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Many people seem to be hanging up their landlines these days and using their mobile phone for all their calls. But there is a strong case to be made for having a home phone.
Home phones can provide enhanced security because they are connected to your address, including the apartment number, so a 911 operator knows exactly where to send help even if you can’t talk. And they offer better performance.
In our tests, cordless phone voice quality and sound was superior to that of even the best cell phones, an important consideration if you suffer from hearing loss, your household is noisy, or you spend a lot of time on the phone, especially in a home office. Check out our cordless phone ratings to find cordless phone that’s a clear choice for your needs.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you shop for a new cordless phone.
Decide on the Number of Extensions Single-handset phones are best for smaller homes where you’re never far from the phone. Otherwise you might be happier with a multiple-handset phone, which supports (and usually includes) multiple handsets from one base. Each extra handset sits in its own charging cradle, without the need of a phone jack, making it easier to station a phone where you want it. With some models, you can buy a replacement handset and charging cradle.
Settle on the Features You Want Most phones come with caller ID, a headset jack, a speakerphone, and ringer in both the base and handset. Check the phone’s packaging or download the instruction manual from the manufacturer’s website to confirm you’re getting the features you want. The more features a phone has, generally the higher its price.
Weigh Performance Factors Most cordless phones have very good overall voice quality. Some are excellent, approaching the voice quality of the top-rated corded phones. Most fully charged batteries provided 8 hours or more of continuous conversation before they needed recharging. Note: When the battery can no longer hold a charge, a replacement battery, usually proprietary, costs about $10 to $25. Some phones use less-expensive AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, which can be recycled.
Pick It Up & Try It Out Visit a retailer and hold the handset to see whether it fits the contours of your face. The earpiece should have rounded edges and a recessed center that fits nicely over the middle of your ear. Check the buttons and controls to make sure they’re reasonably sized and legible.
Consider Usability Issues More new phones have designs to enhance usability. That includes easier-to-read buttons and displays, visual "ringers" that signal an incoming call, talking caller ID, and volume boost, to name a few of the options.
Battery Backup Most cordless phones won’t work without electricity unless they have some kind of power backup system. Some have a compartment in the charging base for a spare handset battery pack or for alkaline batteries for base-power backup. Others use the stored power from the handset’s battery to operate.
Don’t Discard Your Corded Phones Keep at least one corded phone with traditional landline service in your home, if only for emergencies. For most such models we’ve tested, the corded phone doesn’t require AC power to make and receive calls, although electronic features such as the illuminated display and built-in phone directory might not work. Keep in mind that any phone connected to VoIP services or fiber-optic networks won’t work if you lose electric power and don’t have a backup battery for the phone modem.
Know the Return Policy Before buying, check the return policy in case you encounter unexpected problems at home that you can’t resolve, such as wireless interference.
There are two basic types of cordless phones—those with built-in answering machines, and those without. Both types use DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication) technology, the 1.9-GHz frequency band that minimizes interference with devices such as microwave ovens. Today’s DECT-powered cordless phones tend to have relatively long talk times and a longer range from their base compared to analog phones.
Another distinction is whether or not a phone has a corded base. Cordless handsets require power to work (either from household AC or backup batteries), but a corded handset can work without power as long as it’s connected to a conventional landline or you have a battery backup for VoIP/cable service. Features such as the answerer won’t work, but you should be able to place and receive phone calls. Buying a model with a corded base is smart if you live in an area prone to power outages.
These are only slightly larger and more expensive than their basic cousins. Besides being able to record messages, they let you listen to callers, a convenient way to screen calls.
Pros: Multiple feature options can include a selectable number of rings and a toll-saver, answerer on/off control, call screening, remote access, speaker-volume control, and a variety of ways to navigate through your messages. Most have one mailbox, a message day/time stamp, a message-counter display that indicates the number of messages received, and a visual indicator that lets you know when you have new messages. Some can also coordinate with phone company voice mail: On many models, a light indicates when there’s a message on voicemail. During a momentary power outage, most will retain messages and the greeting.
Cons: Often cost a little more than comparable phone-only models and take up a little more space.
