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We purchased the 9 top cordless phones and tested them all in the same home and office. We examined sound quality, range, battery life and how easy each was to use.
The Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W is our go-to choice. It has great sound quality, a long-range, and is very user-friendly. For Those shopping on a budget, the AT&T EL51203 is a reliable option at a great price point.
Editor's Note: We updated our cordless phone review on November 21, 2024, to provide additional advice on our award-winning choices.
If you are searching for the absolute best cordless phone, we highly recommend the Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W. “This model is one of the easiest to use,” remarks our lead tester, and boasts crystal-clear sound quality and impressively long range. This versatile phone offers plenty of features, like an integrated answering machine and the ability to expand the system with additional handsets. It also has a very long battery life, lasting more than 14 hours in our talk time test.
Unfortunately, this exceptional performance comes at a price; this phone is one of the most expensive in our test fleet. It also can't link to a smartphone via Bluetooth, so you'll have to consider an alternative model if that is your preferred use. We highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a top-tier cordless phone — it's still one of the all-time favorite models we have tested to date. Suppose you don't mind opting out of extra features and prefer to keep the budget in check. In that case, one of our testers points out that the AT&T BL102 is another fantastic option, “which offers similar audio quality and comparable range in a more budget-friendly package.”
If you're searching for a reliable phone to fit your budget, the AT&T EL51203 is an excellent choice. “The value of this phone is fantastic,” notes one tester, offering solid across-the-board performance at a reasonable price. The sound quality and range on the EL51203 are above average and relatively easy to use.
Though its mediocre battery life and somewhat limited feature set were unimpressive, these drawbacks only had a minor impact on this product's overall performance. “This is a great pick if you are shopping on a budget and don't want to make too many concessions regarding performance,” our lead tester said. It is hard to beat the value of the AT&T EL51203, but if you're willing to allocate more funds towards a phone with a stronger battery, we recommend the AT&T CL82207 as another great candidate. It scored considerably well in our battery life testing while offering a slightly higher price tag.
The AT&T CL82207 performed remarkably well in our testing process, narrowly missing the top spot overall. “It had the best sound quality in all our tests,” our tester noted, and it is hundreds of dollars less than the one phone that overall scored higher, the Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W. Its range, ease of use, and battery life are all solid and more than meet most people's needs. While it is more expensive than the AT&T EL51203, it is also much higher scoring and a great deal.
“The only big downside to this phone is that it lacks bells, whistles, and features on other top-scoring phones,” our lead tester mentioned. Look at our rating chart for other feature-rich options if you want all of those. However, many people may not want to pay for those features and may even prefer a simpler phone and interface. If that describes you, imagining a better phone for the money is hard.
We were so impressed by the sound quality of the affordable AT&T CL82207.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
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We tested all of these cordless phones side-by-side and offer you expert advice based on key performance metrics.
Credit: Laura Casner
How We Tested Cordless Phones
GearLab has been testing cordless phones since 2017. We push each phone to its limits, performing range tests by walking hundreds of feet away from the base to determine its maximum range. We also ran dozens of hours of recordings to ascertain how long you can talk on each model. A widespread group of users came together to evaluate and compare each phone's ease of use and interface.
Our testing of cordless phones is divided into five rating metrics:
Sound Quality (30% of overall score weighting)
Range (25% weighting)
Ease of Use (20% weighting)
Features (15% weighting)
Battery Life (10% weighting)
Why Trust GearLab
Our cordless phone testing team of Austin Palmer and David Wise have tested hundreds of tech products and over a dozen different cordless phones. Austin has years of experience utilizing and testing consumer electronics, including time spent on the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, where he has put accessories such as GPS and battery packs to the ultimate test. David earned his B.S. in Robotics Engineering from MIT in 2014, contributing a specialized perspective with a strong background in science and engineering. They have used their extensive background in reviewing consumer tech products to formulate a testing plan and process that truly highlights the differences in these products. A separate panel of judges was also convened to compare and rate the audio recordings created with each phone.
We performed specific tests with each phone, while also using each model daily around the office for real-world comparisons.
This phone is very easy to operate in our minds.
We fully charged each model before we performed the battery tests, leaving them to transmit a "call" until the batteries ran out.
