02.Results
The following models scored the best results in our test.
| What to buy |
|
|
|
|
| Brand |
Price |
| Siemens Gigaset E450 |
$149 |
| Siemens Gigaset SL370 |
$199 |
| Uniden WDECT 3315 |
$80 |
| Panasonic KX-TG1811ALS |
$50 |
| Siemens Gigaset A260 |
$59 |
| Panasonic KX-TG4381ALT |
$100 | |
Results table
Full results for all models are shown in the table below.
Using the table
Scores The overall score is made up of:
- Ease of use: 30%
- Range: 30%
- Sound quality: 20%
- Battery life: 20%
- Price: Recommended retail, as of November 2008
All phones in this test come with NiMH rechargeable battery packs, except for (A) models.
(A) These models include Li-ion rechargeable batteries and can’t use other rechargeable batteries.
* Rounded to the nearest 15 minutes.
How we tested
Ease of use Our CHOICE testers considered factors such as clarity of the instruction manual, the feel and comfort of the handset, if the screen is easy to read and any other special features.
Range They took the phones outside a brick house while the base still had a direct line of sight, to measure how far they could have an intelligible conversation.
Sound quality A panel of three users made calls in a moderately noisy environment and assessed speech clarity, speech loudness, line noise and background noise reduction on each model.
Battery life After fully charging each phone’s battery, our testers set the phones to talk and standby, and timed how long each setting ran. They also timed how long the phones took to recharge.