Look out. The next time your phone rings it might be your Nana or Grandad wanting to Facetime.

The first senior-friendly smartphone has hit New Zealand shelves and Lesley Reihana, 73, couldn't be more delighted.

Andrew Batchelor, of Doro phones, shows members of the Forever Young dance troupe some features of a new mobile phone designed for Seniors. Photo: Chris McKeen.

"This is a real step up for me. I've had the same phone for 15 years. It's time to move on. I might even be able to take a selfie now," she says.

The senior smartphones, produced by UK company Doro, are louder than a normal phone, with bigger buttons, walk-through tutorials, one-touch cameras and special features such as a loud personal alarm and emergency call system.

They come in two different styles - the traditional clam shell and a modern android which can access the internet.

The phone has the ability to automatically dial contacts including emergency services, and send a text message to up to five pre-programmed recipients if the senior gets in trouble and needs help. The android phone will text the senior's GPS location at the time of the call and also has a remote management feature so that a relative can see how active the senior has been on their phone and if the battery is charged.

"They're designed from the ground up to be easier for seniors. In the past 10 years this company has invested a huge amount of time and effort making them fit for purpose- they're easy to see, easy to hear and simple to use," said Andrew Batchelor, Doro's Asia Pacific regional director.

"The safety feature is an added bonus. It's piece of mind if you have an elderly relative living on their own."

In the last 2013 Census, New Zealand had 607,032 residents aged 65 years and over, an increase of 22 per cent since 2006. By 2038 the number of people aged over 65 is expected to double to 1,285,000.

When Forever Young - a hip hop group made up of eight pensioners aged between 68 and 79 - tested the phones seven of the eight chose the android smartphone. Just one chose the clamshell.

"I don't have a technical brain. The reason I stuck to my old phone for so long is because it's simple and I knew what I was doing but I could only text on it," said Reihana.

"I don't have a lot of patience so if I can't work something I just give up but I like the camera on this and the alarm. It's going to be great for travelling."

Other grandmothers in the group said they would now be able to use applications like Whatsapp and snapchat to send messages to their children and grandchildren. Lyvernne Ambridge and Annette Perjank were looking forward to being able to send emails from their phones.

The Doro Liberto 820 Mini android smartphone retails for $199 and the Doro PhoneEasy 631 clamshell retails for $99.