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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

While many are flocking to smartphones, there is still a need for a good cell phone whose main function is placing and receiving phone calls. Yet today people expect even a simple phone to be sturdy, work well, and have additional useful features. That is where the Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm comes in. It is a plain cell phone with features that even your mother will love. In fact, this may be the perfect phone for a parent or grandparent.

The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm comes in an unassuming cardboard box, as shown in Figure 1. Inside the box is the phone itself, a Quick Start Guide, a wall charger, a hand strap, a headset, and a plastic bag to recycle the phone and a battery, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1: The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm box

Figure 2: The contents of the box

Doro is a Swedish company that markets and sells their telecom products in more than 30 countries on five continents. The PhoneEasy 410gsm is a tri-band (850/1800/1900 MHz) phone that is sold by Consumer Cellular. This is a low-cost wireless provider which uses AT&T’s network for good coverage at a decent price.

As shown in Figure 3, this is a clamshell phone with a distinctive look. Our review unit was the white model with lime green accents. There is also a black model with lime green accents, and a red model with white accents.

Figure 3: The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm

The white phone has a pearlized finish which, along with the green accents, gives it a stylish look. All of the corners are rounded, so it feels good in your hand. You will notice the green accents that show on the sides of the phone. Where you see the green, you will also see that there is a good-sized indentation. This makes it very easy to open, which is a real plus for a clamshell phone.

Figure 4 shows the Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm next to the LG Accolade VX5600 which we recently reviewed. At 2 x 0.75 x 3.8 inches (50.8 x 19.05 x 96.52 mm) and 3.88 ounces (110.5 grams), it is larger and thicker than the Accolade, but still fits well in the hand and is still easily pocketable.

Figure 4: The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm next to the LG Accolade VX5600

Other phones in this category include the Jitterbug J, the Just5, and the SnapFon ez ONE. The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm is most similar in size and shape to the Jitterbug J. The Just 5 and the SnapFon ez ONE are candy bar phones that are thinner but slightly longer. The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm is shown in Figure 5 next to the SnapFon ez ONE for comparison. It should also be noted that Doro has a candy bar type of phone in the PhoneEasy 345gsm.

Figure 5: The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm on the left and the SnapFon ez ONE on the right

[nextpage title=”The Exterior Hardware”]

The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm has no external display. The front of the PhoneEasy 410gsm, shown in Figure 6, is adorned with two simple indicator lights, the Doro name, and a green stripe. The stripe is raised and adds to the quality look and feel of the phone. The top indicator light flashes when the battery is low, and the lower light flashes when there is a missed call or text message.

Figure 6: The front of the Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm

The right side of the PhoneEasy 410gsm can also be seen in Figure 6. There is a power adapter port near the top and a headphone next to that. The headphone port is 2.5 mm, so you will need an adapter if you want to use your standard 3.5 mm headphones. Doro includes a set of headphones with the proper-sized port, so this will only be a problem if you don’t like the hard earbuds that are on the Doro earbuds.

The left side of the phone has two buttons, as shown in Figure 7. These are the up and down volume control buttons. This Figure also shows the green trim that runs around the sides and bottom of the phone.

Figure 7: The left side

On the bottom of the PhoneEasy 410gsm, there is an opening for attaching the included lanyard. As shown in Figure 8, this is flanked by two charging contacts for use with the charging stand, which is not included.

Figure 8: The bottom of the PhoneEasy 410gsm

The back of the PhoneEasy 410gsm has a rectangular emergency call button with a speaker opening above that, as shown in Figure 9. The area on the back that is labeled with the “Consumer Cellular” words and logo slides off to reveal the battery and SIM card compartment.

Figure 9: The back

The emergency notification system on this Doro phone is controlled by the button on the back of the phone. You must activate this button in the settings and also set the telephone number to be called. In an emergency, you press the emergency button three times quickly and hear an audible beep. The phone number you entered as your emergency contact will then be called automatically without any further action from you. The speakerphone is activated so you can talk to your contact easily. While other cell phones with emergency buttons can call several numbers in a row, this one only allows you one emergency number.

[nextpage title=”Using the
PhoneEasy 410gsm”]

The PhoneEasy 410gsm opens to reveal a clear and crisp 2-inch 176-by-220 pixel color LCD screen, which performed well in bright sunlight. Although you cannot control the size of the text on the screen, as seen in Figure 10, the text is large and readable. Above the screen is the speaker; below it is the Doro label.

 Figure 10: The screen

The main functionality of the phone is controlled by the keypad, shown in Figure 11. Two soft keys at the top are used to make on-screen menu choices and the up and down arrow keys are used to scroll through menu choices. The arrow keys are flanked by a call key with a green icon on the left and an end call/power on/off button with a red icon on the right.

Below this is a typical 1-2-3 phone pad. The biggest difference between this Doro phone and others is that the keypad has large black raised keys that are clearly marked in large white numbers. Each key is spaced so that it is surrounded by a white background, making the keys very easy to see. At the bottom of the keypad is a small opening for the microphone.

