Although the smartphone has conquered the telephone world, millions of people still buy cordless phones for their homes each year.
In general, the best cordless phones have at least two advantages over smartphones. First, voice quality tends to be better. Second, because home phones are connected to your address, 911 operators know where to send help in an emergency. Smartphones transmit some location data, though with less precision and reliability than a cordless phone.
The following are some of the best cordless phones Consumer Reports has tested recently. They come with a range of appealing features. For instance, one model offers large, easy-to-read buttons and alerts as well as louder speakers. Another syncs with a smartphone to help you get cell service in the basement.
Check our cordless phone buying guide and ratings of more than 100 models (with and without a built-in answerer) from all the leading brands.
AT&T CLP99386
Smartphone Helper
This AT&T model ($120) can pair with your cell phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to make and take cellular calls using the cordless handset from the basement and other parts of your home where a cell-tower signal might have trouble reaching. What’s more, this phone can also handle your smartphone’s texts and other notifications, and it can issue commands to iPhone’s Siri, Android’s Google Now, and Samsung’s S Voice talking assistants. A USB port on the cordless base can keep your smartphone charged, while the three included handsets can communicate with each other like walkie-talkies.
Are blackouts a frequent problem in your area? The battery in the handsets of this model can power the base unit when there’s a power outage, as long as you still have phone service.
In terms of performance, the audio quality on outgoing messages is excellent, but the answerer setup is complicated and it's possible to accidentally erase unplayed messages.
VTech VC7151-109
Smart Cordless for a Smart Home
It’s easy to forget if you’ve left a door or medicine open in a remote part of the house. And you might also want to monitor medicine cabinets or other storage areas to keep loved ones safe. VTech VC7151-109 ($120) can offer that peace-of-mind monitoring right from the handset.
The phone comes with a garage-door sensor, and other sensors are available to keep tabs on doors, windows, medicine cabinets, and more.
And if the the lights go out, you'll still have a phone because this model can work during a blackout; it uses stored power from the handset's battery to operate.
Poor cell-phone reception in the basement or some other room? The VC7151-109 can pair with your cell via Bluetooth so that you can make and take cell calls with any of the cordless handsets. It has generous 47-minute message capacity. And a USB port in the base lets you charge smartphones and other devices. Other features include a lighted keypad, talking caller ID, and a voice-mail indicator.