Is the Sunbeam F1 a good first phone for a kid?

Yes — it’s designed for exactly that. No model has social media or a web browser, and the lineup is tiered: you can buy a bare calls-and-SMS model for a younger kid and step up to one with a camera, music, or maps as they grow. The key is picking the right model, since features are largely set by which one you buy.

Does the Sunbeam F1 have internet?

No model has a web browser or social media. Higher-tier models add Waze navigation and, on a couple (Eagle, Bluebird), a Wi-Fi hotspot — minor connected features — while the basic models do only calls and SMS. None offer general web browsing, which is the point.

What’s the difference between the Sunbeam models?

The current F1 Horizon line is sold as a range of bird-named models tiered by features. The most basic (Swan, Chickadee, Blue Jay, Lark) do only calls and SMS; mid-tier models add a camera or music; and the top models (Eagle, Bluebird, Dove, Falcon) add maps and Waze, with a Wi-Fi hotspot on a couple. They share the same core idea — a family flip phone with no social media or browser — but differ a lot in features, so choose the model to match what you want.

Sunbeam F1 – WISE Score & Parent Review

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Screenwise Verdict

The Sunbeam F1 is built for the exact moment a lot of families dread: your fifth grader needs to be reachable, but you’re not ready to hand over the open internet. It’s a modern flip phone — USB-C, strong haptics — sold as a tiered lineup (the F1 Horizon series) of bird-named models that all leave out social media and the browser entirely.

What makes it a family phone is that you choose the model to match the kid: the most basic (Swan, Chickadee, Blue Jay) do only calls and SMS; mid-tier models add a camera or music; and the top models (Eagle, Bluebird, Dove) add maps and Waze navigation, with a Wi-Fi hotspot on a couple, so an older kid can find their way without the device becoming a portal to everything. Buy the tier that fits — features are largely set by the model, not toggled in software, so a cheaper model genuinely does less.

The flip form factor does real work here — it’s harder to compulsively check something you have to open, and it signals "this is a phone for calling people," not a pocket computer. For a first phone in the 8–12 range, it’s one of the most sensible options going. The watch-outs are minor: on the higher tiers a hotspot and navigation are small escape hatches for a savvy older kid, and like all of these it’s a real purchase plus a plan.

Age Fit

Squarely aimed at the first-phone years — pre-teens and younger teens — where a kid needs to be reachable and a little independent but isn’t ready for the open internet. Because features are set by model, you can buy a bare calls-and-texts model (Swan, Chickadee) for an 8-year-old and step up to one with maps or music as they grow. Adults who want a no-nonsense flip use it too.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

91

A family phone designed from the ground up to cut social media and browsing while keeping a kid genuinely reachable. The flip form factor adds friction, texting keeps it social in a healthy way, and the whole thing is pitched as a deliberate first phone rather than a hand-me-down smartphone. Good-hearted by design.

Imaginative

73

A flip phone with no feed protects a kid’s downtime — there’s nothing to fall into, so attention goes back to the room. On models that include a camera, there’s a little room for self-expression. As phones go, it sits on the healthy side of the imagination ledger.

Safe

91

Built for kids and genuinely safe for a first phone: no social media and no web browser on any model, and you pick the tier — from calls-and-SMS-only up to maps and a hotspot — to match how much you want a kid to have. The most basic models are maximally locked; the top models add navigation and (on a couple) a Wi-Fi hotspot, minor escape hatches a savvy older kid might lean on. Either way it’s among the safer first devices here, as long as you buy the tier that fits.

Enriching

70

Calls, picture messaging, navigation, and music make it a real, useful phone that supports a kid’s growing independence — getting around, staying reachable, managing a little freedom. It doesn’t teach a subject, but learning to handle a phone responsibly is part of the point.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

A genuine first phone for the 8–12 years: calls and texts (and, on some models, a camera) without social media or a browser.
A tiered lineup — pick a bare calls-and-SMS model or step up to one with a camera, music, or maps — so it grows with the kid rather than being all-or-nothing.
The flip form factor adds friction and signals "this is for calling," not endless scrolling.
Higher-tier models keep useful modern features — camera, music, USB-C, and Waze navigation — without opening the internet.
Durable and built for daily kid use, with a range of models (the F1 Horizon series) tuned to different needs.

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What to Watch For

Features vary a lot by model — buy the tier that matches what you want, since the basic models are calls and SMS only while the top ones add maps and a hotspot.
It’s a flip phone, so texting is slower and group chats with media-heavy friends feel limited.
A real purchase plus a carrier plan — budget for both.
On models with a camera, that’s a camera in a kid’s pocket; worth a conversation about what’s okay to send.

Conversation Starters

"What do you actually need a phone for right now — and what can wait a few years?"
"Why do you think a flip phone makes it harder to get sucked in than a touchscreen?"
"If you could turn on one more feature when you’re older, which would you pick and why?"

What Parents Ask

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