The Panasonic KX-TGB610EB is an entry-level cordless phone. Panasonic have made quite a few different models in the past, and we've usually been reasonably impressed with them. But how does this one stack up? Let's take a closer look!
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Design
As we already mentioned, the KX-TGB610 is an entry-level phone. As you'd expect, this does mean that it's fairly basic in terms of the overall design. However, that approach can have its advantages. In this case, it means that the phone is nice and easy to use. All the buttons are clearly laid out and labelled, and you don't really have to delve too deep into the menu system to use all the features of the phone.
It has a 1.4" LED display screen with amber backlight. Being completely honest, that's not particularly large for a cordless phone screen. Practically speaking, though, the screen is only really used for displaying numbers, as there aren't too many extra features present. For that, the screen size is plenty big enough. The text is a good size to read, and the backlight helps with readability as well.
As there's no answer machine built into this phone, the footprint of the base is pretty small. So, if you want to put your phone handsets somewhere where space is at a premium, this would be a good choice.
Sound Quality
As for sound quality, we found that quite often with cheaper cordless phones, you tent to get sound quality to match the price. Thankfully, though, that's not the case here. While it's not quite up there with more expensive Panasonic models or the likes of Gigaset (who tend to have great sound quality right across the board), for the price this is perfectly adequate in terms of sound. It's a step above BT's phones, which don't tend to sound that good; so if you're looking for a budget-friendly cordless phone that still performs well, you could do a lot worse than this.
Range
All DECT phones offer a maximum range of up to 300 metres outdoors, and up to 50 metres indoors. However, that is only the maximum that the technology can offer. A lot of cheaper phones do compromise a little bit on the transmitting technology inside, so they don't reach quite that distance. During testing, though, we were pleasantly surprised by the TGB610's range. We got fairly close to that maximum range before we started to experience any signal cut-out. This particular model can be expanded to up to three handsets- we'd say 50 metres' range is more than enough for a house that's just got three handsets.
Additional Features
In terms of additional features, because this is a budget-friendly phone, there aren't that many to speak of. We already mentioned there's no answer machine, which may not matter to a lot of people, since many people use the 1571 service anyway. What may matter, though, is the lack of a built-in loudspeaker on this phone. The sound only comes out of the earpiece, so if that's an important feature to you, you might want to look at spending a little bit more on a model that does have the loudspeaker.
There are some features worth talking about, though. It's got a 50-name and number phone book, which should be plenty for most people. It's Caller ID-compatible if you've got that switched on by your provider, and again, the backlit screen makes it nice and easy to see from a distance. The TGB610 is also 2025 switchover-compatible. Once we move away from the old landline network to the new VoIP network, this will still work if you plug it in with the adapter that your provider should send you.
One thing that actually does make this stand out from other phones is the battery life: up to 200 hours on standby and up to 18 hours' talk time, which is a fair amount more than you get with most cordless phones.
Panasonic KX-TGB610: The Verdict
The Panasonic KX-TGB610 is an entry-level phone that might not have a lot of bells and whistles, but handles the basics just fine. While the lack of answer machine and loudspeaker will certainly put some people off, there's no denying that this model can't be beaten on price.