artfone C1 Plus Simple Senior Mobile Phone Unlocked, Basic Big Button GSM Mobile Phone for Elderly, Dual SIM Cheap Phones with Charging Dock(Black)

Bought this for my elderly mother who is hard of hearing & has slightly arthritic hands. Simple to setup but wish it had come with a proper plug, luckily I havd ordered a plug for my ipad so was able to use that.The torch button is in a bit of an awkward position as she keeps switching it on when holding phone.The lock on/off button could be bigger or more visible , especially for those with arthritic hands.Sound quality very good, especially in hands free mode. But louder ring tone would be useful.Speed dial facility really useful and easy to use.Docking station makes charging easier.Overall an excellent phone for elderly & hard of hearing person.Was delivered ahead of time which was a bonus.

I'm one of those strange people that haven't owned a mobile phone in some twenty odd years. Way back in the day, I purchased the original Nokia 3310 and used it for about two years. I didn't use it much, just the odd call to the wife to say I was running late, that sort of thing. Back then I had a pay-as-you-go SIM because that worked out cheaper than monthly contracts back around 2001. however, I eventually barely used the phone at all, so tossed it into a drawer where it languishes today. Fast forward two decades and things in the world of mobile have changed dramatically. Now, monthly contract options are far cheaper than pay-as-you-go and, to be frank, it made no sense at all, at least from an economic standpoint, to still pay some £27 a month for my Virgin landline. So, I once more was in the market for a mobile. However, in my mid fifties now and visually impaired, I wasn't one bit interested in spending hundreds on a "smart" phone. Sure, people love them and they have a wide variety of uses, but I just want a phone and cannot even text, so what to do?Initially I was thinking about opting for the re-released Nokia 3310, but was put off by the high prices. After all, all I wanted was a phone and spending around £80 or so wasn't really necessary. I also wanted a phone with real buttons and not the tiny things that those that still offer them provide. Although I don't have dumpy digits, as a person nearly blind, I need easily discernable buttons of a size that doesn't mean I end up pressing two at the same time.I eventually settled on the Artfone C1 Plus. I'm not entirely certain what the difference between the standard C1 and C1 Plus is, but given the price, I opted for the latter. I think the Plus is a dual SIM model whereas the regular C1 isn't. However, it's somewhat confusing given the listings that show C1, C1 181 and C1 182.Upon receiving the phone, I was pleasantly surprised by how sleek it was. Sure, it was bigger than my old Nokia 3310, but it was as small and certainly lighter than most of the modern smart phones I've handled, especially those ridiculous sized near mini tablets people seem to like spending a grand on. Anyway, yes, the phone was cheap and cheerful but perfectly adequate for my uses. The buttons were big enough and also had a pleasant tactile click when pressed, although I would've preferred a slightly concave profile to them for easier finger placement. This was the sort of keypad I was hoping for, given I was unable to see the photos of the phone prior to purchase. i can see that it has a bright screen and a small, although very bright, LED torch too. More impressive is the battery life. As expected, such phone sip power compared to their all-singing, all-dancing smarter brethren. My wife has charged her Google Pixel 4A some five times and I still have three out of five battery bars left! This is a phone you can fully charge on a Monday and still have charge on a Friday. of course, that's subject to usage and I keep my phone on all day while the wife is at work and only make or take occasional calls, so your mileage will vary. however, the point is that the battery life is excellent compared to many other far more expensive options.The phone accepts an optional micro SD memory card of up to 32Gb and I have installed one and placed some mp3 music on it as well as creating my own ringtones in mp3 format. The seller didn't seem to know that the memory card could be used to also store music and the phone does indeed have an mp3 playback option, although to date I haven't used it. Installation of the memory and SIM cards is a bit awkward. Unlike many phones where you slide said cards into the side of the device, the Artfone C1 Plus requires you to remove the battery and insert the cards there into somewhat fiddly receptacles, or so my wife informs me. however, as most people will not be installing and removing these cards regularly, it's a one time task that shouldn't prove too onerous.The phone connects to a computer and can be charged via its supplied USB cable. The phone end is a micro USB connector and the other a regular type A USB connector that should fit into any computer. This also means that any such cables you have lying around will also work. The cable also allows data transfer to occur to an optionally installed memory card by having the card show up as a regular drive within Windows. This means you can drag and drop your audio files easily. There is also a supplied charging cradle that can sit on a bedside table or desk that allows the phone to simply be dropped into it for easy charging, although it would have benefited from having some rubber feet to prevent it sliding around on some surfaces. As others have stated, you will require a USB wall socket mains adaptor to connect this cable to for charging the phone if no computer is available. Given the price of this phone, I don't consider this to be a major issue. After all, if you read the product description, it does state this clearly. Such an addition would be convenient, but increase package sizing and cost such that it would likely make a separate purchase of said adaptor less expensive. You can pick up such