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VTech 17550+1 review

Cordless handset type. Priced at $88.

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CHOICE Expert Rating

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CHOICE Expert rating

This is the product's overall performance score, based on key tests conducted by our industry experts in the CHOICE labs.

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Recommended View more details.

Models with an overall score of 70% or above and a sound quality receiving score of 75% or above are recommended.

CHOICE Expert Rating View more details.

This overall score is made up of receiving and sending sound quality (40%), ease of use (40%) and battery life (20%). Answering machine performance is scored but doesn't contribute to the overall score. 

Sound quality receiving score View more details.

This score reflects the quality of the phone call sound when listening on the tested model's handset.

Sound quality sending score View more details.

A panel of users make calls in a moderately noisy environment and assess speech clarity, speech loudness, line noise and background noise reduction on each model.

Ease of use score View more details.

We consider factors such as the quality of the instruction manual, the feel and comfort of the handset, whether the screen is easy to read, and any other special features.

Battery life score View more details.

After fully charging each phone’s battery, our testers set the phones to talk, and record how long each takes to be discharged. A perfect score of 100% is awarded to a model operating after 24 hours.

Answering machine score View more details.

We look at ease of use and set up when creating a message and managing calls, as well as sound clarity and quality for the machine message and the caller message.

Talk time – measured (hours) View more details.

We time how long each phone takes to run out of charge while talking.

Availability View more details.

'Tested model' means you should to be able to find this model in stores, while 'discontinued' models may still be available in second-hand shops. We check availability every time we test, which is about one or two times a year.

Tested model
Price View more details.

Recommended retail price at the time of testing but you should be able to find a better price if you shop around.

$88
Bluetooth handset support
Yes
Standby time – claimed (days)
5
Recommended initial charging time (hours)
12
Power consumption – base only (W)
0.6
Power consumption – base and phone (W)
0.7
Handset ringer loudness (dB)
77
Maximum volume for handset speaker (dB)
69
Maximum earpiece volume (dB)
74
Base ringer maximum volume (dB)
77
Backlit keypad
Blue
Handsets supported
5
Minimum rings
2
Maximum rings
6
Total phonebook
1000
Total ringtones
10
Battery type
NiMH pack 2.4V 400mAh
Answering machine recording time (min)
23
Country of origin
China
Website
auphones.vtech.com
Text to speech View more details.

Text to speech uses speech synthesis to convert texts into a spoken voice output. The feature was originally developed to help the visually impaired by reading text with the use of a computer-generated voice. 'N/A' means we don't have this data for discontinued models.

No
Operates during power outage View more details.

Cordless phones being the only option in the home is a concern for some home owners, because a power outage means you can't make an emergency call for help. Unfortunately, the arrival of the NBN has confused the situation somewhat for many owners of home telephones. You may be able to power your cordless phone when using the NBN but it still may not allow you to make a phone call as the connection depends on the NBN modem and router working. Check out our NBN FAQ for more information.

Not applicable for NBN
Colour display (LCD)
No
GAP compatible View more details.

GAP compatibility means you can add additional handsets to your home cordless phone from different brands with the same feature and still make and take calls. 

No
Headset port
No
Night mode View more details.

Night mode makes the phone automatically switch to the answering machine if you get a call in the middle of the night.

No
Call barring incoming
Yes
Outgoing call barring
No
Hearing aid compatible View more details.

Can the phone or base unit connect to a hearing aid?

Yes
Cord and cordless combination View more details.

Some home telephone kits have a multiple handset set-up where the main phone has a cord connecting the earpiece to the base unit (as in a traditional corded telephone) and an additional cordless handset allowing you to talk and move freely around the home.

No
Hands free View more details.

Does the phone support hands-free use?

Yes
Wall mountable View more details.

For the Uniden XDECT 8155 +1, 8355+1 and several other Uniden DECT and XDECT models the base station is wall mountable, but the additional phone handset dock is not.

Yes
Polyphonic ringtones
Yes
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