Panasonic KX-TG842

The basics

A solid build and 2.0-inch colour display help put the Panasonic KX-TG842 DECT handset up the wanted list. Panasonic says this phone is suitable for either home or office, and the 200 memory phonebook and 40 minutes of message recording should keep most of us happy.

The good

The slightly chunky looking design of this DECT handset hides a strong range of features. The two-inch colour screen can be personalised with your choice of three wallpapers. No, you can’t use your own photos. No pets or children here. There’s a headset option so you can be hands-free and you even get a belt clip which is ideal if you want to wander round the home or office looking like a total nerd. Buy the base unit for about £65 and you get a handset and base station with answering machine. There are also bundles of two, three and four handsets available, the later coming in at about £120.

The bad

There are only ten ringer melodies available. We suppose that’s enough but more would be nice. There’s no SMS facility either. The mute button is handy – just make sure you hit it before you start telling whoever else is in the room that the person on the line is a blithering idiot (or whatever is your favourite choice of words).

The bottom line

A fairly well featured handset that offers a good range of features for the price. Choose one, two, three or four handsets depending on your needs and budget.