Home > Consumer Reviews > VTech 2431 2.4 GHz DSS Dual Keypad Speakerphone

I bought the phone and charged it overnight. I used it the next day and was surprised to get a low battery warning after about 3 hours of use. The Radio Shack I am replacing normally works for marathon days of 7+ hours on the phone. I thought maybe I should give the phone another try so I let it charge all night again. Today I had the same problem. I have to return it. Even though it has a compartment for charging a second battery, I can't risk running out of juice on a conference call with a client.

Other disappointments are the number of steps to get to my stored numbers. Say I want to call someone in my address book whose name starts with "K". I have to press "MEM" then "FIND" then the 5 key ("jkl") then "FIND" and then, since it doesn't go to the first name starting with "j" or higher but instead goes to the one prior to "j" I have to hit the down arrow and then "ON" to dial. That's a lot of clicks. This thing reminds you of a cell phone but it isn't really as smart. To do the same thing on my cell phone I hit my down button to get into my directory, hit the 5 key, maybe press down again, and then hit talk. It is at least three clicks faster. Sure, maybe this is a small thing but I use my phone a lot and it would always bug me that they could have easily done this better.

The sound quality is not as good as my Radio Shack 900 MHz. I didn't do any distance tests. The sound with my high-end Hello Direct headset was tinny. I also found that I didn't hear much of my own voice.

I could have dealt with the usability problems and less than perfect sound, but the battery stuff is unnacceptable. Lower volume phone users may be happy with this phone.

This is probably the nicest home phone available. I'll break it down to what I like and dislike about it:

Likes:
+ Great styling, small size, good weight, comfortable to hold, ergonomic.
+ Easy to use menu system. I was able to figure everything out in just minutes before I even opened the manual.
+ Like previous VTechs with CID, it has the ability to dial and end calls like a cellphone.
+ Speakerphone in handset, it gets plenty loud enough.
+ Backlit LCD makes it much easier to read than non-backlit phones.
+ Backlit keypad, a practical feature that is omitted from other "high-tech" phones like Cybergenie, Engenius, Siemens, etc.
+ Full dot-matrix display which helps readability.
+ 3-full lines for CID, much better than my previous 2-line VTech 900MHz.

Dislikes:
- Background noise. My phone picks up a low-level static/noise/buzzing even with all computers and electronics turned off. It's not loud or disturbing, I only hear it when no one is speaking. My 900MHz VTechs were crystal clear in comparison.
- Durability of finish. The store displays I've seen all have spots where the silver paint wore off of the handset and base. Mine is still looking new, but I'm very careful when I set it back in its base.
- Slower response than my 900MHz phones. When the phone is idle and I pick up and press a button, there is a slight delay. It's just a few milliseconds, but noticeable.
- Lack of tactile feedback in the keypad. I noticed some display models had a lot more tactile feedback than mine. I guess VTech must have changed something between the first phones and mine.
- Lost the side-mounted volume buttons that my 900MHz VTech had. Putting volume into a soft key was a step backwards, even Nokia added the volume buttons onto the side of their cellphones.

There is a lot I think VTech could do to refine it, like scroll up/down hard buttons, ability to mark memory entries as "Global" and have them sync with other handsets, and mapping some of the memory entries to the numeric "speed-dial" numbers. However, so far as home phones go, this is one of the best I've seen. Not the best in sound quality, but when features and styling are taken into account, definitely a top choice. The <$... price tag makes it worthwhile. The only thing that would be much better is if Nokia made a land-line home version of their popular 6160 cellphone.

My old Vtech DSS 900Mhz has better reception. I'm quite disappointed with the reception range. I couldn't even go two rooms away and it starts to break up. My walls are made of concrete. I called tech support and was told that frequency should penetrate through them with ease. Well, not so. I can't even show it off to friends and family. I might just get embarrased with this so-called 2.4 gigahertz phone. Another problem that I discovered is that the voice-mail indicator doesn't work.

The design, however, is cool. Looks like a cell phone. I like the handset intercom. The sound is loud but again it breaks up. I will probably return it and get a different brand.

I have had the VTech 2431 only a few days now, and I am very impressed. The handset design is excellent. It looks and feels like a nice cell phone. It is relatively light but not to make it feel cheap. The Soft Keys for display functions work very well. the display is large enough to read and are backlit once a button is touched. With Caller ID you have the ability to store up to 50 names and numbers. You can also add names and numbers though the easy to use Soft Keys and the large display. One of the best features of the handset is the Handsfree function. The speaker is loud enough to hear someone while you have the phone attached to your waist with the belt clip. No headset needed. The intercom feature works well, even for a single guy needing to transfer a call from the base to one of the handsets. The base unit has an indicator for voicemail, even if you have the service from your phone company. It has a memory key so you can program your access number to voicemail so there is one button access. The handset also has a message waiting indicator on top so you know if there is a message waiting also. The only issue I have with is is that with the 2.5GHz when I stand near the running microwave, the signal breaks up. Also plugging it into an outlet away from a computer,or microwave keeps out feedback. This is the coolest phone I have ever had. And what makes it so great is that everything works!

I live in rural Minnesota, am on call to a local hospital but also like to garden. I selected this phone because I liked the options of answering from the handset, or if that was missing, from the base unit. I liked its near weightlessness but found it impossible to balance between my ear and shoulder. I also wasn't fond of the echo I heard when I talked. Instead of returning it I purchased a Plantronics M175 headset and the difference was miraculous. I now love this phone, ignoring my husband's frequent remarks about taking orders for McDonald's. I have had no reduction in sound quality up to 200 yards (the distance to the mail box) despite the fact that the base is next to my refrigerator (not encouraged by the manufacturer).