AT&T is going for a first. The carrier giant is now the first and only wireless provider in the US to have launched a dedicated smartphone for kids, designed by both kids and parents.
The phone’s name is a mouthful. You ready? AT&T amiGO Jr. Phone. We’ll just go with amiGo Jr. for this article.
The carrier giant says that 40 percent of its customer base are parents, and the fact that it is “customer obsessed” (AT&T’s words, not mine) is what prompted it to design a smartphone to keep parents connected and kids protected.
“AT&T is the first and only wireless provider to deliver a kid-friendly smartphone to give parents more choice and control when they decide to make the big decision to give their kids a smartphone device,” wrote the carrier giant.
Now, do you really need to buy the amiGo Jr. to give your child their first phone? Not really. Any old Android device with relevant parental controls turned on will perform just fine. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the amiGo Jr. is a bad deal, especially considering the negligible price the carrier giant is charging for it.
The amiGO Jr. is just a Galaxy A16
Credit:Â AT&T
If it wasn’t already evident from the image above, AT&T developed the smartphone in collaboration with Samsung. It even has the Samsung logo on the rear, as seen in the image above. Although not explicitly mentioned, this appears to just be a Galaxy A16 5G with AT&T’s proprietary ‘amiGO app’ pre-installed, with the latter bearing the brunt of all the parental controls.
For reference, the amiGo Jr. boasts a 6.7-inch super AMOLED display, a 50MP main camera, 25W fast charging, and 5G compatibility — all specs that match the Galaxy A16 5G. If amiGo Jr. is indeed the A16 5G, it should also be IP54 dust protected and water-resistant, which should offer a much-needed safety net for kids.
The app offers features like screentime, app, and setting management, complete with location sharing, safe zones, schedules to limit usage during school hours, and more. Basically, parental features that Family Link already offers.
Regardless, AT&T is making it remarkably easy to say yes to the new kid-friendly device. AT&T is only asking for $2.99/mo (after monthly bill credits) for the device. You, of course, will still need to continue paying for an AT&T plan.