These phones are straightforward which can make them an appealing option for those not interested in all the bells and whistles of new models. On most, the base works without a power cord, buttons are large and easy to see, and parts of the handset glow red to alert you to incoming calls if you can’t hear the ringer.
Pros: Intuitive and easy to use. Depending on the model, some feature a one-touch customer support button. Simple programming for a limited number of names and phone numbers, date/time, and device volume make these easy to use. The handset often features a scroll wheel on side of handset to adjust call volume.
Cons: Limited features. Often supports fewer handsets, and can be a challenge to set up the first time.
Standard cordless phones come with a variety of options, including bluetooth capacity and connectivity with your mobile devices. Some phones offer access to Apple’s Siri and Google Now. Other have app alerts for Android devices, including email, calendar, and social media notifications displayed on the phone’s LCD screens. Here are other important features to consider when to help you get the most from your phone.
Located either on the base or handset, this display is a personal phone directory with useful information such as the name and/or number dialed, caller ID. It can also notify you of battery strength, or how long you’ve been connected. Caller ID displays the name and number of a caller and the date and time of the call if you use your phone company’s caller ID service. If you have caller ID with call waiting, the phone will display data on a second caller while you’re on the phone. Some phones have a dedicated Call Block Button, which allows you to block calls by simply pressing a button.
These can receive calls for two phone numbers, a plus if you have a chatty family or run a small business from home. Some of the phones have two ringers, each with a distinctive pitch to let you know which line is ringing. The two-line feature also facilitates conferencing two callers in three-way connections.
The speakerphone option offers a hands-free way to converse or wait on hold and lets others in the room chime in as well. A base speakerphone lets you answer a call without the handset; a handset speakerphone lets you chat hands-free anywhere in the house. Auto-talk lets you lift the handset off the base for an incoming call and start talking without having to press a button, and any-key answer.
Serves as a supplement to the keypad on the handset, it can be handy for navigating menu-driven systems because you don’t have to take the phone away from your ear to punch the keys. Some phones have a lighted keypad that either glows in the dark or lights up when you press a key, or when the phone rings. That makes the phone easier to use in low-light conditions.
Some cordless phones have a headset jack on the handset and include a belt clip for carrying the phone, useful if you want to chat while doing chores or walking about the house. Some phones have a headset jack on the base, which allows hands-free conversation without any drain on the handset battery. Headsets can be purchased separately for about $20.
Some phones have a compartment in the base to charge a spare handset battery pack or to hold alkaline batteries for base-power backup. Either option enable the phone to work on a traditional landline service if you lose household AC power. Some manufacturers have other backup features. Still, it’s wise to keep a corded phone somewhere in your home.
Some multiple-handset-capable phones allow conversation between handsets in an intercom mode and facilitate conferencing handsets with an outside party. In intercom mode, the handsets have to be within range of the base for handset-to-handset use. Others lack this handset-conferencing capability; they allow you to transfer calls to another handset, but they don’t allow more than one handset to take part in a call. Still other phones allow direct communication between handsets, so you can take them with you to use like walkie-talkies.
Some phones have Caller ID alerts. A phone with distinctive ring capability allows you to know who is calling by assigning the caller a specific ring tone. Some alerts are visual, with the handset display or the antenna flashing a particular color. Phones with talking Caller ID, also referred to as Caller ID announce, speak the name of the caller, which can be useful. Talking ID is now available in Spanish.
Most phone-answerers have one mailbox. Some answerers have several mailboxes to which a caller can direct a voice message to an individual family member, or to separate business and personal calls, for example. That allows the convenience of listening to messages meant just for you.
Most answerers can skip to the next message, skip back to a previous message, and repeat a message. But some also have fast playback for listening to messages more quickly, slow playback for deciphering a garbled message, and rewind to replay any message segment. Some models also have an audible message alert, typically a beep, that lets you know you have new messages. Some phones allow you to listen to messages from the handset and might even allow you to access other answerer functions, such as recording your greeting; that offers more privacy and convenience.
Located either on the base or handset, this display is a personal phone directory with useful information such as the name and/or number dialed, caller ID. It can also notify you of battery strength, or how long you’ve been connected. Caller ID displays the name and number of a caller and the date and time of the call if you use your phone company’s caller ID service. If you have caller ID with call waiting, the phone will display data on a second caller while you’re on the phone. Some phones have a dedicated Call Block Button, which allows you to block calls by simply pressing a button.
