Best digital cordless phones

Buying advice: choosing the best digital cordless phone for you

When buying the best Dect cordless phone, one of the first things to think about is how many handsets you'll need. Many are available in multi-packs if you want additional handsets.

All our Best Buy digital cordless phones sound great and are easy to use, with enough range to give you great reception if you have a big house. You should also try the phone in the shop – make sure it's comfy to hold, the buttons are big enough and you can read the display clearly – and ask for a demonstration of the phone's answerphone and phonebook. 

• How to buy the best Dect cordless phone
• Which? Best Buy digital cordless phones
• Which? ratings for Dect cordless phones

What to look for in a Dect cordless phone

Digital cordless phones with lots of advanced features can be more difficult to use than their more basic counterparts, so think which features you're likely to need before you buy.

One handy feature to look our for is a Sim-card reader, which allows you to transfer all your contacts directly from your mobile phone to your cordless phone. Also consider whether you need an answerphone, as models with this feature tend to cost more.

• Digital cordless phone features
• Dect cordless phone features compared
• How to buy the best Dect cordless phone

Dect cordless phone vs mobile: do you need both?

There are a number of good reasons for maintaining a landline, even if you also own a mobile phone. Though the mobile networks claim excellent coverage, there are still areas where it can be difficult to get a signal.

Cost is a key factor. Despite the free minutes offered with many tariffs, it can be expensive to rely on your mobile phone, and not just for the user – calls to mobile phones also cost more than calls to landlines. Some digital cordless phones are Voip-enabled, so instead of using a phone line your voice is carried over a broadband connection. This means you can make cheap calls over the internet: a great money-saver.

• Digital cordless phone FAQs

Watch out for digital cordless phones with poor range

A good Dect cordless phone should allow you to roam without losing its signal. This isn't something you can check in the shops, which is why Which? tests the signal of all cordless phones in nine different rooms and through walls of varying thickness.

Most cordless phones can take a call up to 280m away from the base station, which is great if you have a large garden. All the Which? Best Buy cordless phones have the range to give you good reception.

• Which? Best Buy digital cordless phones
• Dect cordless phones compared

Can I use a digital cordless phone with a hearing aid?

Some digital cordless phones can cause interference with hearing aids, creating an audible buzz. Older analogue hearing aids tend to be particularly badly affected by interference, but newer digital hearing aids cope better.

Try cordless phones out before buying and visit the RNID (the national charity for deaf and hard of hearing people) for more information on suitable handsets. If you have difficulty hearing, you'll need a phone with good sound quality, so check the Which? ratings to find a model that scores well.

• Dect cordless phones and hearing aids
• Compare Which? ratings for cordless phone sound quality