Best Cordless Phone
Top 10 Must Have Features

The best cordless phone has at least six features that we consider non-negotiable. It should also have another four that we find indispensable, but can possibly survive without. They are similar to electric windows, automatic transmission and air conditioning in a motor vehicle. If you've grown accustomed to them it's a shock to the system when they aren't there.

Overall we think the best cordless phone is the Panasonic KX-TG7644M . It ticks every box and while loaded with features is still easy to use. The next best thing is a Panasonic KX-TG6645B, almost identical but no Bluetooth.

Best Cordless Phone - Top 10 Features

1. DECT 6.0 phone - if it's not a DECT 6.0 phone don't touch it. The latest cordless phone systems are all DECT 6.0 phones. When looking for the best cordless phones it's the first thing to establish or run the risk of being sold a superseded product.

2. Standard rechargeable AAA's - some cordless phone manufacturers make almost as much from selling proprietary battery packs as cordless phones. It's something that's easily overlooked when buying a shiny new phone.

Panasonic and Siemens were at the forefront of this development and now the latest Vtech phones are also fitted with rechargeable AAA's. They hold a charge just as well or even better, they are cheap and you can get them everywhere. If a cordless phone doesn't take standard rechargeable batteries we look for another - it's not-negotiable.

3. Centralized phone book - anyone who has a cordless phone with two or more handsets finds manually updating contact details on each and every handset a pain. In the case of the best cordless phones it happens automatically and in real time. Enter a contact or edit a name, number ... and all handsets are immediately in sync. It's because the address book is stored at the base station and accessed by individual handsets. It's another non-negotiable requirement.

4. Power backup - what use is a cordless phone that stops working when power is lost? Until recently the only solution was to have a corded cordless phone enabling users to answer calls and dial out using a corded handset on the base unit. The best cordless phone can still be used even when mains power is lost. They can be powered by placing a charged handset into a base station. At the current time it's a solution that is only available on the latest Panasonic cordless phones using DECT 6.0 Plus technology.

5. Call blocking - everyone gets annoying phone calls and needs to block some callers. The best cordless telephones make it easy to add numbers to a call blocking list. Thereafter calls from those numbers encounter an engaged signal. It can be setup in seconds and updated whenever required.

6. Kill those ringers - for good reason many of us don't want to be disturbed by the sound of telephones ringing in every room at all times of day and night. On the other hand turning off the ringers on every cordless handset can also have unfortunate consequences. Unfortunately that's how it is with most cordless phones. It's either all on or all off. In the case of the best cordless phones you can have it both ways. You can nominate which handsets have active ringers by time of day and day of the week.

7. Talking caller ID - we wouldn't call this feature an absolutely non-negotiable requirement, but users rapidly become dependent on it. It's probably got more in common with electric windows than whether your car is a manual or automatic. However withdrawal symptomns have been know develop very quickly when this feature is taken away.

8. Big displays - bigger screens mean bigger characters, which means easy to read and use. When adding contacts, blocking numbers, silencing handsets, setting an alarm ... it's a lot easier to do when using a large cordless phone display. Phones with tiny displays don't make it onto our best cordless phone shortlist.

9. Extended range - the beauty of DECT 6.0 cordless phones is that you can inexpensively put handsets in every room and even wander around the yard while on the phone. The latest Panasonic DECT 6.0 Plus phones have even greater range. Even without adding range extenders their range is between fifty and one hundred percent better than alternatives.

10. Linking with cell phones - more and more people agree that the best cordless phone is a Bluetooth cordless phone. You can synchronize phone books by uploading them from cell phones. They automatically pair with headsets and cell phones as you arrive home. Cell phone calls can be answered (or made) using cordless handsets. You can even get rid of your land line and use a Bluetooth cordless phone as a cell phone gateway.

In a year or two it's going to be difficult to find a cordless phone that isn't Bluetooth enabled. The chances are that if you do stumble across one it belongs to someone who drives a manual car without airconditioning or electric windows.