How to Choose the Best Cordless Phone
Even though mobile phones have now surpassed home phones as the dominant means of communication, there are still some good reasons to consider purchasing a cordless phone unit. Our in-depth buying advice article goes into even more detail, but there are a few key questions you can ask yourself to help guide your purchase decision.
Do You Have a Landline?
This may seem like an obvious prerequisite for purchasing a cordless phone, but you'd be surprised how many models we tested that can link to your cell phone. This feature is especially useful if you have difficulty with cell service in part of your home — you can leave your cell phone in that spot and then use the cordless handsets spread throughout your home to answer the phone. We've highlighted which models have this capability under the specs listed in our comparison chart.
How Many Handsets Do You Need?
Depending on the size of your home or office, you may want or need to build a network of handsets based on a single base unit. If this is part of your plan, then there are several specs listed in our comparison chart that you'll want to pay particular attention to. First, check how many expandable handsets each model can handle. It is also important to note the listed obstructed range because each handset will be separated into different rooms; or if you're planning a new phone system for an open office setting, the unobstructed range is more pertinent. We further discuss the merits of the highest-performing phones in our Range metric.
Are You Hard of Sight or Hearing?
A cordless phone can be much easier for folks who are hard of sight or hearing. Physical buttons — especially illuminated ones with large font — are easier to read and press than touch-screen buttons. We've highlighted our favorite options in our Ease of Use metric, which considers several key characteristics and ranks models according to overall user-friendliness. For folks who are hard of hearing, we have also ranked every model based on the clarity of a phone call in our Sound Quality metric.
The AT&T BL102 is simple and easy to use.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Analysis and Test Results
To help you determine the right model for your needs, we broke our testing process into five weighted rating metrics — sound quality, range, ease of use, features, and battery life. We aggregated the results from each category to determine the overall performance for all cordless phones. To make our ratings as practical and fair as possible, we used a mixture of objective side-by-side assessments, like maximum range and battery life, and more subjective tests, like audio quality, using a panel of judges.
What's the Best Value?
If you are shopping for a new phone on a budget, it is hard to go wrong with the AT&T EL51203. This model offers acceptable performance and can be purchased surprisingly cheaply. However, to maintain its approachable price, there are a few compromises. It has a slightly inferior sound quality and range and lacks key features like built-in answering machines. For some, this might be a deal-breaker. If so, consider the more expensive Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W or AT&T CL82207. The AT&T DL72219 can also be a good budget option, with a price point and performance that usually falls right between the top-tier and the budget-friendly options.
We appreciate the layout of the handset on the AT&T DL72219, which is very easy to use.
Credit: Jason Peters
Sound Quality
Sound quality is an integral part of a phone. The principal function of a telephone is hearing and understanding someone in a different area. Cordless phones offer clear conversations without the hassle of a cord. Our sound quality test may be more subjective, but it is a good analog of what most people will use these products for.
To test each model's sound quality, we set up the base of each phone and moved the handset a consistent distance away. We then left a voicemail on Google Voice with each model and read a passage from a book (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne). Next, our panel of listeners rated each message's quality and characteristics without knowing the handset's make or model.
The AT&T CL82207 performed best in our sound quality metric, sharing the top spot in this performance metric. The CL82207 leaves extremely clear messages, with a noticeable lack of static compared to many of the other models. Though not the loudest phone in the group, its sound levels are suitable.
We never noticed any static or buzzing with the AT&T CL82207, which offers excellent sound quality.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W, AT&T TL86103, the AT&T DL72219, the VTech VS112-2, and the AT&T BL102 offer good sound quality, though listeners can detect some very slight distortion and a noticeable reduction in volume.
These second-tier phones all do a good job of keeping conversation sounding fairly close to face-to-face conversations but just a bit worse than the top-tier models. One thing we appreciate about all of these phones is the limited to nonexistent background buzzing or hissing.
The VTech VS112-2 offers decent sound quality, though it was among the models that produced a noticeable amount of distortion.
Credit: Laura Casner
Range
Our next metric rated and scored the effective range of each of these products. Since range can vary wildly, depending on the number and type of obstructions, we split our range metric into two distinct tests: an unobstructed line-of-sight test and an obstructed test with multiple walls between the base and handset.
All the phones we tested thoroughly impressed us with their unobstructed range, which we would guess would be more than enough for just about any application. The Panasonic KX-TGD532W made easy work of the unobstructed range test, making a clear and understandable call with over 840 feet separating the base from the handset.
