of shallow brand slave (I'd better rein myself in before I get started on Apple...) he'd probably be happier with something from a more recognised brand such as Samsung or Motorola. Not a deal breaker though as originally we started looking at Cubots with him.

500Mb of data should be more than plenty, it will just be used over WiFi at home. If he can't initially manage with that as a limit then he'll learn.

Fully agree, hence the budget.

Really can't fault the Motorola. The 3G version should come in under £100, but if you can talk him into a cheaper one, please PM me with your technique!

Is that what this is? If so then certainly does come in budget.

My intended technique is more like giving him a free choice between a pre-decided list of options than talking him into it.

One that you can put tracking software on this is hidden on i phones so teens can't find it.

EE kestrel also looks OK, in budget and has a front facing camera which the Moto E doesn't (much as getting him anything that would enable that narcissistic display of vanity for the modern vacuous yoof that is the selfie makes me want to pull out my tongue and strangle myself with it) and I think he'd like that feature.

I haven't seen a Moto G for less than £100.

To be honest, any smartphone, whatever he may say, will be better than none. Be prepared for incessant, incredibly irritating tones for text, BBM, Facebook updates, etc...

Tesco Mobile do the Moto G (8GB) on a 24 month contract for £10 a month. No upfront cost. Gives you 250 minutes, 5000 texts and 500MB of data. Contract can be capped too.

I got one for my lad when he started to walk to and from school. Brilliant phone.

Moto G

That looks like the leader so far.

Simple rule in my house when Little Ms RK was still living with us. No tones, and text to be sent from outside any room I was in (apart from her's obviously). The clicking of pre-touch screen keys used to drive me nuts.

What are Samsung Galaxy S3 Minis going for these days in the UK? Here, they are a good compromise between price, ability and adequate street cred. There is an easy supply of parts and accessories, and the glass is easy to replace should it get broken. I replaced the one on my daughter's phone for 6 EUR and 50 mins.

They are not far off £100 now, MrsWishy has one.

Be very quick!
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/phones/...G_s3mini_281114

£49.99 if you can upgrade

How about lumia phones?
Very capable and generally very quick and swift to use.
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/phones/...nokia530_281114

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/phones/...nokia635_281114

I'll ask him which he prefers reagrding Android or Windows Phone. I swapped from Android to a WP Lumia last year and he has an Android tablet so he knows what both look like alhtough he's more familiar with Android.

His first reaction asking him what he wanted the phone for was apps so Android it is.

Thanks for all the suggestions, decision made, Santa is wrapping up a Moto-G as I type.

A very fine gift. I hope he likes it and keeps it safe!

Good choice

I only wish I'd seen this thread earlier. I have a rather nice pre-owned Motorola Razr v3i.

You can't beat them.

Just look at this!

PM me if you realize your mistake!