This is as simple as phones get, with extras that make it especially appealing to seniors, as well as everyday technophobes.
Technical Details
- Extremely Easy to Use
- Big Buttons
- Amplified Sound
- Personal Emergensy Response System (PERS)
- Unlocked GSM phone
The J509 is a dual-band (850/1900 MHz) GSM device, so it won't work outside the Americas. In keeping things simple, there is no Bluetooth, camera, Internet, or any of the other features that come standard in many basic feature phones these days. That's understandable.
I tested the J509 on AT&T's network. RF reception was weak, but call quality was good. Calls sounded clear in the earpiece, with a bit of static. Volume was good as well, which is something that was lacking in the similar Snapfon ez ONE ($79.99, 3.5 stars). Calls made with the J509 sounded better than calls received. Voices were loud and clear, with decent noise cancellation. There was a tiny hint of fuzz in the background, but it was barely discernible. There is no Bluetooth, but the phone comes with a wired headset for driving, and calls sounded fine on both ends. The speakerphone is nice and loud, and the vibrate function was strong enough to feel with the phone tucked into my jacket pocket.
You can choose between six different ringtones and six different SMS tones. There are two sound choices for the keypad (as well as the aforementioned speech option), but I found them both too loud. The speech volume can be adjusted, but the other two tones are just much too noisy for everyday use. Luckily, you can also set them to be silent.
Pros
Extremely easy to use. Great battery life. Good call quality.
Cons
Nonstandard headphone jack. Difficult to access voicemail. Weak RF reception.
Product Description
Extremely Easy to use cell phone with Big Buttons, Amplified Sound, and Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) Unlocked GSM device, can be used with AT&T or T-Mobile phone plans (any GSM sim card will work with it. Not for Verizon users)
Benchmarks
Continuous talk time: 12 hours 44 minutes
