Siemens Gigaset C475

...online and spied upon the Siemens Gigaset C475 Triple available for the bargain price of £50 - so far as I was concerned this set had my name on it, and it was duly snapped up.

==Setting Up==

This was relatively straightforward - firstly I inserted batteries in the handsets and decided where I was going to locate the main base station, then I connected the base station to both the mains and the telephone socket, and charged ...
...say the sound on this Siemens set is marginally better than that I got on the BT Synergy set. There is a useful loudspeaker function and each handset also has a headphone socket for 2.5mm jack connectors, which means you can be as public or as private as you want when making a call with the set.

I have also used the phone to send text messages on occasion, although given my mobile phone contract gives me a large number of texts included, ... more

Not long ago, I wrote a review of my BT Synergy Quad phone set, stating how happy I was with it. And I was happy with it, although I did state that the battery was starting to give me problems periodically.

Now I could have gone on using my Synergy set for some time, but the battery issue was starting to get me down...occasionally I would be chatting away on the phone only to have the line and phone go dead in mid conversation.

I had already decided that when I replaced the BT set, it would only be for phones with colour screens and I shall unashamedly admit this choice was made on aesthetic grounds rather than through thorough research.

My mind was finally made up when I received a VIP invite to the Next summer sale online and spied upon the Siemens Gigaset C475 Triple available for the bargain price of £50 - so far as I was concerned this set had my name on it, and it was duly snapped up.

Setting Up

This was relatively straightforward - firstly I inserted batteries in the handsets and decided where I was going to locate the main base station, then I connected the base station to both the mains and the telephone socket, and charged up the main phone.

The two secondary phones sit on charging bases and are not connected directly to a telephone socket so I just plugged them in and then registered the handsets, meaning that whenever I get a telephone call, all three handsets will ring, and it also means I can telephone another handset internally. Registration is very straightforward - it happens automatically when you sit an additional handset on its charge base, or can also be done manually if you encounter any problems.

The initial full battery charge takes five hours, so it's a good idea to set this up just before you go to bed, as there's less chance of the phone ringing then and you finding the handset doesn't have enough power to handle the call.

Using the Phones

Making a call on these phones is relatively easily, and if you use a mobile phone regularly, you will notice that much of the features and functions on this landline set bear more than a passing resemblance to your mobile.

Like most mobile phones it has a main control key in the middle of the keypad and this will link you to most of the phone's features including phone directory, SMS, set up and display options and an alarm clock.

This set also includes an answering machine so if you desire, you can record an outgoing message too.

Making a call requires you to dial the number or choose it from your directory, and then press the obligatory "green phone" button you find on all phones these days to dial the number. Similarly, to end the call, you use the "red" button.

I have found the sound quality when using these phones to be excellent - I have been using DECT phones now for some years, and I would say the sound on this Siemens set is marginally better than that I got on the BT Synergy set. There is a useful loudspeaker function and each handset also has a headphone socket for 2.5mm jack connectors, which means you can be as public or as private as you want when making a call with the set.

I have also used the phone to send text messages on occasion, although given my mobile phone contract gives me a large number of texts included, this is something I do rarely. However I have found the process to be very straightforward but it's worth bearing in mind this phone doesn't have predictive text capabilities so it will take longer to input your message if, like me, you do all your texting using predictive text on your mobile.

Similarly, adding numbers to your phone is a piece of cake - you can add them manually or just assign a name to a number after you have received a call from someone.

My Opinion

As you can probably ascertain from what I have written, I really like this phone set, particularly given the ease of set-up and use.

I do have to say however that the colour screen is a bit of a disappointment - yes it's easier for me to see the black text on a white background, but compared to the screen on my Samsung Tocco mobile phone, this is really rather basic, and harks back to my first colour screen mobile phone which I owned about seven years ago. That's what I get for being so shallow when selecting the phones I suppose.

I also am a bit unimpressed with the choice of ringtones - they remind me of the earliest polyphonic tones. I remember being really excited at the prospect of polyphonic ringtones when they first became available but now they just seem ridiculously old hat. As a result I just stick to a boring tone that rings continuously and doesn't play a twee melody. Do bear in mind however that if twee melodies float your boat, they are here in abundance.

Where this phone really beats the BT Synergy however is in battery life, and I feel vindicated in purchasing this predominantly for shallow aesthetic reasons because of this.

I can have this phone off the base for a week and find the battery is only half used - and I tend to chat to my sister on the phone every night for at least 30 minutes. If my daughter uses the phone you can double that.

The phones need 2 AAA NiMH batteries and fit easily into the battery compartment on the handset. I do find it a little fiddly to remove the battery cover on these handsets but would add that in comparison to the BT Synergy handsets they are once again a walk in the park. However it's worth pointing this out, particularly if you struggle with fine motor skills.

If you receive a message on the answering machine a red light flashes on the handset's message button, which is something I find particularly useful after years of using BT's 1571 service and having to rely on a different ringtone to see if I had a message. Needless to say I missed several messages as a result. This should not be a problem using the Siemens set and message retrieval is quick and easy.

As is always the case with these phone sets, they will not work in the event of a power cut and I always advise people to have a traditional plug in corded phone kept in reserve for this eventuality.

Overall I would highly recommend this set, and while I openly admit I got a bargain, even for the recommended retail price of £99.99, I think this set offers excellent value for money for a home phone set which is both stylish and functional.

I am reviewing this phone as the triple set, however you can also purchase it as a single, double or quad set. Additional handsets can also be purchased separately, so if you decide you want to put a phone in another room at a later date, you can do so for around £35. 

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