So many people buy their parents or grandparents a fancy new smartphone only to find them highly reluctant to use it. Instead of being delighted with the gifted gadget, they talk about the nice Nokia phones they once used. Well, there still are feature phones around, but even those are partly smart and not necessarily senior-citizen friendly.

A company that’s set out to make various products for the elderly, SeniorWorld, has a few phones especially for the ‘beloved senior’ in the family. One of these is the Easyfone Grand, a little white feature phone with big buttons and large numbers made for easy visibility. It looks quite nice, with its matte-finish plastic back and a small screen on top of white chiclet-sized buttons. The keys are however glossy and extra plastic-y making them a bit slippery under the fingers. They’re also not soft-press, hence not as friendly as they look. Navigation keys sit on top of the keypad in much the same style as has been typical for feature phones, as are the keys to receive and reject calls.

On the back, a sliding panel hides the 1050 mAh battery that can be removed, if one needs to. The phone comes with a charging cradle included. That’s plugged into power, and all that has to be done is to drop the device in for a charge. In fact, it can be an easily visible resting place for the phone as well.

The Grand is supposed to have extra loud sound. Our unit was loud enough but not exceptionally. Don’t expect anything fancy from this device since it isn’t really a smartphone. It speaks out numbers as they’re key pressed when dialling, and has a dedicated SOS button. It has an awful camera, which may as well not be there and is also a Dual SIM, though why a senior who hardly uses a phone should need that is not clear. It also has a feature called Touch Care, which allows a message to go off to a family member. For connectivity, the phone relies on Bluetooth and 2G, so no email, browsing, etc, here. It’s all about keeping it simple.

Price: ₹3,999

Pros: Large numbers, nice charging cradle, generous extras in box

Cons: Poor build, terrible camera, needlessly dual SIM, doesn’t have too much over other feature phones

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