Buy Emporia phones
Are you looking for an Emporia phone? This Austrian brand has been making phones for years that do one thing well: stay simple. Large keys, a clear menu, and a dedicated emergency call button are standard here, rather than a cluttered home screen. Below you’ll find the selection, with the current prices from participating carriers listed next to each model. We don’t sell anything ourselves and don’t earn more from one device than another. Use the filters to choose between a keypad phone, a flip phone, and a simple smartphone.
What should you look for in an emporia phone?
Start with the type. emporia offers two product lines side by side: phones with physical keys and Android smartphones with a highly simplified home screen. Within the keypad line, you can also choose between a classic bar-style model and a flip phone. That choice determines virtually everything else, from how you operate the phone to what you can do with it.
Keypad, flip, or touchscreen
You can make calls and send messages with a keypad phone. That’s all it does, and that’s a deliberate choice, not a shortcoming. If you also want to share photos, do online banking, or use DigiD, you’ll need a smartphone.
- Keypad phone: tactile keys, long battery life, few settings, and virtually no chance of accidentally touching something
- Flip phone: closing it ends the call, the screen is protected, and you won’t accidentally make a call from your coat pocket
- Basic smartphone: touchscreen with large icons; includes apps and internet access, but requires more explanation
The emergency button
Most emporia models have a separate emergency call button, usually on the back. That button calls the contacts you’ve preset yourself—not the emergency number. On smartphones, you can also set that same button as a shortcut to another function. Compile the list together with the person who will be using the phone and let the selected contacts know they’re on the list, because an emergency button that dials an unreachable number doesn’t help anyone.
Network: Can the device still make calls?
Check whether the model supports 4G and can also make calls over 4G, which is listed as VoLTE in the specifications. Older networks are being phased out in the Netherlands, so devices that only make calls via 2G or 3G will lose that capability as soon as such a network goes offline. If you’re considering a used or older model, this is the first thing you should check.
Usability, sound, and display
Pay attention to the features that affect daily use: how loud the ringtone can get, how large the text can be displayed, and whether the phone can send sound directly to a hearing aid. On newer models, this is done via the ASHA protocol, but it varies by device, so be sure to check the specifications. Note: “Compatibility with a hearing aid” is not the same as direct sound transmission.
Battery and Battery Life
A basic phone lasts longer than the average smartphone, simply because it runs fewer applications. With some smartphones, you can also replace the battery yourself, which significantly extends the device’s lifespan; check this for each model. With a smartphone, it’s not just the battery that determines how long it lasts, but also how long the device receives security updates.
Who is Emporia intended for?
The brand targets seniors, but its audience is broader than that. Anyone who wants to stay connected without notifications, apps, and distractions will find a suitable device here. Be honest, though, about what the user needs: a keypad phone isn’t too complicated for anyone, but it also cuts you off from everything the rest of the world now relies on, from package delivery to banking. So be sure to compare the options with the broader overviews of phones for seniors and dumbphones.