However, our second test with multiple walls truly separated the top-tier phones from the rest of the pack. We left each phone's base inside the house, forcing the phone signal to pass through approximately six walls. Our tester walked each phone along the test course and played an audiobook into each handset. Our test course had markers every 40 feet, up to the end of the street, and our tester called out the number of each marker over the audiobook as he walked by. We then listened to each voice message to determine the effective obstructed range of each product.
The Panasonic KX-TGD532W continued to perform very well in the obstructed tests as well. We successfully carried on a conversation with more than 300 feet separating the base and the handset. There were tiny bits of static, and the call quality was diminished, but you could still easily carry on a conversation at this distance.
The AT&T CL82207, Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W, and the AT&T DL72219 followed, matching the top scorers in the line-of-sight test but falling a little short in the multiple-obstructions test. The audio of the CL82207 wasn't as clear at 300 feet, making it nearly unintelligible.
The VTech VS112-2 offers one of the best ranges of any cordless phone we tested.
Credit: Laura Casner
The AT&T DL72219 did a bit better than the CL82207 in the obstructed range test, peaking at close to 390'. However, one interesting thing that we noticed about this phone is that it only seems to do well at the furthest extents of its range if you are standing still. The call quality would plummet the moment we started moving but then resume whenever we stopped.
The Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W did very well in the unobstructed test, matching the performance of the best phones overall. It only made it about 280' in the obstructed test before the call quality started to suffer, with it entirely dropping around 390 feet.
We were impressed by the range of the Panasonic KX-TGM420W.
Credit: Laura Casner
The VTech VS112 and the AT&T EL51203 received above-average results in our range test. These two reached the maximum distance in the unobstructed test, but their effective range dropped quite a bit in the obstructed test, with the audio cutting out 50-80 feet closer to the base than the top products.
The range of the AT&T TL96273 will probably suffice for most folks.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Use
Our next set of tests rated and scored the user-friendliness and ease of operating each cordless phone. We looked at what people typically use their telephone for — making and receiving a phone call, paging a lost handset, and entering numbers into a phone book — as well as some of the more advanced functions of each product.
When it comes to ease of use, the Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W, the Panasonic KX-TGD532W, and the AT&T DL72219 all tied for the top spot overall. The Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W has a very large display that makes it easy to read the number as you enter it, somewhat making up for the lack of hyphenation. The find-a-phone feature makes it easy to locate a lost handset, and the menu layout is very intuitive for things like saving a phone number or calling back a missed call.
The base unit of the KX-TGM420W is as easy to use as the handheld.
Credit: Laura Casner
The KX-TGD532W has an ample backlight and a very easy-to-read display. The page function makes it easy to locate a misplaced handset, and it has one of the loudest ringers in the group. This phone also has an integrated answering machine and makes easy work of answering calls, adjusting basic settings, and muting calls. We did wish that it hyphenated phone numbers when entered, though.
The buttons on the VTech VS112-2 have a very large font, which makes it particularly easy to use.
Credit: Laura Casner
The more advanced menus are intuitive to navigate, and it isn't a huge hassle to block calls or save numbers to your phonebook. The AT&T DL72219 has a solid backlight and illuminated keys that make it easy to read in a dark environment. It has a decently loud page function that makes it easy to locate a misplaced headset, beeping about every 1.5 seconds for a full minute when activated. The text on the screen is large enough for most people to easily read at a distance of 6' — made even easier by the fact that this phone hyphenates the numbers.
Even though the AT&T DL72219 is a bit light on features, it is incredibly easy to use.
Credit: Jason Peters
The DL72219 has a solidly loud ringer, and it's easy to make calls or quickly call back a missed call, though we did notice that this phone is missing a speed dial or a “Hold” function. It also makes it very convenient and easy to use some of the more advanced functions. Inputting names and numbers into the directory is nothing especially user-friendly, but we do like how easy it is to block calls with this cordless phone. Unfortunately, this does require a CallerID subscription to function. The menus are intuitive and easy to navigate through, and the quiet mode is easy to set for when you don't want to be disturbed.
Even for folks who aren't the most tech-savvy, the AT&T CL82207 is particularly easy to use.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The AT&T CL82207 is very easy to read, but the speed dial function is harder to use, and calling back a missed number is less intuitive than it is on some of its rivals. The ringer is also a bit quiet on the CL82207, but it has a very bright display, making it easy to use in a dark room.
