Last updated on January 31st, 2024 at 12:05 am
If you’re in the market for a brand-new DECT cordless phone and considering options available, then we can help. We have spent a lot of time and experience updating our list of the top 10 current cordless phones on the market, highlighting key features in the process, to help point you in the right direction to buying a quality DECT phone that suits your needs.
Besides the meticulous testing we run cordless phones through, we also refer to the feedback from hundreds of phone owners who have purchased from us in the past. This helps us understand what buyers have loved about the phones they purchased and what frustrated them.
We have the experience of more than 30 years in the industry to give an expert opinion you can trust, so you can be sure you will find the right Cordless DECT phone in our look at the best cordless phones in the UK today.
Table of Contents
What to look for in a Cordless Phone?
We’ve picked out four of the most common features people look for in a Cordless DECT phone, so if you’re thinking about buying a new phone, these are some of the features you should look out for.
Range
Most people want to know the range of their Cordless Phone – most are built to the same DECT standard and will suit most home cases in a regular semi-detached house giving a range of between 80-100 metres indoors, however there are a few models in the list here who have managed to eek out some massive range from the existing tchnology, so if you do have a large house or garden, or have a business that needs a cordless phone that will reach the parts other cordless phones will reach, then we have listed a few models that have some extra long range.
Answering Machines
Not everybody needs an answering machine, but there’s a few things you should consider when looking at the this feature on DECT Phones. You will need to know the recording time, so how many messages can be stored in the memory. If you recieve a lot of messages, then you should naturally consider going for something with a larger capacity. Most answering machines can be turned off, so if you like the phone, but don’t want an answering machine, it’s not too much of a problem. Most phones will allow you to remotely dial in and check your messages, but this is something to look out for if it’s a feature you’ll be needing.
Call Blocking
Not all Cordless Phones have call blocking built in by default, but there are a number of models on the market now that feature this, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you or your loved ones won’t be bothered by fraud or ghost calls.
Cordless Phones for the Elderly
There are lots of cordless phones available that have features that are perfect to assist the elderly in using a cordless phone. Large buttons are a common feature to look out for as well as amplified sound and big, bright displays that can easily be read. We have added a few high quality phones to our list that have these features.
So now you know what features to look out for, without further ado, here’s our pick of the top ten best cordless phones.
BT Elements – (1K) Waterproof DECT Cordless Phone with Answering Machine
The BT Elements weatherproof DECT phone gives you the freedom to take and make calls anywhere. Whether you’re at home, the warehouse, the office or outside. An updated model, BT’s improvements on this handset include giving it a larger range of 1000-metres, a more spacious directory that can store up to 200 contacts and the practical nuisance call blocker feature.
The Elements handset is designed to be rugged and tough with rubber trims for easy gripping, this handset really feels like it can take some punishment, it also has an IP67 ingress rating meaning that the handset is both dust proof and waterproof to the extent that it can stand to be fully submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. This means it is perfect in tough working environments such as warehouses, farms, campsites or workshops, or generally when you’re using the phone outside your home or business premises. These handsets are tough and built to last!
The BT Elements is perfectly suited to both the home and more challenging environments.
You can buy one single handset or a bundle of 2, 3, 4 or 5 depending on your needs. It also benefits from having its own answering machine with 30 minutes of recording time.
Top features of the BT Elements
- Tough, rugged and waterproof handsets (IP67 Ingress rating)
- Very long range up to 1000 metres is possible
- 30 minute digital answering machine
- Nuisance call blocker built-in
- 200 Name & number directory
- Pair up to five handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
Best alternatives to the BT Elements
Right now there’s only one competetor to the BT Elements and that is the Gigaset E630A which we have listed below.
Gigaset E630A – Robust DECT Cordless Phone with Answering Machine
Gigaset is one name in the telecommunications industry synonymous with quality and value for money. A versatile model, the E630A from Gigaset is robust enough to equally suit your home if you have small children or run a workshop or outdoor business, as it’s designed with dust, splash, and shock-resistant properties and comes with an IP65 rating. Similarly to BT’s Elements handset, the Gigaset E630 is solidly built giving you confidence that these handsets will last a long time even under the most punishing of circumstances.
The posted range on these handsets is indoor range of 50-metres and an outdoor range of 300-metres also makes it ideal for where you straddle between your family and work environments. The battery life on these handsets is incredible, giving you up to 14 hours talk-time and up to 300 hours in standby mode due to Gigaset’s eco mode which means the phones use much less power to transmit, especially when not in use.
You can purchase up to 6 handsets, meaning there are enough for all your family or small workplace. Its large, clear, brightly illuminated TFT colour display, means you’ll always be able to see who is calling.
Top features of the Gigaset E630A
- Ruggedised toughened handsets – Weather sealed to IP65 standard
- 60 minute digital answering machine
- Long battery life – up to 14 hours talk-time and 300 standby
- Vibrating and flashing caller alert
- 2.5mm headset port on the handset
- 150 number phonebook capacity
- Pair up to six handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc
- Low power eco mode uses less power when the phone is not in use
Alternatives to the Gigaset E630A
The best alternative to the Gigaset E630A is the is the BT Elements we mentioned first in this list.
