Features

Mobile phones have a very wide range of features. Those which you might want to look out for when buying a new mobile include …

Vibrating alert

All of the phones we tested had built-in vibrators. These are a really easy
and convenient way to tell if you are receiving a call or a text message.
With most phones you can choose between vibration only, vibration and ring,
or ring only.

Colour screen

Most modern phones have comprehensive menu systems and many features
having a colour screen really helps to make them easier to use and clearer
to read. Five of the phones tested had colour screens.

SMS / MMS texting

Texting is a very good way to stay in touch , can be cheaper than making a
call and is justifiably very popular. It’s not recommended for urgent
messages as they can take some time to get through.
All modern phones have SMS texting (short messaging service) and many now
have MMS (multimedia messaging service). MMS allows you to send longer text
messages than with SMS and these can also contain photographs taken with the
built-in camera, animations and sounds.

Predictive texting

Many regular ‘texters’ wouldn’t be without this useful feature! It predicts
which word you are trying to key in and spells it for you.  This reduces the
amount of button pushing required, making texting faster and easier. All of
the phones tested had this feature.

Volume control on the side

When receiving a call you may wish to change the volume to help make it
louder or clearer. With most models this means taking the phone away from
your ear, adjusting the volume then listening again, missing some of the
conversation. However, if the phone has a volume control on its side then
you can adjust the volume while speaking or listening. This is a good
feature which our users found very useful.

Clamshell design

Some mobiles have a flip-top or clamshell design, where the phone folds open
or closed. This means the phone is compact for portability yet opens up
giving a large screen and keypad. In previous tests, our users really liked
this design and thought it the easiest to use. It is definitely a good
feature if you have stiffness in your fingers or poor eyesight.