Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic KX-TG2356S 2.4 GHz Cordless Phone with Answering Device and Talking Caller ID (Silver)

Excellent sound quality throughout the house, easy to set up, logical features -- all in all a solid performer. The digital answering machine can be set to an "enhanced" mode for a better quality recording if one is willing to accept a shorter total record time (approx. 8 minutes total). Using that option, we have found messages to be very clear and more easily understood than on our last two digital answering machines. We don't use caller ID, so we can't evaluate the "talking caller ID." On balance, we're very pleased with this Panasonic phone.

I'm on a quest to find a cordless phone with decent features and excellent sound quality. I was hoping my search would end with the Panasonic KX-TG2356S, but unfortunately I'll have to keep looking. The phone is attractive and has a lot of nice features, but I'll be returning it due to the following shortcomings:
1) I hear my voice echoing when I speak.
2) The handset volume is too low. Even on the loudest setting, it is difficult to hear the other person.
3) Low level of static at all times. I run a test where I get a dial tone, then press the 1 key and listen for static.
4) All audio from the phone has a very high pitched, trebly, shrill sound quality. This includes the answering machine, dial tone, and the voice of people you speak to.

There are a few other things I don't like about the phone. There are pretty minor, but worth mentioning:
5) Handset doesn't always recognize it has been placed on the base. Sometimes have to jiggle the handset to get it to charge.
6) The answering machine doesn't light up the # of messages it has, which makes it difficult to read. The number is usually a red LED on other answering machines. (If there are new messages, the Play button flashes, which is nice).
7) Handset is not very comfortable after holding it against your ear for 15 or so minutes. This is noticeable because you have to push it so tight against your ear to hear anything since the volume is so low.

I can forgive most shortcomings of the phone, but not poor sound quality. The phone is pretty expensive; I expected more.

Overall this is a good product but details can be niggling. The phone beeps to confirm the handset has begun charging which is fine in concept but it seems to resettle itself periodically and repeat this beeping no matter whether it is in the desk or wall position, with the handset in either way, and with very clean contacts. So despite some cool features like a speakerphone in the handset I am returning this item because I already have too many things that randomly beep at me.

The talking caller ID worked ok but for wireless callers it wasn't helpful, even if you had the number and name in your address book. Also while the number is displayed instantly, the talking caller ID takes until about the second ring to start by which time you've already gotten up :)

I bought this phone specifically for the "talking caller ID" feature. I have children and can't always get to the phone to see who is calling. I liked the fact that this phone would speak the name (and not the number) of the person calling.

However, it turns out that only local landlines with listed numbers have a name associated with them -- and it turns out that about 95% of my calls (from cell phones, from non-local numbers, from unlisted numbers) come up without a name associated. So, for most of my calls, I hear the phone speak "Wireless caller, number available" or "out of area, number available." But to find out what the number is, I have to go look at the phone! I would have been better off buying a phone that speaks the numbers!

And, unlike my (very low end) cell phone, the caller ID will not associate an incoming call with a name in your address book. So, you can add a name to a number to put in your address book, but the next time that person calls, the phone *still* will not speak the name -- it will speak the same "unavailable" listing it receives from the phone company.

The talk time is also poor -- about an hour and a half with a brand new, fully charged battery.

And this is just a personal preference, but I don't like the fact that the answering machine only plays new messages (unless you do an extra button push). With my old answering system, I got used to using the answering machine as a reminder -- I'd have to listen to (and remember to deal with) saved messages each time I listened to my new messages.

Also gets interference from the microwave and interferes with my wireless LAN (my fault for buying a 2.4 GHz, I guess).

After our double-tape Panasonic answering machine bit the dust after 20 years of faithful service, we tried to find a replacement. I quickly discovered that there are very few separate answering machines on the market these days, and none of them appealed to me.

So even though we didn't really need a new phone, I bought the KX-TG2356S, and we're very happy with it. First off, the reception is excellent, much better than our older cordless phones. Even though we live in a congested urban area with lots of interference, we can roam from room to room without a loss in voice quality. Another nice feature is the number of ring tones and melodies you can choose. The rings were pretty harsh sounding, so we went with the Vivaldi. We also like that when the phone rings, the top of the antenna flashes a bit. It's nice, not jarring.

Second, the answering machine is a pleasure to use. The controls are well laid out and very visible, not like the ones on other answering machines I looked at. When you get a new message, a large triangle on a large button lights up. You then press that button to hear the messages. A separate display shows the number of messages you have, and it's easy to erase old messages. One caveat: If you get a LOT of messages, this may not be the phone for you. There's a limit of (I think) 16 minutes of total message time. We tend to get a few calls each day, so this phone is fine for us.

Third, the talking caller ID feature is fun. My one complaint (and it's not worth subtracting whole star of rating) is that the talking component can't be programmed or expanded: You hear whatever the phone company supplies. And because you hear ONLY the name, NOT the number, there are many cases where the name is unavailable. I would like to have had the ability to program names in for frequent callers. That's a mere quibble. But if you are buying this phone primarily for the talking caller ID feature, you may be better off getting a separate unit that's more programmable. In all, this is a good phone and I'm glad we bought it.