Which? Don't Buy cordless phones

Which? Don't Buy test results show the real life implications of buying a bad product. Don’t waste money on an inferior cordless phone that crackles when you speak or loses signal easily.

Instead let us help you to save time and money, by finding a great new home phone that will give you years of happy use. And with some of our best cordless phones costing less than £50, you won’t have to break the bank to do so. 

Join Which? to find out which cordless phones we've named as Don't Buys.

What makes a Don't Buy cordless phone

If you've ever tried to speak to someone using a handset with poor sound quality or decipher what is being said in an answering machine message, you'll already know how frustrating a rubbish cordless phone can be. But that's not the only common problem when it comes to cordless phones. Don't Buy handsets have hard to read screens, poorly-labelled buttons, confusing menus and low ring volumes, making it near impossible to hear when you have an incoming call.

With a wide range of cordless phones on offer at varying prices, it can be tempting to go for what is currently on offer. But with the cheapest Best Buy costing less than £40, it's clear that you don't need to spend big to pick up a great handset. With our expert guidance you can avoid overpriced Don't Buys, and spend your money with confidence knowing that the cordless phone you choose won't let you down. 

Unique cordless phone testing by Which?

Which? reviews the latest cordless phones from BT, Binatone, Panasonic, Philips and Gigaset. Our expert lab testing is based on over two decades of experience and we examine the features of each individual phone, including call-blocking capabilities, answering machine and sound quality when making and receiving calls.

• We test cordless phones on 85 unique criteria to ensure that we explore the full capabilities of every handset.
• We give every phone a Which? test score out of 100, so you can immediately see at a glance which are the best and worst.
• There is no bias and our tests cover a wide range of brands, prices and phone types, so you can be sure we’ll always recommend the right phone for you.

If we declare a cordless phone to be a Don't Buy, you can be sure it's one to avoid. No matter how attractive its price tag may be, it's not worth the trouble and inevitable regret.

Which? is independent – we work for you, the consumer, so you can be sure that our product recommendations are influenced only by our test results. We're not influenced by third parties and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers. We buy all the products that we test ourselves, so our advice helps you to make the right choice first time and avoid costly mistakes.

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