Customer Reviews

Uniden DCT 648-2 2.4 GHz Expandable Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets, Answering System, and Caller ID

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Uniden DCT648-3HS

Pros

* Bright easily read display
* Phone is small and fits in hand nicely
* Message notification light on handset and blinking led on base
* Messages can be accessed on any handset as well as base
* Handsets can be named (example: bedroom, living room, etc.)
* Speakerphone in handset and base
* When using the speakerphone on handset and base the other caller couldn't tell that I was using a speakerphone
* Very good volume on handset, and equally as good using the speakerphones on both handset and base
* Speed dial numbers can be assigned to numbers 1 thru 0 on the keypad
* Battery condition icon
* DirectLink Mode (a pair of handsets can work like walkie talkies away from the base unit)
* Room Monitor (one phone can call another and the second phone will turn on the speakerphone allowing you to listen in that room)
* Different ringers can be assigned to a phone number in the directory, so when that particular person calls that melody or ringer will sound.

Cons

* I was frequently getting a tinny sound coming from the handset. Also was hearing my voice in earpiece on the handset which is quite annoying.
* In the speakerphone mode on the handset the sound is constantly getting low then comes back.
* Only a 2 digit pin code for accessing messages (I wish phone manufacturers was use at a minimum, 3 digits. It wouldn't take much for somebody to guess a two digit number)

Conclusion

Uniden seems to have done their homework when designing their new 2.4GHz phones, but the issues with the handset and speakerphone detract from an otherwise excellent phone in my opinion.

Other Uniden phones that I've tested in the past have never had the issue with the tinny sound. I'm not sure if this tinny sound and the problems with the fading sound from the handset speaker phone are some how related. I originally thought that extra noise in my home office were causing the handset speakerphone fading, but when I went into another room that was quiet it still faded. I then thought that maybe the handset I was using was bad but I checked the other two the system came with and they also faded when using the speakerphone. Whether or not you can live with these shortcomings is up to the individual, but obviously sound is the most important aspect of a phone. If a phone cannot deliver good sound then all of the other extra's it comes with are pretty much useless.

So, can I live with the sound problems! I just don't know at this point. They are great phones..................but!!!!!

I have two phone lines, and each has one of these Uniden systems with a base unit and 3 handsets. The base units sit next to each other, over the top of my computer, and there is no interference.

There are a number of specific things I really like about this system:

- The built-in answering machine can be accessed from any of the handsets. If there is a new message waiting, a light flashes on the handsets to alert you. The base unit also has the option to beep at you until you listen to the message. The answering machine is very customizable

- The handsets have a speaker phone, and I can switch back and forth from speaker phone and I have never had someone on the other end say "are you on a speaker phone? you sound like you're in a tunnel" (like they always did on my old phone)

- You can send the phonebook entries from one handset to another.

- There are lots of ring tones to choose from. You can set up different ring tones for different callers (if you have caller-ID)

- When you want to add a handset to the system, you just place it in the base and voila it's registered.

- You can use the handsets as walkie-talkies away from home. You also use them as a baby monitor.

- The handsets are small and lightweight and accept a headset. I put on my headset, clip the phone to my belt, and can talk for hours.

- With my previous phone, I had constant problems with accidentally hitting the mute button while I was talking. I have never had any such problems with the uniden.

- The battery life seems great. I recall one marathon 5-hour phone call, and the battery was fine.

- The sound quality is great.

- The display is very easy to read. You can name your handsets.

I can only think of one complaint. When on a call, if you want switch to another handset, you can't just pick up another handset and push Talk... you have to transfer the call to that handset. That is not that big a problem, but it has taken some getting used to, and has resulted in hanging up on people a few times.

All in all, after 4 months I am very happy with this phone system.

I initally bought these phones before and took them back to the store, thinking I didn't like the small size, in large part because they could never sound as good as 'normal' sized phones. (I have a big head, so there's a long span for a phone to cover. :) So I finally settled on the AT&T E2715B/E1215B, a 2.4 G set with two handsets. However, I kept coming across these Unidens and re-reading the reviews and finally broke down and tried them again.

