When it comes to smartphones for seniors, both Chatsie and Doro are popular choices. Of course, we at Chatsie think we’ve cracked inventing the simplest smartphone on the market, ideal for seniors, the differently abled or anyone seeking the easiest access to tech. However Doro is a formidable player:
Doro has plenty of feature phones (non internet powered phones) which is very desirable for a lot of older users. Their buttons are both familiar and in some ways the most user friendly for calling.
They also have options at a lower price points and other adjacent products like doorbells and alarms.
They are an established company, which certainly has its benefits, but we at Chatsie are hungry and ready to build a different type of experience…
Chatsie: At Chatsie we believe that everyone should have access to technology through mobile and internet connectivity. For senior citizens, it is integral to living the best life possible while aging. We also realise that it’s not always an easy path to get there.
Every customer opening a Chatsie box comes with different smartphone habits and understanding. We understand that the transition to a new device often requires support, and so Chatsie customer service is there to support from the off. Our team of specialists are available by phone in 9am - 5pm Mon- Fri, and by email outside this.
This means support doesn’t need to come from relatives, friends, carers or support networks. Reducing the pressure on them, as well as any help guilt from the end user.
Doro: As with almost all other providers , they do not provide tailored customer support. They are a huge and established company, meaning customer support is largely outsourced.
Chatsie: Chatsie phones are built on some of the latest hardware. This makes sure that the phone is fast (6GB RAM) and reacts exactly when you need it to.
You might say - for this audience - why is that important?
Well, when it comes to everyday technology, the last thing we want is to find our devices frustrating. Without a powerful phone over time, the less responsive it is, the less trust in the device.
Further, we have a high quality 50 megapixel camera and 256GB of storage so our users can capture high-quality photos of their loved ones and precious moments while also enjoying ample storage space for them (as well as apps and documents).
Speakers, bluetooth, wifi and 5G connectivity also aid in the end experience being the best it can be.
Our device starts at £299 just for the handset.
Doro: By comparison, Doro phones come with a 16 MP camera, 64GB of storage with 4GB of RAM. This costs £269.99.
Chatsie:
Another usual frustration when getting a new smartphone is installing the SIM and sorting out the mobile network contract. Chatsie have teamed up with Honest Mobile to offer unlimited UK texts, calls and 4GB of data included in each of our Chatsie subscriptions.
This means if you have any issues or changes, it is only one point of contact (Chatsie) who you have to deal with. This includes helping through the transferring of numbers and adding data, international phone usage support etc etc.
Doro: Doro phones do not come with a SIM card. Users must purchase one separately from a provider, which adds an extra step to the setup process.
Chatsie:
Other pain points for traditional phones, may be the saving of core contacts, adding apps and general set-up of the phone. This process can take time, and often someone else may help.
We’ve made it much easier. Once the phone arrives, you can (with their permission) log-in over the internet to save apps, and contacts on behalf of the user.
You can also help troubleshoot by screenstreaming. After receiving a code, you can stream the Chatsie phone screen, showing you exactly what they see. This makes it much easier to communicate what is happening on their phone!
Doro: Doro phones do not offer any remote setup features. Users must manage the setup themselves or rely on in-person assistance.
Chatsie:
Chatsie’s menu recognises that image and icon recognition can be one of the hardest parts of using a smartphone for those less familiar with them. Therefore, we’ve chosen to make our menus text-focused, describing exactly what action happens from the interaction. So if you want to save a number, you just tap a button which reads “Save a number”.
Further, we make it easy to add shortcuts for our customers’ most used numbers and apps. This means they are only 1 tap away. This means you can save emergency contacts to be 1 tap away too for piece of mind.
For accessibility, we have designed with eyesight and mobility issues in mind, with tap sensitivity and very very large font sizes ready to go. All the key options are on one simple, scrollable page, and you can always hit “Menu” to go return there. You can even tell us in advance if you would like any settings preset.
Finally, we have designed the phone to slow down the process of changing settings to prevent unplanned amendments to the phones’ functions. This all helps to avoid users making accidental changes to the phone which might cause them to mistrust the technology.
Doro: Doro phones have an icon grid menu which is closer in style a conventional Iphone or Android phone but with clearer, larger image-based icons and design. They also have an SOS button and a lot of configurability and customisation which the users manage themselves.
Chatsie:
This all means that a Chatsie phone is ready to use right out the box!
We have very large booklet style instructions that go through all the core use cases too, and actively encourage the customer to call our customer service to help with questions they have.
We’ll even pre-download apps and preset the accessibility settings depending on the customer needs.
