Doro PhoneEasy 410s mobile phone

Doro PhoneEasy 410s review: A basic mobile phone designed purely for seniors

Good Gear Guide

Though smartphones like the iPhone continue to rise in popularity, Swedish company Doro claims senior users are put off purchasing phones because of "small keypads, hard-to-read fonts and complicated functionality". Enter the Doro PhoneEasy 410s: a comfortable flip phone specifically designed for senior users. It boasts extra large buttons, an easy to read display and a simple user interface as key features.

  • Expert Rating

    3.75 / 5

  • User Rating

    5.00 / 5 (of 2 Reviews)

Pros

  • Ease of use
  • Large font and buttons
  • Loud volume and good call quality

Cons

  • No external display
  • Plastic design does feel toy-like
  • Keystroke lag when typing fast

Bottom Line

The Doro PhoneEasy 410s is one of the most basic mobile phones we've reviewed, but it's easy to use and functional. We do wish it had an external display and was slightly better constructed, though.

Would you buy this?

  • Where to buy

    Priced from: $ 135.00
    Selling at 3 stores
See all prices

The Doro PhoneEasy 410s is a flip or "clamshell" phone that is constructed largely from quality feeling plastics. The front and rear of the PhoneEasy 410s has a rubberised feel that makes it comfortable to grip and hold, while the sides and inside of the handset are finished in glossy white plastic. Importantly, it is easy to flip open the PhoneEasy 410s as the sides are concaved towards the inside, creating space for your fingers. The plastic design does make the PhoneEasy 410s feel like a toy though, and the hinge is very narrow.

Doro says it chose a flip form-factor because it prevents senior users from accidentally making calls. Although we tend to agree, an external display to show incoming caller ID would have been a thoughtful inclusion. Instead, the Doro PhoneEasy 410s has two LEDs on the front — one flashes when the battery is low, while the other flashes when you receive a text message. Volume buttons are on the left side of the phone, along with a 2.5mm headphone jack, and a charging port on the right side.

The Doro PhoneEasy 410s has a dedicated emergency button that can contact up to five pre-assigned contacts simultaneously when pressed. This is a handy feature that provides a little extra piece of mind for older users, and negates the need to search through the phonebook for a contact.

The Doro PhoneEasy 410s has extra large, backlit buttons that click reassuringly when pressed, along with a display that is surprisingly easy to read in sunlight. The keys offer excellent tactility and are slightly raised, while the screen possesses very good vertical viewing angles. The large font on the phone makes text easy to read, and although there is no option to change the font size, we feel most users will be satisfied with the visibility of the PhoneEasy 410s' interface.

The main menu of the Doro PhoneEasy 410s is simple and effective; it's in the form of a list format that you simply scroll up and down with the arrow keys to navigate. The large icon and text makes it easy to read and use, though the software is a little sluggish. We particularly noticed this in the messaging app, as using predictive text input results in poor keystroke lag. The PhoneEasy 410s can't send or receive MMS, but has Bluetooth, an FM radio, a calculator, two games and an alarm clock.

Although the Doro PhoneEasy 410s is not a 3G-capable phone, its call quality is more than adequate, and the earpiece volume is much louder than most other mobile phones on the market. The speakerphone is also loud and clear, and the device has hearing aid compatibility, and an extra loud ringer that makes tones practically impossible to miss, though we would love to be able to turn off the annoying sound when the PhoneEasy 410s is turned on and off.

The Doro PhoneEasy 410s available exclusively through TeleChoice retail stores or online for an outright price of $169.

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