 Figure 11: The keypad

Using the PhoneEasy 410gsm is pretty straight-forward. As shown in Figure 12, icons on the screen are large and easy to recognize. The signal and battery indicators on the screen are also fairly large. 

Figure 12: The phonebook menu choice

Several customizations are available. You can choose between 20 melodies and eight wallpapers. The phone can be set to 14 different languages including Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, and Danish.

This phone has all the expected cell phone functionality including an alarm, calendar, calculator, call-waiting, speaker phone, 3-way conference calling, caller-ID, voice mail, ten speed dial numbers, voice mail, SMS (Short Messaging Service for texting), MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service for texting photos), and room for 300 contacts. We found the calendar a little difficult to use on a daily basis, but the other functionalities worked well. Although nothing terribly exciting, this Doro even comes with two simple games, Robot and UFO.

We found the speaker louder than most, and the phone is also hearing-aid compatible. Call quality was good on both ends of the conversation.

Since the Consumer Cellular backend service is provided by AT&T, if you get a good signal from AT&T in your area, this phone will also get a good signal.

Although it is difficult to text from most phone keypads, we found if fairly easy to text from this Doro. Although not obvious, there is a function called Spell Support in the Settings under the SMS heading. When turned on, the Spell Support will surmise what you are trying to type, so instead of pressing the “9” key four times to get the letter “z” or pressing the “2” key three times to get a “c,” you can simply press each key once. As you type, the phone will “guess” the word that you are trying to type. We found this worked quite well.

As expected for a simple phone, battery life was good. Doro projects that the phone has a battery life of four hours of talk time and four days and 14 hours standby. We found the phone with only occasional use lasted for about a week without recharging.

This Doro phone also includes an FM radio. You need to listen via the headset, since it acts as an antenna. We were surprised by the good sound quality that we heard when using the radio, which also includes presets for nine stations. You can also use the included headset for hands-free answering. There is a small answer/terminate button on the headset cable to control calls.

We were also able to use this phone with several Bluetooth headsets. The phone has no voice dialing, but we didn’t expect to find voice dialing in a phone in this price range. Other than that, the Bluetooth worked well.

The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm sells for USD 25 at the Consumer Cellular website. They do, however, also charge a USD 35 activation fee. Consumer Cellular has no-contract monthly fees that range from USD 10 per month with no minutes to USD 60 per month for 2,400 minutes, with additional minutes ranging from USD 0.10 a minute to USD 0.25 a minute. They have family plans and give discounts to AARP members. Some resellers such as Walgreen’s sell the phone for USD 60 which includes the activation fee.

Since this is an unlocked phone, if you can find a place to purchase it without the Consumer Cellular activation, you can use an AT&T, T-Mobile, or with other carriers that use a GSM SIM card.

Doro and Consumer Cellular expect this phone to be used by seniors and others who may be using a cell phone for the first time,so they have produced a series on detailed How-To videos which are available on the Consumer Cellular website. This website also provides a useful downloadable Quick Start Guide and full User’s Guide.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Doro EasyPhone 410gsm include:

• Dimensions: 2 x 0.75 x 3.8 inches (50.8 x 19.05 x 96.5 mm)
• Weight: 3.9 oz (110.5 grams)
• Screen Size: Two inches
• Screen Type: 176-by-220 color LCD screen
• Network: GSM
• Hearing Aid Compatibility: M3 T4
• Bands: 850/1800/1900 MHz
• Wireless Interface: Bluetooth
• Phone Book Capacity: 300 names and numbers
• Missed Calls Memory: 20
• Dialed Calls Memory: 20
• Received Calls Memory: 20
• Battery: 850 mAh Lithium-ion
• Battery Life: up to four hours talk time and four days and 14 hours standby
• Carrier in the US: Sold by Consumer Cellular, but is unlocked
• More Information: https://www.dorousa.us/Our-products/Cell-phones-and-accessories/410GSM-US/
• MRSP in the US: USD 25 with USD 35 activation fee

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Doro PhoneEasy 410gsm is a basic, easy-to-use phone with an excellent form factor. It is both stylish and well-built. It has all the basic functionality needed in a cell phone and also has the ability to do SMS and MMS and to attach to Bluetooth headphones. It even has an FM radio.

With hearing-aid compatibility, a large easy-to-see keypad, excellent volume, and an AARP discount, it is perfect for seniors. With its Spell Support, grandma and grandpa will even be able to text the grandkids.

Actually, even younger users who are new to cell phones or users who just want to “keep it simple” will find this phone attractive. The price is certainly attractive and many who only use the cell phone occasionally will find the Consumer Cellular no-contract rates enticing.

Anyone looking for a substantial cell phone that is easy-to-use and easy-to-see will want to give
the PhoneEasy 410gsm a look.

Strong Points

• Bright, clear display
• Good sound quality
• Large keys and text
• Bluetooth
• Good FM radio
• Good voice quality
• Hearing aid compatible
• Text messaging fairly easy
• Affordable
• Unlocked

Weak Points

• No external display
• Only one emergency number
• Difficult to find without Consumer Cellular service