I'm on the hunt for a music player for my 11-year-old son who absolutely loves listening to music. Right now, he uses my noise-canceling headphones and has playlists set up on my Apple Music account. We plan to get him his own noise-canceling headphones for Christmas and want to pair that with a music-playing device. An iPod would have been ideal, but they seem to be a thing of the past. He wouldn't use a phone like most kids his age, so I'm not too worried about him accessing inappropriate content. However, it feels excessive to get him a phone just for music. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
If he’s already set up with playlists on Apple Music, it might be worth sticking with that ecosystem so you don’t have to redo everything. A refurbished iPod Touch could work as a phone alternative without being fully a phone. Check out places like Elite Obsolete Electronics; they usually have good deals, but shop around for better prices.
Consider a refurbished iPhone SE. It’s a handy device and can be restricted so he can't access anything inappropriate.
How about picking him up an Android phone? I know you mentioned a phone seems overkill, but you can find decent Android phones at pretty affordable prices. They're also more portable than iPads, so he can easily carry it around.
That's a great idea! Do you have any particular models in mind? And are the music apps like YouTube Music compatible with them?
Have you thought about getting a pre-loved iPad mini? It's compact and great for music without being too overwhelming.
That’s a solid suggestion! I'm a bit worried about buying a second-hand iPod without any support, though. I’ll check some UK sites for used options—thank you!