Home

Philips VOIP841 review

Darien Graham-Smith October 7, 2009

£103

Price when reviewed

With around four million DSL subscribers in the UK, Voice over IP is ready to become a true consumer service. This month, we look at three dual-mode telephones that promise to bring market-leading VoIP service Skype to the broadband-equipped masses.

All three phones present a standard Skype-branded user interface, and all work in the same way, with a charging cradle that connects wirelessly to a base station that plugs directly into your DSL router, removing the need for a PC. Configuration is as easy as plugging in a few cables and entering your Skype credentials into the handset. Once you’re up and running, the handset will receive voice calls to your DSL line (or to your incoming Skype number, if you have one) and make outgoing calls via either landline or Skype according to your preference. The experience is reassuringly similar to using a normal cordless phone, and on our 8MB/sec DSL line the quality of VoIP was wholly indistinguishable from a landline call.

Feature sets are also broadly identical: all three phones offer conveniences including speakerphone, live balance display and headset connectivity, and all support optional services such as an address book and voicemail if you’ve set them up in your Skype profile.

That’s not to say the phones are equal. Given that they’re aimed at the consumer market, the Netgear SPH200D looks singularly out of place. Its bulky handset, tiny screen and cheap rubber keys feel outdated, and the menu system is a little too sluggish for comfort. It does have its good points, though. The 12hr talk/120hr standby time is more than up to domestic use and, as well as the standard navigation keys and numeric pad, you’ll find buttons to mute the loudspeaker and microphone, and to start an intercom call if you have more than one handset. The base station offers a web-based interface, so you can use your PC to view usage statistics and configure a few settings.

Still, to actually make calls you have no choice but to use the handset; and since this is a comparatively unpleasant way to access a standard service, we’d be inclined to look elsewhere.

The RTX DUALphone 3088 may not exactly enhance your décor, but it looks businesslike, and although the screen is only slightly bigger than the Netgear’s, it fits more comfortably with the proportions of the handset. The user interface is also better realised: menus are more responsive, and usability is further helped by the addition of a “select” button in the middle of the navigation keys. It’s not all good news: there’s no web interface, and the phone’s keypad is slightly stiff and uncomfortable. Talk and standby times are given as “more than” ten and 100 hours respectively, suggesting they may fall short of the competition. We also noticed that the ringer wasn’t as powerful as the other two phones: you could miss a call if you were a few rooms away. Overall, however, the DUALphone does its job well, and it comes with 30 minutes of free calls to landlines. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a good-value option.

The Philips VOIP841 actually feels like a consumer device, from the stylish graphite design to the buttons that travel with a solid click. Even the shiny black base station has an air of class. In terms of features, too, the VOIP841 shows its rivals how it should be done. It matches each of the Netgear’s good points – battery life, extra buttons, web interface – while offering a user interface that’s as responsive as the DUALphone’s. Sadly, the screen is no bigger than the Netgear’s, but Philips’ smart handset design makes the diminutive display feel more cute than cramped.
The real downside is the price. £103 is a lot to pay for pretty much the same features as the Netgear or the DUALphone. The deal is sweetened by the inclusion of 120 minutes of free landline calls and 12 months of voicemail, but you could buy these services separately for around £10.

Nevertheless, the VOIP841 is the only phone here that’s attractive and pleasant to use – and these are qualities that VoIP devices urgently need if they’re to break into the mainstream. If you can find this phone at a lower price, it’s definitely the one to go for.