The layout of the VTech VS112-2 makes it very easy to pull up a voicemail and return the call.
Credit: Laura Casner
The VTech VS112 has a decent backlight and one of the group's loudest page/find-a-phone features. It also has a very large and easy-to-read font on its display, with hyphenated numbers when dialing. It's about average to make and answer calls but does lack a speed dial feature. The AT&T BL102 followed, with its slightly above-average ease of use. It's a little trickier to enter and save numbers in your phonebook, but it is much easier to use the speed dial function on this pair of phones than many competitors. They are also very easy to read and provide more than enough light for a dark environment.
The numbers on the AT&T BL102 are really easy to read
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Features
Current cordless phones have an assortment of features, so it can be overwhelming to consider them all when shopping for a new one. We compiled a comprehensive list of features across all the models that we tested and weighted scores based on the features that we felt were the most useful and important to us.
After extensive use and testing of these phones, we felt that the most important features were keypad lighting, whether or not the base had a keypad/speaker, and the ability to add additional handsets. The AT&T TL86103 earned top marks for having most of the features we think consumers are seeking. It was docked a bit for relatively small buttons and less-than-stellar keypad lighting. However, it has an integrated keypad, speaker on the main base, link-to-cell capabilities, and an integrated answering machine, belt clip, and audio jack to connect a headset for hands-free operation.
The Panasonic KX-TGD532W comes up a bit short on features compared to other models we tested.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W doesn't have a keypad on its main base but does have a speaker. It can be used as an intercom system and has an integrated answering machine. We also liked that you could expand the system with additional handsets, which have both headphone jacks and belt clips. It has a phonebook with a capacity of 100 entries but can't be linked to a smartphone.
To top it off, the KX-TGM420W even has a top-notch battery life.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Panasonic KX-TGD532W delivered average results in this metric. You can expand the system to up to 6 handsets, and it has a modest phonebook with up to 100 entries. The handsets don't have a belt clip or headphone jack, and the main base doesn't have a speaker or keypad, but we do like the larger buttons and the bright keypad lighting. You can also use this phone as an in-home intercom.
We like a lot about the VTech VS112-2, but it can only expand to five handsets, which might not be enough for an office.
Credit: Laura Casner
Battery Life
One downside to having a cordless model compared to a corded phone is the handset's potential to have a completely depleted battery, therefore making it unusable. A corded phone can draw power over the incoming phone line, while a cordless handset has an internal, rechargeable battery that will recharge through the base of the phone. To test the manufacturer's claimed talk time, we set up a handset from each model around a speaker playing music and called our Google Voice number. We timed how long each phone lasted and when the low battery indicator came on.
One of the models tested, the AT&T TL86103, has a corded handset on its base, allowing it to operate in a telephone line power mode. This would be something to consider if you lived in a place that commonly had power outages, as this phone will continue to work in a situation where the power is out, but the phone line is still intact. However, it is only possible to use the corded handset at the base when it is in this line power mode, not any of the cordless handsets.
We gathered our contestants around a speaker for the battery test while the phones left a voice message.
Credit: Kat Elliot
The Panasonic KX-TGM420W + KX-TGMA44W is a top scorer in this category, lasting 13.5+ hours before dying. This was followed by the AT&T CL82207 and the AT&T TL86103, which both lasted for about the same length in our talk time test, but each had a shorter claimed standby life and took longer to charge. The AT&T EL51203 and the VTech CS6719-2 scored just below average. The VTech CS6719-2 lasted just shy of 11 hours, while the AT&T EL51203 was able to make it a little over 10.
We weren't particularly impressed by the battery life of the VTech VS112-2.
Credit: Laura Casner
Conclusion
Some may view this category as antiquated, but plenty of individuals and businesses still rely on cordless phones and use them daily. There is an enormous variety of phones on the market today, and while you might not put a lot of initial thought into your purchase decision for this category, we found a poorly performing phone to be incredibly frustrating. With so many impressive options available, there's no reason for that. Hopefully, this review has given you the information you need to make the perfect choice for your purposes and budget, whether you are looking for the latest and greatest tech to integrate into your home or just a simple phone that delivers great sound without breaking the bank.