BT Diverse 7410 Plus – DECT Cordless Phone
Next on our list is a phone that has been around for a long time. Over the years the BT Diverse range has been updated and upgraded with the times and is arguably one of the most reliable, dependable, and always great value for money DECT phone systems on the market. The BT Diverse 7410 plus model has a stylish finish with a black screen and white characters that make reading it very easy.
It has clearly been designed with both home use and office use in mind and offers a reasonable indoor range of 50-metres. Although the 200 entries contacts directory capacity is smaller than others, this handset has a built-in speaker and headset socket. That means you can enjoy seamless hands-free use when you need to multitask.
Perfect for home or small office use, the Diverse 7410 is one consistently of our favourte recomendations as we know how good and easy to use these handsets are and we almost never get negative feedback about them.
Top features of the BT Diverse 7410
- Superb reliability
- Easy to use
- 200 Entry Phone Book
- 2.5mm headset port on the handsets
- Register 5 Diverse Phones
- Pair up to five handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc
- Repeater Compatible – Optional extra device to extend the range of your cordless phones
Alternatives to the Diverse 7410 Plus
The BT Diverse 7110 is a cheaper alternative to the 7410 with exactly the same build quality.
The only thing that the Diverse 7110 lacks is a built in answering machine, so if you need to save a little money, then you have the option to chose the model without the digital answering machine.
BT 4600 Big Button DECT Cordless Phone With Answering Machine and Nuisance Call Blocker
With BT’s reliability and build quality we have the BT5600 Big Button DECT handset that we love to recomend as an incusive phone, with larger buttons, large text on the brightly backlit and Hearing Aid Compatible, this phone is one that can be used by all. The BT5600 phone is definitely a DECT phone we love recomend for people with sight hearing or mobility issues.
The BT5600 incorporates TrueCall’s nuisance call blocker technology meaning that you have peace of mind that scam callers are blocked. You can also set a mode where the only callers to get straight through are numbers you have entered into the phone book.
The phone comes with a 60 minute answering machine with a “slow play” button which plays back messages at a slightly slower speed – a very handy feature especially when callers are leaving phone numbers.
The BT5600’s Virtual Assistant
For that extra peace of mind, one of the most unique features about this phone is the Virtual Assistant that will automatically answer the call and then ask callers for their name before putting the call through to you.
If you buy this as a gift for someone you love, they may think it is absolutely amazing that they also gained a personal assistant, whilst giving you that extra peace of mind that there’s an extra measure in place to protect vunerable loved ones in your life.
One negative worth noting
If there’s one negative thing we can say about this phone, with it being such a feature packed phone, it does need a little time to set-up properly as you’d want it, so it definitely does benefit the user taking some time to properly configure this if they do want to use all the features to their full benefit. That being said, if you’re looking for that extra peace of mind for a loved one, then the BT5600 is definitely worth your time and investment.
Top features of the BT5600 Big Button DECT Phone
- Virtual assiatant that answers the call and asks the name of the caller before putting them through
- TrueCall technlogy nuisance call blocker
- Large, easy to read buttons
- Large, easy to read back lit display
- 60 minute digital answering machine (can be disabled if needed)
- Hearing Aid Compatable
- Pair up to three handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
Alternatives to the BT 4600
A great alternative to the BT 4600 would be a Swissvoice Xtra 2355 – a similarly large button telephone designed for people with sight or hearing issues – there are even speed dials where it’s possible to put a picture of the person to be called into the speed dial buttons.
BT Everyday Cordless Phone with Answering Machine
If you’re not too fussy about special features, bells and whistles and just want a reliable and basic DECT cordless phone, BT has the answer with the BT Everyday Phone. The aptly named Everyday phone comes with a nuisance call blocker (block up to 20 numbers), an answering machine great talk and stand-by time. It is, by design, simple, affordable, and highly effective.
Even though this is a basic phone, it still does come with a few nice features that offer a lot of practical value. The screen is easy to read, displays the caller ID, there’s an in built digital answering machine with 15 minutes record time, the handset also shows when you have answering machine messages.
If you’re on a tight budget and/or don’t want all the bells & whistles of a more expensive DECT phone, then the BT Everyday phone is a perfect choice.
Top features of the BT Everyday Phone
- Very simple to use and set-up
- 15 minute answering machine
- Block up to 20 numbers
- 50 name & number phonebook
- Pair up to three handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
Gigaset AS405A DECT Cordless Phone With Answering Machine
BT aren’t the only company that have low-priced no-nonsense DECT cordless phones with answering machines. Gigaset, arguably one of the most popular manufacturers, have the AS4055A. Similarly to the above model, this is a fuss-free, straightforward, and easy to use a cordless phone.
Some modern phones can be difficult to set up and use. Gigaset has obviously taken that on board with the design and layout of the AS405A. It is comfortable, easy to read and use even in poor lighting conditions.
Depending on the size of your household or workplace, you can buy one single handset or bundles of two or three.
