Doro PhoneEasy 621 – Screen and Camera

The PhoneEasy 621 has a small colour screen that’s low-res and low-quality compared to today’s smartphones. However, as it has to relay only very basic information it does the trick perfectly.

It’s pretty bright, and you can choose between three brightness levels. You can also switch between two menu types – one that just displays a single menu entry per screen for extra clarity, and a more traditional list menu type.

The list menu is on the left, the one function per screen one on the right

One other part of the PhoneEasy 621 that’s pretty basic is the camera. It’s a 2-megapixel sensor that produces very low-quality photos, and suffers from severe shutter lag. Thanks to the dedicated camera button it’s very easy to use. However, the pictures it creates are worse than just about any £100 ‘normal’ phone.

Doro PhoneEasy 621 – Accessibility Features

The PhoneEasy 621 does have a couple of more advanced features – 3G connectivity and Bluetooth – however, these are really only there to interface with hearing aids. It supports the T4/M4 and HAC standards. There’s no email or web browser features here, if you expect that from a 3G phone.

Just as important is ICE – the ‘in case of emergency’ button. This sits on the back and texts an emergency message to up to three contacts, and rings a main contact, when pressed twice or held down for a few seconds.

There’s also an ICE section within the menu, which holds information about allergies, conditions, vaccinations, prescriptions and so on.

The PhoneEasy 621 also has a much more sensitive-than-average loudspeaker. As Doro has boosted it to the max, it is a bit hissy when outputting audio but is very loud and clear.

The earpiece speaker is louder than average too, and has a beefier sound than the vast majority of phones – especially those under £100. However, there is some light crackle louder during calls at max volume, showing that the phone is really pushing the speaker driver to its limits. We’d ideally like to see Doro improve this in future phones.

Doro PhoneEasy 621 – Other Features

The PhoneEasy 621 has no music player app, no web browser and no email client. However, it does have a few neat extras.
There’s an FM radio that uses any attached earphones as an antenna – however, it won’t work with earphones that have a handsfree remote/housing. The radio can be routed through to the loudspeaker too, which is handy.

Other inbuilt apps include a couple of games, a calculator and and organiser section that holds an alarm, calendar, reminders and notes section. However, the basic, button-press heavy interface makes them a bit fiddly to use every day.

Should I buy the Doro PhoneEasy 621?

There aren’t all that many current alternatives to the Doro PhoneEasy 621, outside Doro’s own range. Samsung and Nokia offer a few ‘easy’ phones, but they are generally cheaper, less well-made and have less of a focus on accessibility features.

Selling for £59.99 from O2, this phone is a pretty good deal. But elsewhere it retails for £100 and at that price it is a bit more of a stretch. The camera is poor and we think the main nav buttons may be a bit stiff for those with arthritic thumbs. However, its basic features are otherwise very easy to access, and its ‘old school’ week-long battery life will prove a massive plus for some.

The charging dock also makes the PhoneEasy 621 a good replacement for a home phone. Thanks to good-value SIM-only deals and ‘pay as you go’ deals from companies like Tesco, a mobile can now be significantly cheaper to maintain than a landline phone.

Verdict

The Doro PhoneEasy 621 is an easy to use phone that is well-made and decent value if you shop online. There are a few niggles to consider, but no show-stopping ones.

Next, read our best mobile phones round-up

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