The IMO Q2 Pro Budget Smart Phone For Kids!

When buying my older kids their first smartphone I wanted something that would do the job of allowing them to phone me when out and about and allowing them to have a little freedom with their friends. I wanted something budget and we ended up spending around £170 on each of them. It’s a big outlay and yet there didn’t seem to be any cheaper alternatives on the market. For that money they got a pretty good standard of Android smartphone with decent memory and a mediocre camera. The look and feel of their phones is similar to my much higher end mobile phone and they can use all the apps to stay in touch with friends that they want to. I’m happy with them but at £170 a pop they weren’t cheap!

I’ve just been sent the IMO Q2 Pro budget smartphone which is sold by EE (but should work on other networks) and costs a staggeringly low £39.99. A big difference in price but what’s the difference for use?

Well, to be honest it’s definitely a lower end item to the feel, saying that, it’s lightweight and easy to hold. The screen isn’t much smaller than other, more expensive, models but there’s something a little flimsy about the plastic. Despite that it feels like an older style phone and as if you were to drop it, unlike my expensive number, it feels as if it might stay well in tact. This, for kids, is obviously a plus. The back comes off and it has a separate battery just like phones of old too and again, for kids, I think this is rather a good idea. Only replacing a battery rather than a whole phone if something goes wrong is inviting!

With a 4 inch touch screen it is a little smaller than we are used to now but it does the job, albeit slightly more clunkily. You have to be precise but that’s to be expected and looking at the screen on an angle is difficult; it is a little more basic than more expensive phones as you would expect.

The resolution is good when looking at the phone without it being at an angle and the camera, though not amazing, is good enough and set up is easy with on screen step by step instructions. Much like any other phone you need a Google account and you’re off. The storage space isn’t wild at 1gb, download a few apps and it’s done but with a micro SD card (not too pricy to purchase) you can gain more memory thus freeing up some space for photographs etc.

The camera is pretty basic but it does the job. Selfies and videos, as well as a slow mo function and panorama as well as a pro and burst option. The photos are fine, not amazing but fine.

Basically, many apps is going to zap the storage and there will be certain apps that will require more to function but emails and WhatsApp are absolutely fine and this is what’s good for my children. They have some home work sent by emails and Teams and also it’s all about WhatsApp with their mates. Logging into Wifi is exactly the same as any other device so that makes things simple.

The main thing my kids wanted to know was could they download and use TikTok and SnapChat. the answer is yes of course and if you delete the pictures that auto save from WhatsApp or turn the auto save function off then it doesn’t use too much space! You can watch YouTube and do everything any other phone would do. It’s not a showstopper with their pals like the iPhone 10 would be but it does the job, keeps them in touch and really what more do they need?!

The main thing I wanted to know was can I track them on Google maps as I can with their current, more expensive phones and can my daughter down load her bus card to it to show the driver in the mornings? The answer to those ones is also a yes, of course. For me I see no problem with kids having phones. I remember putting pictures of my kids on my blog 10 years ago and people criticising me saying when they were older they may not like it. The fact of the matter is, as I knew it would be then, they have their own social media and put themselves on line and it’s a way of life for them. They see no issues with that at all just as I forecast, and when people now say that my kids are too young for a phone, I have to say get in the real world! Not only would they be well left behind but as a safety measure they are invaluable! I can literally see them walking home from school, the bus, the park. I want them to have some freedom to be able to do those things but this allows me to be able to know they are safe. It’s worth its weight!

Overall we think it’s pretty good, a pretty good alternative to an expensive phone and great for kids though not specifically designed for them. This means there aren’t specific parental controls in place and you will have to use Family Link to make sure they aren’t accessing things that you don’t want them to.

Great price tag with a good enough camera for a child and a long lasting battery (all day use without running out of data is fine) and for a first phone it’s a winner. Be careful with the apps and that storage running out but it’s definitely offering more than you’re paying for here. We have been impressed!

I was gifted the IMO Q2 Pro for review.