Cordless phones: How we test cordless phones
Thorough testing by Which? is the backbone of our reviews.
Which? test lab
Which? tests almost 3,000 products every year, including more home technology products than anyone else. We look at new products as soon as they are announced, helping you to understand new technologies, and whether they are worth your money.
Which? is different because...
- Our tests are based on years of testing experience
- We don't accept adverts in our magazines or website
- We buy everything we lab-test
- We're completely independent of any manufacturers
Which? exists to give consumers impartial advice, which means that if a product isn't any good we'll say so, without fear of penalty. Which? works for you, providing trustworthy advice without a hidden agenda.
We examine everything that matters across all products, including performance, features and how well they work in real life – so you'll know exactly what to expect. Our unique, comparative lab tests mean you can trust our Best Buy and Don't Buy verdicts and choose with confidence.
Trial Which? today to find out which cordless phones we rated as Best Buys, or log in if you already have member access.
Cordless phone testing in brief
Which? tests around 30 cordless phones a year and we ensure that our guides only have the models that are currently available.
To help you choose the best home cordless phone we review products across the range including those with answer machines, multiple handsets and advanced features such as SMS messaging.
Our expert team designs rigorous and repeatable tests for each and every product we review. For example, when we test cordless phones for durability, we roll them 25 times in a large rotating metal barrel. This is known as the ‘Tombola test’. Which? tests harder, so you can buy better.
We aim to ensure all the major brands are represented and test new models as soon as they are released.
How we choose products for testing
Dedicated Business Researchers carefully select the products Which? tests, scouring the market for the latest releases and the most innovative products. Our Business Researchers aim to cover a very high percentage of the market in any one product area. And, while we do test some premium products, we avoid testing those products which you would need a second mortgage to afford.
We take the following criteria into account when choosing cordless phones:
- Popularity – we test cordless phones that are the biggest sellers
- Brand reliability – we test more cordless phones from brands that are reliable and tend to do well in our testing
- Innovation – we test new and innovative cordless phones
- Cost – we typically test cordless phones that cost between £15 and £100.
Ease of use
Our expert assessors test our products for their ease of use by running through everyday scenarios that replicate how you use your cordless phone.
Firstly we look at how easy it is to get the phone setup at home, looking at the connections and assessing the quality and clarity of instruction manual. The setup procedure for handsets and base stations are thoroughly checked - if it’s difficult and complicated to get set up you could be in for more problems further down the line.
Handsets are tested to see how easy it is to dial numbers, receive calls and access settings, as well as how comfortable they are to hold and the quality of the display.
We test how easy the phonebook is to access and search for contacts as well as the ease of adding and editing contact details and voice dialling.
We check the base station for its power, charging and call indicators and if there’s a screen we assess how easy it is to read.
If there’s an answering machine on the phone, setting the outgoing message and playing back messages are tested.
The layout of all buttons on the base station and handset are thoroughly checked. Our experts look at the arrangement, spacing and size of buttons, how well labelled they are and their responsiveness.
All cordless phones are tested with both elderly and young users in mind.
Find out more about the features on offer and what to look for in a cordless phone in our How to buy the best cordless phone advice guide.
Technical testing
Our products undergo an extensive range of objective laboratory tests to assess performance:
Coverage
Which? tests the range of each cordless phone, testing the signal between base station and handset on different floors within the laboratory and through steel and brick walls.
The signal is measured at various distances and positions and the base station is surrounded by obstacles. All of the phones we’ve tested can take a call at a distance of at least 280 metres from the base station – great if you have a large garden.
Our head and torso simulator measures sound quality
Sound quality
Sound quality is subjectively tested by a panel of three experts who check the clarity and sound quality of the speaker in the handset and also the speakerphone function on the base station if the phone has one.
We also use a head and torso simulator to conduct technical Speech Quality Assessments, using simulator and analysis software to score the quality across phone calls.
Tests are carried out with and without background noise at both ends of the line to see whether a phone will allow for clearly audible calls no matter where you are.
Answering machine
We check the sound quality of the incoming messages played back on the answering machine and also the quality of the outgoing answering machine message.
Our testers check that the answering machine detects and receives very short messages, what happens if the time limit is reached on an incoming message and what happens when the machine’s memory is full.
Energy consumption
We check all products for energy consumption to make sure that they do not cost you, and the earth, once they’re switched on.
The battery life of cordless phones is tested by operating them under normal communication conditions. We test the power consumption of the base station with the phone removed and while the phone is sitting on the base station but fully charged, as well as checking to see if data is lost from the phone in the event of a power cut.
Ratings explained
All data sent back from our laboratories is carefully analysed by Which? staff so that the highs and lows of every product are revealed. If anything does not add up with a product then we will retest it.
If there's a fault we'll purchase a new product to see whether it’s a one-off issue, or symptomatic of a larger problem.
The cordless phone total test score ignores price and is based on:
- Communication quality 30%
- Ease of use 30%
- Versatility & features 20%
- Battery life 10%
- Signal coverage 5%
- Power use 5%
Ratings System:
| Which? star ratings | |
|---|---|
| rating | stars |
| Excellent |  |
| Good |  |
| Satisfactory |  |
| Poor |  |
| Very poor |  |
To be a Best Buy a cordless phone must score 68% or more if it has an answering machine built in, or 65% or more if it doesn’t have an answering machine.
Check out the Which? Best Buy cordless phones to find the best performing phones from our tests.