These can receive calls for two phone numbers, a plus if you have a chatty family or run a small business from home. Some of the phones have two ringers, each with a distinctive pitch to let you know which line is ringing. The two-line feature also facilitates conferencing two callers in three-way connections.
The speakerphone option offers a hands-free way to converse or wait on hold and lets others in the room chime in as well. A base speakerphone lets you answer a call without the handset; a handset speakerphone lets you chat hands-free anywhere in the house. Auto-talk lets you lift the handset off the base for an incoming call and start talking without having to press a button, and any-key answer.
Serves as a supplement to the keypad on the handset, it can be handy for navigating menu-driven systems because you don’t have to take the phone away from your ear to punch the keys. Some phones have a lighted keypad that either glows in the dark or lights up when you press a key, or when the phone rings. That makes the phone easier to use in low-light conditions.
Some cordless phones have a headset jack on the handset and include a belt clip for carrying the phone, useful if you want to chat while doing chores or walking about the house. Some phones have a headset jack on the base, which allows hands-free conversation without any drain on the handset battery. Headsets can be purchased separately for about $20.
Some phones have a compartment in the base to charge a spare handset battery pack or to hold alkaline batteries for base-power backup. Either option enable the phone to work on a traditional landline service if you lose household AC power. Some manufacturers have other backup features. Still, it’s wise to keep a corded phone somewhere in your home.
Some multiple-handset-capable phones allow conversation between handsets in an intercom mode and facilitate conferencing handsets with an outside party. In intercom mode, the handsets have to be within range of the base for handset-to-handset use. Others lack this handset-conferencing capability; they allow you to transfer calls to another handset, but they don’t allow more than one handset to take part in a call. Still other phones allow direct communication between handsets, so you can take them with you to use like walkie-talkies.
Some phones have Caller ID alerts. A phone with distinctive ring capability allows you to know who is calling by assigning the caller a specific ring tone. Some alerts are visual, with the handset display or the antenna flashing a particular color. Phones with talking Caller ID, also referred to as Caller ID announce, speak the name of the caller, which can be useful. Talking ID is now available in Spanish.
Most phone-answerers have one mailbox. Some answerers have several mailboxes to which a caller can direct a voice message to an individual family member, or to separate business and personal calls, for example. That allows the convenience of listening to messages meant just for you.
Most answerers can skip to the next message, skip back to a previous message, and repeat a message. But some also have fast playback for listening to messages more quickly, slow playback for deciphering a garbled message, and rewind to replay any message segment. Some models also have an audible message alert, typically a beep, that lets you know you have new messages. Some phones allow you to listen to messages from the handset and might even allow you to access other answerer functions, such as recording your greeting; that offers more privacy and convenience.
AT&T: This well-known cordless phone brand is owned by VTech. It offers a wide range of phones, with and without answering machines, for consumers and small business. Form factors include single- and multihandset models, cordless-corded combos, Bluetooth, multiline phones, and models designed with large, easy-to-read buttons/displays, and that amplify incoming sound. AT&T still offers stand-alone corded phones.
Clarity: Almost exclusively designed for people with visual or hearing impairments, Clarity’s models amplify incoming sounds and have buttons that are large and easy-to-read, as are the text and numbers on their LCD displays.
Motorola’s product line, manufactured and distributed by its licensee Binatone Electronics International, has exited the retail telephone business in North America. It may be possible to still find inventory in select retail outlets, but production has been discontinued.
Panasonic: The company has long focused on mid-to-higher-priced models in every form factor. Some trademark conveniences found on Panasonic phones include Talking Caller ID, Talking Alarm Clock, and Talking Battery Alert. Some models have Bluetooth technology for linking to your cell phone service. Some models claim to be shock resistant and splash resistant, while others have large, easy-to-read buttons/LCD displays, and amplify incoming sounds. Panasonic still offers stand-alone corded phones.
VTech This market leader offers consumers a wide range of phones that emphasizes technological innovation and offers models with and without answering machines. Form factors include single- and multi-handset models, cordless and corded combos, Bluetooth models, and multi-line phones.
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