Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG5050W 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone (White)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I went to Target to get another KX-TG2216 2.4GHz phone to have in the house when I came across this new KX-TG5050 5.8GHz phone and the price wasn't too bad, so I bought one.

First of all I've been very happy with the quality of the KX-TG2216 so I was a little leary of experimenting with another model. Let me just say that I'm very happy and impressed with the features of this new 5.8GHz phone. They have taken all of the features of the 2.4GHz phone I have and expanded them.

The one feature that I wish all phones would have is the directory matching feature, and now Panasonic seems to have included this on these new phones.....kudo's Panasonic. The way this works is that when you receive a call and if the number of the person is calling is matched in you directory that's how it's displayed on the phone. In other words if you have your mother in your phone book as "MOM" this is how it will show on the display. Panasonic calls this feature "Personalized Name Display".

On to the display. The new display is not only larger but the black lettering against the orange background makes to easier viewing.

The sound quality is very good with plenty of volume. The listening volume on the handset as well as the speakerphone are loud enough for us folks who are middle aged and only hear half of what people are saying to us.

There is now one touch soft buttons for both voicemail and the internal phone directory. Thanks Panasonic for now using a nickle netal hydride battery. When I first saw this battery I thought is was a lithium because of it's small size but it turns out to be nickle metal hydride with 830 milli amps output and seems to work very good so far.

Physically the phone itself is the same size as my 2.4GHz but Panasonic has shortened the antenna by about 1 1/2" inches. Speaking of the antenna, when you have voicemail a light built into the top flashes slowly indicating someone has left you voicemail. Also the light flashes rapidly when you receive a call. This would be nice if you chose to turn the ringer off but still want to visually know when someone is calling.

All in all I'm very happy with this phone and I would definitely give it a:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I used to have a twin antenna, speakerphone base, 900 MHZ, semi waterproof Panasonic which was very good. This phone is without the base unit speakerphone (which I rarely used on the previous incarnation).

Generally speaking, I like it.

The Pros...
It has a nice long walkabout range, my old headset/microphone fits fine, the locator works, I can read the numbers without my glasses and the menu is straight forward. The address book is easy to use once you see how it is done. The redial function is easy to use. I love the flashing ringer; it tells me that I have a call even when there is something loud going on.

The cons...
The Caller IQ is a little off the mark as I have my PC sitting next to my phone and it is pretty easy to get FREE weather, stock prices and sports while I check my email. The volume on the ringer needs to be louder; it only has 3 settings. The Voice Enhancer has to be OFF all the time as folks say I "warble" as I talk with it even though I hear them fine.

I hear the other party great, unfortunately they universally tell me they can't understand a word I am saying. I have tried leaving a voicemail message for myself to check it, and it sounds like a really bad cell phone connection. This happens even if I am right next to the base station, and even if I have the clarity booster on. It is not a problem with any of my other cordless phones so it is not a line problem. I have no other 5.8ghz devices in my home, so I doubt it is an interference problem. Instead of simple quality they have loaded the phone with ridiculous data services that no one is every doing to use. Needless to say, tech support is non responsive.

It seems that these days, buying a cordless phone is hit or miss. I previously owned a Sony 2.4 Ghz phone that lasted about 5 years, but it interfered with my wireless LAN. I decided to replace it, and in the process, I bought and returned 3 different VTech phones, a Uniden phone, and a Motorola phone. All of them had problems or just didn't work well, and in one case (one of the VTech phones), not at all. Out of all of those phones, the Motorola 5.8 Ghz phone was the best, but the earpiece volume was very low, the phone uses the 2.4 Ghz band to transmit back to the base, and the one I bought developed a very loud buzz in the handset and base speakerphone after about a week of use. After much frustration and time spent standing in lines to return phones, I decided to try the Panasonic KX-TG5050W.

This is by far the best cordless phone I've ever purchased. The sound quality is excellent, the construction of the phone is very sturdy, and the phone is very easy to set up and use. The fact that the phone actually both transmits and receives at 5.8 Ghz is great, too. I also love the fact that this phone uses NiMH batteries rather than the NiCad batteries that tend to lose the ability to keep a charge after awhile. The handset speaker phone is an excellent extra touch that makes this such a great phone to own.

