Top 50 Home Phones dissected

The average home phone or DECT phone is rapidly becoming as sophisticated as your mobile. See, many of these clever callers are now loaded with SIM slots, SMS talents and the like.

But relax and let our fingers do the walking as The Insider picks four of the home phones that matter most.

Top of the tree
BT Synergy 4500 Twin
Best price: £35.99 on 7 May 2008
Sitting smugly on the top branch is one of BT’s very own. At first glance it seems unremarkable, but it does tick a lot of boxes. This most popular of DECT phones is packing solid wireless range on the two handsets, caller display and an answer machine. Best of all though is the SIM card reader for transferring all the numbers from your mobile to its 255-entry phonebook. Smart.
Up against: Panasonic KX-TG8222 Twin

Rising star
iDECT X1 Twin
Best price: £36.17 on 7 May 2008
Maybe iDECT’s futuristic phone is ahead of its time as the X1 has yet to climb into the top 25. This stylish handset is much slimmer than your average dog and bone and the unique white backlit inverse display looks space age. Thanks to the built-in phone book you can store 50 chums too – well, their details anyway.
Up against: BT Freestyle 610 Twin

Unsung hero
Panasonic KXTCD240
Best price: £31.90 on 7 May 2008
One for the home office and requiring a certain amount of desk space is Panasonic’s underrated DECT answer phone. Its dual keyboard makes dialling easier while your working. A 200-entry phone book is built and you can send SMS messages as you would with a mobile. More importantly, the handset backlight is a lurid green.
Up against: Panasonic KX-TG8220

Loved by experts
Siemens Gigaset SL565
Best price: £75.25 on 7 May 2008
What’s not to love about this classy handset that, with numerous TV appearances, is rapidly becoming a modern classic. It’s not the feature set that attracts rave reviews from the experts, but a feeling of quality. The base station screws inconspicuously to the wall, while the handsome handset sits in a weighty cradle on your polished designer desk. Very plush indeed.
Up against: BT Graphite Twin

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