Apple

you can use https://www.plug.tech/ for cheap iphones, these are literally brand new condition with no noticable scratches.

Highly recommend, I have bought 3 iPhones from there. I got iPhone 11 for my kids and it works greats and supports all the latest apps.

Get a new 15, best and latest.

I’m 36 years old and I’m not even buying the 15 for myself! 12-14 is more than enough!

I’d go for the 13 Pro, 14 Pro or 15 Pro. I’d argue most kids use their phones more than adults, and they’re most likely to use the cameras to the full extent. I shot many short films and vlogs throughout my high school career. And an iPhone is also a perfect accesible entry-point to photography — both in terms of cost and ease of use. While sure, you can save some money with a non-pro model or an even older model, I feel like these three newer generations offer the best camera systems. For a child, I think that invitation to explore is worth the extra buck. And even if they don’t get into photography and videography, they’re not going to have this much energy and free time ever again. A good camera to capture and record these moments is priceless in my opinion.

All that said, my opinion is biased as someone who did media throughout school, is still a hobbyist photographer, and has 58,000+ items in my Photos library.

Get the iPhone SE 2nd gen , great phone for a kid and has great performance and camera

I was messing with them the other day in the store and there actually really nice and feel great in hand because of the size

And there a lot cheaper

I’d suggest just a 2020 or 23 SE or older iPhone. Don’t buy top of the line no matter how careful he is it’s a liability. Not to mention having a good phone makes a kid a target for bullies who will steal or break it.

The 14 has some nice safety features such as crash detection that automatically calls emergency services if he is in a collision that you may want. Otherwise it’s pretty much the same phone as a 13 and either will do.

My 14 year old has an iPhone 11 and it does him just fine.

You can get an iPhone 11 for free if you go to metro by Tmobile

I would suggest an iPhone 14 (not pro) since the back glass is easy replaceable on that model and you can get it for a decent price nowadays

I would definitely go for a 13 or 15 for non-pro, and 14 Pro and above for Pro

15 years old with a smartphone has been proven time and time again to be a bad move but it’s ur kid and I’m sure I know if he can handle having a smartphone at all so if u get him an iPhone go with one that will be able to get the next run of iOS updates and save ur money. If he is responsible, maybe upgrade

Older is ok. He’s 14 he doesn’t need the newest. I just wouldn’t get him an SE, go at least 13 or 14. They will be supported for years to come with the A15 chip

An iPhone 12 or 11 will serve him well. If you want to go above and beyond a 12 or 13 pro max is about as high as I would go

If he’s going to take care of it and you know he works hard then yeah get him a newer one.

If he’s reckless and careless. Get him an older one or hand me down one.

Go for the best deal on the highest model, meaning take advantage of any “add a line” deal. We grabbed an iPhone 13 Mini for ours.

13 mini.

Could have gotten an iPhone SE for less than $100 with plan activation from Walmart’s Straight Talk for the Black Friday deal since the beginning of the month. Great beginner phone without spending too much.

i have an iphone 12 and it still feels like a new phone. iphones are super great for longevity, so theres rarely ever a point in getting the newest one. the 14 and 15 aren’t different enough to warrant the price difference rn. iphones are kinda hitting a ceiling where the newest version is never really that different from the last one. in a lot of ways, my iphone 12 gives me mostly the same experience of having the newest phone and i really don’t plan on upgrading for a while because iphones take a long time to become heavily obsolete

Stick with the 14, they are cheaper and work great. There really isn’t a huge difference between the 14 and 15

I’ve had a 12 mini since launch… it’s still amazing and receiving all the updates :) so a 12 or 13 should be perfect. It’s not too old and not insanely expensive anymore

14 years old? Give him an SE2 and he can enjoy that until he’s 18

Save your money and get him an iPhone 12 or 13. They can easily last him 4 years.

Get an older one and for your son, I imagine a plus model might be the right choice.

Just be sure to get a good case and turn on find my friends with him…I am pushing 40 and have lost my phone and had friends and family lose theirs and find my friends got it found every time

Check for carrier offers, Verizon for instance you could have a 15 for free with a new line

Highly recommend the 13 -- great model and a more economical option especially considering his age... check into AppleCare+ as well.

Depends on how long he plans on keeping it before upgrading.

If hes 14 years old getting an iphone hes very lucky. Im 19 rn and got my first phone when i was entering highschool. I personally would get him an iphone x or 8 plus to see if he can handle being responsible with a phone in the first place. And at your discretion you can decide wether you want to upgrade or not.

Anything down to the xr is supported with iOS 17 now even after that support ends the older models still get security updates for years to come so they are still useful for a few years after but I would go with a 12-15

because your kid has has crappy androids with USB-C ports, don’t get him an iPhone with a lightning port and get the base iPhone 15.

13 and higher. The battery life improvement from 12 to 13 was massive

Get him an iPhone 15 plus he will never stop thanking you

If you are with T-Mobile get a 13. Good deal on those right now and it’s a great phone.

If you can afford it, just get him the regular 15. Itll last him 3-4 years at least and he'll be old enough to work for his next iphone.

If you can afford then why not. If still an iphone but wanna save, go for ip12 pro max

Grab the 14 pro for same price as the regular 15, trade in that Samsung and get some credit towards your bills😎

He's younger than the first iPhone lol

Anything iPhone 12 and up would be perfect

I still use a 8 because of jailbreaks and the checkm8 exploit but I’d recommend a 12 or newer

Has he had any phone before the iPhone? If it’s a cheap android, any iPhone that’s on the latest iOS will do. Even a Xs or 11. If he’s had a decent android, you should probably go for a 12 or 13.

Tip from someone who’s not a parent: If he’s ungrateful, take it and use it yourself to spite him.

I think iPhone 15 would be fine.Its compact and handy. You can also consider very good alternatives like Samsung S23 or Pixel 8.But i think since iMessage thing is considered the basic texting method in your region ,do think multiple times before coming to decision

Maybe check out some refurbished ones or go to some trustworthy secondhand stores for 12/13

Go to T mobile and get a great deal on an iPhone 13.

I got a regular 12. Thats enough.

Not thrilled with my 14. Microphone picks up WAY too much background noise. And screen frame is do narrow, holding the phone causes random movements on the screen. Plus, the touch screen is do sensitive, apps start when my finger is only near the screen.

get him an ipod touch

I know I’m not in the majority, however, with the deals out there at the moment, you can get him a 15 almost free with a 36 mo contract telling him, this is it for 3 years! I got my 13 and 11 year old (at the time) iPhone 14’s and told them the same thing… all good while they probably don’t understand, and I’ll get them anything newer as long as they pay for the balance and get another 36 months… better to have the newer version and not worry about problems and have AppleCare on it cause they will break it and then let them take responsibility of upgrading

If you have the budget get iPhone 15. Kids love latest and new designed phones.

I would have got him the standard 15. Usually I recommend getting the last year’a (or before) pro over the new standard one, but in this case he’s young, probably wouldn’t feel too much of a difference there and for them having the newest model is probably more “cool” and “popular”