Kids Device Match
1 on pre-order

New kids' phones and watches

By Jason, father of two · Facts checked October 2026

On pre-order now: Freckle Phone (Freckle says shipping starts December 2026). New devices are listed here separately because no family has used them yet. For each one we show what the maker confirms, what has only been reported in the press, and what's still unknown, and we don't rank them until they ship.

Pre-order, shipping starts December 2026

Freckle Phone

Freckle · Safe phone · $199 ($25 deposit now) · plan ~$25/mo

New, pre-order only: Freckle says shipping starts December 2026. No family has used one yet, so how it works day to day, and whether it lasts, is still unknown.

From Freckle's own pages

  • Parents turn on new features over time from the Freckle app, per Freckle
  • No ads on the phone, in the Parent App, or anywhere in Freckle's services, and children's information is never sold or used to train AI models, per Freckle's privacy policy
  • Quests and activities, a walkie-talkie, and a music player "without ads or algorithms," per Freckle

Reported by Fast Company (September 2026), not yet by Freckle

  • No web browser, app store, social media, or YouTube, per Fast Company (Freckle's own site doesn't say yet)
  • Calls and texts only with contacts parents approve, plus a location map and safe-zone alerts, per Fast Company

Still unknown

  • Freckle doesn't say yet which phones the Parent App runs on (iPhone, Android, or both)
  • Freckle doesn't say yet what writes the camera's "responses," or whether parents can turn that feature off
  • Freckle doesn't say yet whether the phone works on any plan besides Freckle Wireless
  • Freckle says its full children's privacy notice comes before activation, so what it covers isn't public yet
  • Freckle doesn't say yet what the Parent App's controls look like, since the app isn't available during pre-order

Prices from Freckle, checked October 2026.

Full Freckle Phone profileCompare with phones on sale nowView at Freckle

Before you pre-order any new device

A device that hasn't shipped can still change. These are worth asking the maker first:

  • Is the deposit refundable, and until when?
  • Which carrier network does its plan run on, and is there coverage where your child goes?
  • What can parents see and control in the parent app, and can you see it before it ships?
  • Does any feature use AI to answer your child, and can you turn it off?
  • What happens to the phone and your child's data if the company changes plans or closes?

How we cover new devices

A device on pre-order is clearly labeled everywhere it appears. Where its maker hasn't published a detail yet, we may cite a named news report and mark that fact “per <outlet>”. It's never one of your top two matches and isn't in our “best” guides until it ships and we can re-check the maker's own pages. How we verify

Want devices you can buy today? Find your match or compare devices.

Common questions

When does the Freckle Phone ship?

Freckle says shipping starts December 2026. Until then it's pre-order only, and no family has used one yet.

How much does the Freckle Phone cost?

Per Freckle, it's $199: a $25 deposit to pre-order and the remaining $174 when it ships, with the first month of service free and then $25/mo on the Freckle Wireless plan. Prices checked October 2026; confirm the current price with Freckle.

Does the Freckle Phone have a web browser?

No web browser, per Fast Company (Freckle doesn't say yet).

What don't we know yet about the Freckle Phone?

Freckle doesn't say yet which phones the Parent App runs on (iPhone, Android, or both). Freckle doesn't say yet what writes the camera's "responses," or whether parents can turn that feature off. Freckle doesn't say yet whether the phone works on any plan besides Freckle Wireless. Freckle says its full children's privacy notice comes before activation, so what it covers isn't public yet. Freckle doesn't say yet what the Parent App's controls look like, since the app isn't available during pre-order.

Is the Freckle Phone in your recommendations?

It's in the quiz results and the compare tool, marked pre-order, but it's never one of your top two matches and isn't in our "best" guides until it ships and we can re-check Freckle's own pages.