Just5 Cell Phone Review

The Hardware

The Just5 phone is 2 x 4 x 0.5 inches (50.8 x 101.6 x 12.7 mm) making it very comfortable in the hand. It uses the same body as the Snapfon that we recently reviewed. In Figure 3, the Snapfon is on the left and the Just5 is on the right. As you can see, except for the color and labeling on the keypad, the hardware is almost identical. You will also notice that the Just5 numbers are bolder, but slightly smaller than those on the Snapfon.

Figure 3: The Snapfon and the Just5

The screens and print on the screens on both phones are identical, as also shown in Figure 3. Both phones have large black numbers and letters on a lighted amber background. Although the Menu options are very similar, things are often worded differently. For instance, on the Just5 there is an option to set the “Ring Tones.” On the Snapfon that choice is labeled “Tones & Sounds.” There are also differences in small things like the choice of ring tones and date format selections.

However, the ease-of-use that we found in the Snapfon is duplicated in this phone. Figure 4 shows the keypad on the Just5. The up and down arrow keys are flanked by two buttons with red and green telephone icons that are used for sending, receiving, and ending calls as well as for navigation. For instance, you can use the down arrow to go through your phone book. When the contact is found you press the green phone icon button on the left which is also marked OK. Then you can press Ok again to dial that number or continue to press the down arrow for more options, like choosing an alternate number that you have stored for that person, sending a text, editing that contact’s information, or deleting that contact.

Figure 4: The Just5 keypad

The Up arrow is used for the menu options which are: SMS for text messaging, Settings, Phone Book, and Call History. The * and the # buttons at the bottom of the keypad can be pre-programed as speed dial numbers so that when you press and hold either of these, the phone dials the telephone number that you have dedicated to that key in the settings. The people icons on these keys show that they are speed dial keys. The one on the left looks like a female, while the one on the right looks like a male, perfect if you want to program them to call mom and dad at different numbers. The 2-9 keys can also be programmed as speed dial keys. The speaker phone can be turned on by pressing the 0 key as indicated by the icon on that key.

There are several buttons and ports on the top, bottom, and sides of the phone. The left side, shown in Figure 5, has two sliders. The one on the left controls the volume. The one on the right turns the FM radio on and off.

Figure 5: The left side of the Just5

The right side of the Just5 has two more sliders, as shown in Figure 6. The slider of the right locks and unlocks the phone, the one on the left has a high intensity LED light that acts as a flashlight.

Figure 6: The right side of the Just5

Figure 7 shows the flash light on the top of the phone. To the right of that are two small openings where you can attach a lanyard.

Figure 7: The top of the Just5

The bottom of the phone, shown in Figure 8, has two ports: the proprietary charging port and a standard 3.5 mm port for earbuds. Unlike the Snapfone which forces you to use their proprietary earbuds, the Just5 works with any standard earbuds.

Figure 8: The bottom of the Just5