Worth more than just one look: the large dot-matrix display on our new A170 shines out with optimal readability. Then again, most of us will have a mobile phone as a back-up, so a corded phone is still probably not necessary for the vast majority of people.

And to make sure that good things last: the landline phone Gigaset A170 can handle talks of up to 18 hours or up to 200 hours of standby time without recharging. jack for use with a headset, micro-USB charging, vibrating alert mode, and some of the best sound we've experienced from a cordless phone. Expandable up to four handsets, and with a standalone base station that allows you to place those handsets anywhere you like in your home, this model is an excellent choice for busy households. The easy plug and play set up means its ready to use straight out of the box, the phone is pre-registered to the base station so you can use it straight away.

The Analog Phone Gigaset A270A is reliable for all the basic information you need throughout the day. As well as working with a standard analogue line, the S700 can work with up to 6 VoIP telephony connections, too. For those who find the constant deluge of information and notifications from modern smartphones unappealing, a landline is a good way to stay in contact while being slightly ‘off-the-grid’ (though mobile phone manufacturers are aiming for that market too, with the rise of the basic phone.

It’s IP67-rated for protection from water and dust, and with 13 hours of talk time and 160 hours of standby, it’ll keep going for days on end. Well-equipped with a practical feature set that includes an integrated answering machine, colour display, and large phonebook memory that can be shared across multiple handsets, the C530A is an ideal home phone. answering machine, 2x charging stations, 3x Gigaset FAMILY Plus handsets, 3x plug-in power supply, 1x telephone connection cable, 6x AAA battery, 3x battery cover, 3x belt clip, 1x operating manual.The Gigaset C575 includes a range of personalisation options so that you can adjust the phone to suit your habits and preferences. There's also a built-in answering machine (as we mentioned earlier) with up to 30 minutes' recording time. We rate the general handling, including whether the buttons are well spaced and the display easy to read, and also assess how simple it is to operate the answering machine. The Gigaset A270A is equipped with a built-in answering machine for simple message recording and retrieval.