I love this phone.

My Panasonic 900 MHz bit the dust after 5 years of excellent service for me and my home business. Well, enter this phone.

Many great features:

- Voice Enhancer. Works great when you have people that have difficulty with the English language. No really. People who mumble or had a few too many drinks, it really helps "hear" them better.

- Accessing your "phone book" is easy and adding people makes it much easier with the caller ID function. I have a friend who's name does not appear on the caller ID as it's his roommate's phone but it was easy to alter it to his name as I wouldn't know his roommate from Adam if I passed him on the street.

- Excellent range. I tested out the range and went three houses down and turned the corner and it wasn't until my neighbor's house blocked my signal...until that point I could hear the other party perfectly as could she hear me as well. I am sure it would have gone farther.

- Speakerphone!!! It's not on the base, it's on your handset which is great so you aren't tied to one place in your home. I had called my father and asked him if he could tell if I was on a speakerphone and he was quite surprised. The main surprise for him is that I didn't sound like I was in a well or wine cellar. My best friend who is a receptionist couldn't tell either and she gets tons of calls from speakerphones all the time.

- Redial allows you to see the last 5 numbers you have dialed as opposed to just the last number you dialed.

- Menus are easy to work through.

Things I am not tickled about: If a party calls you more than once since you have last answered the phone or gone through your Caller ID, it only registers the last time they called. You may think they only have called once when in fact they have called 4 times. Caller IQ is of no benefit to me. I have my computer on 24/7 so any information they offer for my phone is of no use. One last thing I don't find that works well (same with my 900 MHz) is the voice mail message alert. It's spotty and doesn't work but about 30% of the time.

Other than that last part, I love this phone. It's a good price for good technology; I have always been partial to Panasonic and they did not disappoint with this phone.

Although I can hear just fine, I get a lot of complaints of poor sound quality from people on the other end unless I use the "Clarity Booster". Unfortunately, that cannot be programmed as the default choice and you have to turn it on every call - a really stupid design. My landline is clear as was my previous portable phone (a Radio Shack 900 MHz spread spectrum model).

This phone is easy to setup, has clear sound, and several good features. The address book is easy to use, and the lighted antenna is a good idea. The range is sufficient, not spectacular (about 100ft), and the battery life seems long.

However, the first one I brought home sounded great on our end, but everyone I called complained about distorted sound. This problem was particularly bad when I was closer to the base. I returned this phone for a new one, so far I have been happy with the replacement.

I would buy this phone again, if I could be assured of avoiding the problems with distorted sound.

I have owned many cordless phones over the years and the Panasonic KX-TG5050W is far and away the best!! Overall quality is outstanding! This phone has good range. Sound quality is excellent. Speakerphone is great in every way. It's very easy to operate. It looks great and fits comfortably in the hand. And, the price was very good, excellent if you buy it with the $30 rebate. I don't know what more a person could ask for in a phone with similar features??

Some reviewers complain about poor sound quality but on my end the sound is crystal clear, even when using the handset speakerphone which is amazing. And, I have had no complaints from people on the other end of the line. I can't say enough good things about this phone and see absolutely no negatives.

After reading some of these reviews, I wasn't sure I'd be keeping this phone. First, I called someone up to see if they could clearly hear me. Check. Then I brought the handset real close to the base, to see if it worked, Check. Then I operated my wireless network to see if it interfered. Check. The phone feels solid in your hand. The speakerphone is in the handset and not the base. The phone uses NiMH batteries much like a cell phone. The display on the handset indicates how much juice it has left, unlike the phone I'm replacing. It's a shame that so many people are having trouble with this model. Must be some compatibility issue with some phone systems but not others?

Hi, I use this phone 10hrs a day. It is VERY comfortable, and it has GREAT business features. Outlook Sync - FINALLY!!! a service that takes your phonebook and puts it in the phone. I did 35 numbers in 5 minutes. Great mute function, mutes the headset too. Also, it might not seem like a big deal, but the belt clip in very sturdy...it doesn't fling the phone off when you sit down. I love the flashing antenna that signals the v-mails... I would reccomend this phone to anyone who needs a great phone with intuative business features...FIVE STARS