Top features of the Gigaset AS405a
- Easy to use and set-up
- 100 Name & number phonebook
- 20 Minute digital answering machine
- Superb battery life
- Pair up to three handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
BT Advanced Cordless Phone With Answering Machine
BT have maintained their position in the industry by offering great value products to customers with different budgets. If you have a bit more money to play around with and would like extra features like enhanced sound quality, virtual assistant and the possibilty to block up to a thousand nuisance numbers using the inbuilt TrueCall technology, then the BT Advanced phone might be best for you.
The handsets are notably high quality and feel weighty and substantial in the hand, you can feel that the build quality is solid and that these are a high quality handset.
The BT Advanced is relatively easy to set up and offers 100% call blocking, either by stopping calls you have already blocked in your block list or via the Virtual Assistant which answers the call for you, asks the name of the caller which is played back to you allowing you to chose to accept or deny the call. There’s an option within the handset to allow entries within your phonebook to skip the virtual assistant so that friends & family will be put through straight away. A total of 1000 nuisance and unwanted callers can be blocked and there is also a “Do not disturb” button when you just want to block all calls temporarily.
On top of this the BT Advanced comes with a high quality answering machine with up to 30 minutes record time so you won’t miss your important calls.
Top features of the BT Advanced Phone
- High build quality
- Enhanced sound quality
- Inbuilt-TruCall nuisance call blocker
- Block up to 1000 numbers manualy
- 30 minute digital answering machine
- 200 name & number phonebook
- Pair up to four handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
Panasonic KX-TGE720EB Big Button DECT Cordless Phone With Answering Machine
Another range of phone handset designed with inclusiveness in mind is the Panasonic KX-TGE720 range.
Several great features make these perfect, such as the oversized buttons, the Talking Caller ID and the loudspeaker and headset port for completely hands-free use. It’s not just the layout and design, though, as the sound quality is louder and clearer than others in the same price class and is Meeting the TIA-1083 Compliance Standard for Hearing Aid Compatability so this phone comes well recommended for those with hearing issues.
To avoid those problem calls from telemarketers and other cold callers, there’s the nuisance call blocker feature, and a do not disturb mode, so you can say goodbye to annoying sales calls.
Panasonic phones in general are high up the list of our recomends.
Top features of the Panasonic KX-TGE720EB
- High quality sound
- Really good speakerphone
- Hearing Aid Compatible
- Large buttons and large display
- Digital answering machine
- Pair up to three handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
Panasonic KX-TGF320E Corded and Cordless DECT Phone with Answering Machine
Our penultimate phone handset is another great product from Panasonic. The KX-TGF320E is a uniquely designed phone solution as it offers a corded base station with an inbuilt handset and a cordless handset too. This 2-in-1 style system is perfect for both home use and at the office or your workplace. Both handsets benefit from having easy to read screens that display caller information and access to a large contacts directory.
It opens up a world of opportunities and possibilities when it comes to how you take calls. You can simply answer calls from the corded handset when you are stationary, or switch to the corded handset when you need to move around. You can even use the base station as a speakerphone, meaning you can do other things while still playing an active role in any telephone call you make or receive.
Top features of the Panasonic KX-TGF320E
- Corded base unit/reception phone with large clear display
- 40 Minute high quality digital answering machine
- Conference call between handsets
- Long battery life on the handsets due to Panasonic Eco mode
- Pair up to six handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
BT Premium DECT Cordless Phone With Answering Machine
To round off our look at the best cordless phones available right here at PMC Telecom, we felt we had to pick the BT Premium model. This is the crème de la crème of DECT phone. It is full-featured, offers a high-quality colour display and crisp sound and a stunning array of other amazing extras too. With its slick and streamlined design, it feels lightweight enough to hold for those long phone calls, and feels like a well-built luxury handset.
Not only does it offer portability, but it has a headset port and speakerphone functionality that makes it ideal when you need to have your hands-free for other activities.
The nuisance call blocking features on this handset is also the best in class, as you get access to the Virtual Assistant service that screens your calls and blocks them if necessary. It will also block the most common kinds of nuisance calls, like those from a payphone, withheld, foreign and unknown numbers.
One of the most intriguing features BT have provided with this handset is the option to use Bluetooth so that you can sync your mobile and copy contacts to the BT Premium, it’s also possible to make and receive mobile calls through your BT phone, helping to save your mobile battery for when you leave the house.
Top features of the BT Premium Phone
- Bluetooth compatible – transfer contacts from mobile phone, make mobile calls from your BT Premium handset
- Premium design
- Colour screen
- Truecall call blocking technology built-in
- Virtual Assiatant – answers call for you and asks the name of the caller before putting them through
- 40 minutes digital answering machine
- Pair up to three handsets – call transfer between handsets, paging handsets etc.
Do you have more Cordless Phones?
We hope our top ten list of the best cordless phones have been useful to you. If you would like to see all of the phones and more listed, then you can visit the PMC Telecom Cordless Phones Website to see a selection of the very best Cordless Phones available today.
I’m looking for the best Corded Telephone
We have written a separate article detailing the best Corded Phones which you can read by clicking the link below.