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Battery Life and Charging
VTech’s LS6245 Expandable Cordless Phone System Bluetooth-enabled Telephone Base is plugged into the wall, so it doesn’t require charging. However, the LS6245 and accessory LS6204 handsets do require a good deal of charging before they can be used for the first time—16 hours to be exact. It is alwa
ys advisable to fully charge an electronic device the first time using it, and this reviewer would recommend the same for VTech’s handsets. The initial charge time is unfortunate, but if you know what you’re in for ahead of time, it’s not that big of a deal. After the initial charge, the handset can be placed on the base station when not in use to ensure it is always charged, and it takes only 10 minutes to charge a depleted handset so that it can be used for a short time.
VTech advertises up to 11 hours of talk time, six hours of speakerphone use, and five days of standby time for its handset batteries. These times are accurate according to my tests. Again, users can simply place the handset on its charger when not in use to permanently extend its battery life. However, like all batteries, the included 2.4V 750mAh Ni-MH Battery will wear out over time. What makes this VTech handset great, however, is that the battery is replaceable. Simply order another battery from the company or buy a compatible battery when your first expires, and your VTech system will be fully charged for years to come. Since it isn’t inexpensive to buy the system upfront, the ability to keep the system for a long time and not have to discard it with a dying battery truly makes this a respectable product.
The charging ports between the handset and base appear to be solid. The handset has two thick prongs that plug in intuitively when placing the handset on the base. They appear sturdy enough to withstand many thousand connections without wear. The 6V DC @ 400mA power adapter that plugs into the base appears less sturdy. Although the initial connection is strong, it has a single prong connection that will wear out if the connection is made too many times. Thankfully, with the base sitting in one place all the time, always plugged in, this should not be an issue.
Style and Design
VTech’s LS6245 Expandable Cordless Phone System Bluetooth-enabled Telephone Base is a bit bulky, but no larger or smaller than any other traditional landline phone system. The base is 9.84 x 3.74 x 2.01 inches (250 x 95 x 51 mm). Like explained above, find a spot away from everything electronic except your mobile phones, and you’ll be fine. The bulkiness makes it easier to find in the dark and isn’t unexpected.
The device is attractive to look at, and its sleek touch-screen technology will keep the phone free of dust. A screen lock feature prevents stray fingers or your face from accidentally making a call or pressing buttons during a call. But as the included cleaning cloth should indicate, fingerprints and smudges are quick to gather on the phone. In fact, they gather almost immediately. I’d prefer less of a glassy surface and would do away with it if I were designing the next version—not just because of the smudges, but also because the glassy surface does not feel good when held against the face.
As previously mentioned, the phone is not really comfortable to hold for long periods of time. The speakerphone feature solves this problem to some degree, but the lack of comfort is still apparent for regular use. And after all, private calls can’t be made on speakerphone.
The touch-screen interface on the base and handset it stylish, but not intuitive. There is no need for a separate home and mobile phone call button on the handset and the base. This is a redundant and useless feature that just adds confusion, but more on this in the next section.
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