As a comparison test, I switched back and forth between AT&T and Uniden in both receiving and making calls (left myself messages at work). In normal handset use, the Uniden blows the AT&T away! It has much fuller sound and 'presence' in both listening and speaking, whereas the AT&T sounds like a radio using only a little tweeter. However, I thought the AT&T's speakerphone to have a little better sound. The headset quality is comparable between the two, although each has different tone - the AT&T being more treble, the Uniden having more bass.

That said, I actually prefer the AT&T phone's ergonomic shape and the way it fits my hand, simple uncluttered layout, larger buttons, and green backlight (over the Uniden's garish orange). Just not sure I'm ready to switch to a cell sized phone permanently.

Since I like talking on a headset more than a handset, I did one more comparison test of the Uniden against the 900 Mhz GE cordless headset phone I've used for a couple of years. Both come across with a quite decent sound, but the Uniden comes across a bit louder and clearer.

Some negatives of the Uniden, most not unique to this brand of phone:
1. As noted by others, I've noticed 'burps' with 2.4 GHz phones while using the microwave, not too surprising with both devices working on the same frequency. Not a big problem, unless you normally talk and cook at the same time.
2. I'd like a better selection of ringtones. The selection of 20 just isn't that great. (How about a sound clip that mimics the old ringing phones, for us geezers old enough to remember when most phones had cords and dials? The AT&T even has that!)
3. This last one is a stupid, *stupid* design mistake made by practically every brand of cordless phone with a caller ID display: The readout is right next to the receiver output; after every call, the display is smeared with skin oils; I can only wonder how many times of wiping this off it will take for the display to become scratched and hard to read! Manufacturers, please recess the displays or put more space between them and the receiver area!

(I haven't used the intercom feature yet and did not get the model with the answering system, so I can't comment on those features.)

In sum, I have to agree with most of the reviewers here that these phones appear to be a surprisingly good buy. I hope they hold up over time as well as my old stalwart 900 Mhz handset phone they replaced.

Update: My GE answering machine kicked the bucket, so I took back the pair of Uniden phones and picked up the version with the answering machine. Big mistake! While I can't say enough good things about the audio quality of the handsets themselves, messages on the answering system sound like a 25 yr. old cassette tape - a little muffled and slightly garbled (like a very low bitrate digital recording). I know it wasn't the connection because the prerecorded voice that guides you through the options came through loud and clear. So once again, I returned the phones. If you want small, cell-size phones with excellent sound quality, get these Unidens. But skip the answering system!!

We are very satisfied (if not blown away) by this phone. For the price it has some very nice features. We especially like that we can access messages from any phone(we also purchased extra handset to go with this system)and we really like the speaker phone feature on each handset. The handsets are a little small but that's not all bad. Sound is a little tunnel-like but not a deal breaker for us. Paid less for this system plus an extra handset than we could find in any other brand that had same features.

This is the first review I have written on Amazon.com, but felt compelled to write one for this great set of phones from Uniden. I have only had them approx. 1 week, but the sound and feature set is great. I had one small issue with static and the echo mentioned in other reviews, but after moving the base station to a more open area (instead of inside an entertainment center), this cleared up. The sound/reception is great, now.

Pros:

1. Phonebook copy. Contacts stored in phone can be copied to all handsets. Many other phones will not do this.

2. Speaker phone on each handset.

3. Digital answering machine is very user friendly. You can check messages from any handset, which is very handy.

4. 20 ring tones to choose from, and distinctive ring tones can be assigned to your contacts so you know who is calling just by hearing the ring.

5. Color (silver casing with orange backlighting) is very cool, and highly visible in low-light situations.

Cons:

1. When on a call, if you switch to another handset due to battery/location/etc., you have to transfer the call to that handset. You cannot just pick up another handset and push "Talk". This disconnects the call you are on. This is explained in detail in the manual, and is fairly simple to do, but annoying if your phone battery is about to give out.