adaptors at most supermarkets, so it's not the problem some have suggested in my opinion.The phone seems to be mainly aimed at "seniors", but it's a God send for the visually impaired like me. The phone has some useful aids for the likes of me with a Chinese accented female voice announcing the digit pressed on the keypad if you so desire. I believe this is the default option, so if you don't want this, you will have to go into the settings to disable it. Oddly, the Chinese voice changes to an American sounding one when pressing the star (asterisk) and Pound (hash) keys. However, for my uses, the phone isn't quite as developed as I'd like. Sure, it's primarily designed to be easily used by seniors, but being visually impaired is also mentioned in the product information. However, it sort of does a half job on this front. Yes, one can hear the keypad digits you press, which is very useful for confirmation of pressing the correct button when dialling for those with sight issues. however, strangely, the thought process ends there and you will need someone else if your sight is not up to it to configure the phone. I had hoped that the voice option might extend to allowing blind folks to navigate the settings and setup their phones, but this is not the case. This is not a major issue at all, but just felt a little half baked considering the speech options when pressing keys.I think the phone requires some firmware work as there is a nice manual lock switch you slide upward to lock the phone. This is a simple, yet very useful feature. However, it appears to perhaps be a firmware switch and not a physical one as I've found that when locked, the phone can actually be turned on. Further, when locked, any accidental pressing of a button will result in the screen lighting up. So, if you have your phone in your pocket and locked, but a button is being pressed against, it could potentially drain the battery by keeping the back light active. This is not how a lock switch ought to work in my humble opinion.Another review stated that the sound of those you spoke to was somewhat muffled. I'd have to agree with this. It's odd, because it cannot be the speaker as such because the sound of audio, such as the optional start and stop sounds and ringtones sound loud and clear. When i dial my Vodafone messaging service, the voice that comes over sounds like it's speaking through a sock, so I;m not sure what's up with that. increasing the volume via the handy rocker switch on the left side of the phone appears to improve matters somewhat, although that seems to make the phone act more like a speaker phone, seeing me able to hold the phone away from my ear while talking. If anything, perhaps this is because the speaker is larger and leans more toward the lower frequencies. Having a smaller, tinnier, speaker might have actually improved clarity of speech.One thing prospective buyers MUST consider is that this is a phone that only supports the 2G network protocol. Pretty much all network carriers still support 2G in addition to 3 and 4G, but bear this in mind when choosing your network. IMPORTANT: the 2G service will stop in 2025 from Vodafone and, if I recall correctly, their 3G service ceases this year (2022), so other phones that rely on the 3G service will be rendered useless this year if using Vodafone. The 3G issue doesn't affect the Artfone, but just a word of warning to those out there looking at 3 G alternatives. Other networks have differing timelines for ending their 2G service with a global end of service by 2033. Again, perhaps not a major consideration for many, but just something I thought handy to know.Finally, for those like me that opt for phones like this one where no Internet data is required, I came across a brilliant deal from ASDA mobile that's backed by the Vodafone network. They offer a text and talk only deal, so no data, for just £4 a month on a rolling monthly basis. Why pay more for data that your phone cannot make use of? I know this is a tiny market, but I just wish other networks would follow suit and offer cheaper SIM deals without data. Today, it's mostly the data portion of a SIM deal you pay for as they all appear to come with unlimited minutes and texts.Given the price point of this phone, it's a good option for those who require something simple. yes, I am told that smart phones have features, such as Apple's Voice-over, that allow visually impaired users to access their devices. However, I much prefer the tactility of buttons rather than a flat screen where I have to slide my fingers around to find things. besides, I only make phone calls, so why spend hundreds when I just don't need to. This could also make a perfect backup option for those wanting a cheap secondary phone. Ironically, the 2G phone can often have better coverage than 4G counterparts in more rural locations I am told.Thanks to all those that have got to the end of this rather lengthy review. I hope it has proved useful.

Bought this for my elderly parent. Basic functions only which is just what they needed. Very easy to set up and use. Screen clear and large buttons that are easier to see and use.

The phone was good until the connection for charging failed 10 months after buying it. The customer support website links are in Chinese. Not acceptable at all.

Very simple for an elderly person, especially with pre programmed numbers

Only two issues with the phone. Firstly it is too light to make a good contact when seated in the charger cradle. It doesn't always charge as a result. Secondly it is quite difficult to pick up without pressing a button somewhere if someone has poor dexterity. There are buttons which are easily pressed accidentally on the front, back and both sides of the phone.

Perfect for my elderly mother, quick delivery, thanks

Bought this to replace a plug-in phone as the elderly user kept it in a bag rather than where it might be heard ringing. Now it sits by their chair and autocharges so removed some worry about answering and keeping in one place.