Doro Phone Easy 409gsm

Simple phones such as the John's Phone and Emporia Life Plus are often characterised by a relaxed attitude to handset design.

In the drive to make things simple, some manufacturers forget that simple phones can be made to look good too.

Take the screen, for instance: the John's Phone and Emporia Life Plus both have single-colour screens, and in the case of the John's Phone the screen's size and position actually made the phone harder to use.

The Doro Phone Easy 409gsm takes a different approach. It's still designed to be easy to use, but it has a proper colour screen. It looks good, flipping open to reveal the screen and keyboard, protecting them when not in use, and the black plastic finish doesn't look out of place against the latest smartphone models.

Unlike a smartphone, it doesn't have much in the way of extras: no apps, email, web browsing or music playback.

Although the screen is smaller than the Emporia's it's easier to read and sharper. That also allows for a couple more features: in addition to calls and text messages the 409gsm has an alarm and rudimentary calendar and calculator. The keys are large and easy to press, though we found it confusing that menus are navigated using the two smaller keys above the large red and green buttons, not the red and green buttons themselves.

Otherwise the phone was very easy to use, with little to confuse or distract from the main tasks. Call quality was good and the built-in speaker loud and clear.

The Doro Phone Easy 409gsm is undoubtedly a good phone, but who it's good for is another matter. It's a good handset for someone who hasn't used a phone before or who finds their current handset too complicated, as it allows calling and text messaging without patronising the user.

However, modern smartphones such as the iPhone are often just as easy to use, with simple, colourful icons denoting tasks and features. That said, the Phone Easy 409gsm is a fraction of the cost of a new iPhone, which makes it a good deal if you are not interested in the extra features.