2. Numbers stored in contacts do not appear that way on caller id, as with many cell phones. Not a very big drawback, but would be nice to see "MOM CELL" pop up instead of "Birmigham, AL 205-###-###". I store phone numbers for a reason, so I don't have to remember them.

Conclusion:

This is one of the best sets around for under $100.00. In most cases, you can find them in a 3 phone set for around $90.00. The feature set is excellent, the phones look great, and battery life seems to be very good. The use of NI-MH batteries is nice, as the NI-CD batteries seem to develop a memory and not hold a charge much quicker than the NI-MH or lithium batteries. I would definitely recommend this set to anyone.

So far, this phone is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I wanted to try out the two handsets concept, and that works great. I have the second handset plugged into the bedroom outlet where no phone jack is required. I can't get over how much phone I got for the price. It has the built in answering machine, speaker phone, phonebook, multiple ring tones (about 20 I think), I could go on and on. There's really a ton of neat features, only half of which I'll probably ever use. You can even use the two handsets as walkie-talkies without even being near the base. The answering machine was easy to set up as are the handsets. Most of it is relatively intuitive, although if you need to refer to the manual, it is easy to understand. The handsets are small, which may or may not be to everyone's preference. I actually like them small, because they are lightweight and easy to attach to my belt. They aren't too lightweight either, meaning that they don't feel flimsy or empty at all. I have not experiened anything unpleasant in the sound quality. The sound has been crystal clear for me. Also, the range on this phone is very impressive. I walked to my neighbor's house with barely any interference. I have always had good experiences with the Uniden brand. Every time I've tried another brand, I've ended up unhappy. This model is sleek and stylish, compact and full of features. Most of all, the quality of sound and construction is excellent. I would highly recommend this phone.

I work from home and I use these phones constantly throughout the day. They perform flawlessly. The sound quality and reception are superb. The battery life is amazing...I'm on long calls all the time -- 2 or 3 hours or more, and the battery has never died. I don't even know if there is a warning tone for low battery. I love the speakerphone built into the handsets...I use that all the time, and people can't even tell I'm on a speakerphone. All the other features...the mute, redial, phone book, caller ID, all work great as well. Right now I'm in the process of moving to a bigger home and I'm shopping for two DCX640's to complete the system! I would recommend these phones to anyone.

These phones are great, they have long battery charge time away from cradle and are loaded with features. Easy to use. A great buy!

I bought this along with two extra handsets while visiting my parents. My parents had two 900 mhz phones and one answering machine that picked up after four rings. By the time my mom got around to answering the phone she had to shut the annoying answering machine off. I upgraded their answering machine and phones and with this 2.4 ghz system along with two extra handsets. Now they've got a phone in each bedroom as well as one in the kitchen. I managed to set everything up the morning I left (after the minimum required initial 15 hour charge time). The answering machine picks up after 6 rings and each handset has been programmed to answer after picking it up from the charger (stopping the answering machine). I really like the speaker phone feature in each of the handsets too. The handsets are quite small but are all fully functional with caller ID. BTW you only need one phone line and four electrical outlets for each handset and answering machine.

It's almost impossible to bring a cordless phone home and it's almost perfect. This is that phone... cute, easy to hold, good sound, loud enough, speaker phone good, not too bulky, not too small, you can add additional phones to it. So when I'm too lazy to go upstairs to ask my mom a question, I just hit the button and call her to the other handset. You can also use it in "monitor" mode. Easy to read display, easy to program and program different rings for different people in your address book.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because for some reason, after I had it for several months, I started having problems with my DSL and we found out that this particular phone was disrupting my phone signal. Moved the phone around the house, and the problem was always this phone. When I replaced it with a Bell South phone, I didn't have the problem with the phone line any more, but the Bell South phone has horrible sound quality... so, I'm going to buy another Uniden and try it again.