First, one of the reviews above states they have used these phones for years, but this series was first shipped in May 2011, so this review must be for a prior generation. And it is important, because this series has a lot of pluses that the prior generations did not have.
Second, we have used Panasonic phones (with very few exceptions) since their old wired phones! This product is replacing an earlier generation wireless series with 4 phones. We had two batteries in the old units starting to fail, so rather than buy replacement batteries for 5 year old phones, I bought this and am not disappointed at all. Some of the key reasons this may be the best Panasonic phone system yet are:
> The screen is so much better to read. I wear reading glasses and the old screens were tough to read without them, but the high contrast, white backlit screens on these phones are so much easier to read!
> The menu systems seem much better. Much of what you want to do is handled by the soft-touch buttons with screen readouts so rather than searching the small text below some of the buttons, the choices are much easier to see on the screen.
> The reception is so much better and covers a longer distance than before. Our old phones (5.8mHz system) would get harder to hear on both ends if we walked to the other end of the house and walking a few steps outside was sure to cause a drop, but this new DECT 6 works anywhere in the home and far outside with no noticeable diminution in sound quality. (Pana makes a range extender optional piece you can add to the system, but I cant see any use we would need for it!)
> One of the best new features is the ability to use one of the handsets for temporary battery backup during a power outage! Most wireless systems go down entirely if there is no power, so if there is an emergency or even a short duration power failure, you cannot call out or receive calls. With this phone, if the power fails but your handset is charged, just putting it in the base station powers it and allows you to call out or receive calls. This feature alone is why I waited a few months for this version to ship. We have had a number of short power outages, but this feature eliminates most of that as an issue.
> We use the phone company's voicemail system so we do not need the recording function, but this phone includes the ability to speed-dial the external voicemail and, more importantly, if there is a message on that system, the Panasonic handsets still show a flashing light to alert you to a message and when you pick up any handset, the screen also shows you there is a voicemail.
There are a lot of other features that we do not use, like the Voice Caller ID that announces who is calling (we don't need the extra noise!) but they worked fine (until I turned this off). So I have to say that this is a great phone system overall. Light weight, easy to use, easy to read - just excellent! Panasonic KX-TG6645B DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone with 5-Handsets
This cordless phone and answerer are new for 2011 and the performance is outstanding.
You can buy this phone/answerer in five configurations: KX-TG6632B (two cordless phones and answerer), KX-TG6633B (three cordless phones and answerer), KX-TG6643B (three cordless phones and answerer WITH keypad), KX-TG6644B (four cordless phones and answerer WITH keypad), KX-TG6645B (five cordless phones and answerer WITH keypad). All have the same handsets and the answerer differs only in that some come with a keypad and the other without. The features and performance remain the same.
Pluses:
Near perfect display: Readable with no back-light and with the back-light on (hit any key) there is a brilliant white background with purple text using very large characters. This is the best display I've ever seen. The fonts are near perfect and the text is huge!
Range - outstanding: Past cordless phones have proven unreliable just outside my garage door. I had perfect reception there and decided to experiment. My driveway is 250 feet long and I had perfect reception 250 feet from my house! Stunning!
Voice quality - outstanding (yet I do wish I could turn the volume up just a bit more from its highest setting). Also there is no hiss or other audio anomalies.
Battery life: the batteries are standard NIMH AAA which are easily replaced. After a few days the meter shows no discharge. I don't doubt you'll have at least 11 days of stand-by as quoted in Panasonic's specifications.
Programming: Reasonably easy although I had to consult the manual a few times. Program one phone and the rest (including the base unit) automatically update. That is a very nice feature. Even if you don't wish to do any programming the default settings are wisely chosen.
Comfort: These phones are very light weight but comfortable if you like to cradle the phone between your ear and shoulder. A belt clip is included.
No interference: The dect standard (1.9 GHZ) is a new frequency that does not interfere or share the same spectrum with past cordless phones or other wireless devices like routers. The "plus" designation is simply Panasonic marketing - meaning this is the second generation of Panasonic DECT phones.
Tone control: Three settings - normal, high frequency boost and low frequency boost.
Power outages: Keep one handset in the base and the system will function for about two hours during a power outage. The handset powers the base in this case.
Features: Too many to list but every feature offered seems to provide a great deal of flexibility. For example - talking caller ID can be turned on or off at either the answerer or handset respectively. Three groups of favorite numbers are offered so three people can have separate lists and each group can be given a unique name.
Minuses:
Volume: The ringer, speaker phone and handset are all just a bit low on volume, at least, to my ear. At their highest settings I find the volume acceptable but I wish they all could go a bit louder.
Answerer: Limited and rather basic. You can answer the phone there only by hitting the speaker phone button. You can't dial out except for three buttons which you can program. More flexibility is offered on the TG6643B which has a keypad but it still has no hardwired handset. You can only record or check your announcement at a handset but you can play back or erase messages at the answerer.
Conclusion:
This is a near perfect cordless phone offering clarity, great range, no interference with existing cordless appliances, a wonderful display and a number of other features. It shows the maturity of the technology brought to us in 2011
Overall I highly recommend this phone. I'd strongly recommend you purchase one more handset than you think you'll need given the low cost of an additional handset when purchasing a package. Purchasing separate handsets at a later date is much more costly.
Keep in mind if it does not say dect PLUS - you are looking at an older model Panasonic ---- many of which are still offered for sale on Amazon
BEST DEAL: As of May, 2011 the five handset version with answerer is only $10.00 more than the three handset version. The four handset version is priced higher than either of those. Go figure. Having an extra handset or two you'll never regret!'
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