Emporia RL1 simplified mobile phone

The Emporia RL1 is a simple phone with just two functions: it makes phone calls and allows you to send and receive text messages.

It's aimed at older users and people with impaired vision but it's also suitable for people of any age who do not want any of the other functions that modern phones tend to offer.

It was certainly easy to use. The menus were easy to navigate with large text marked with pictures to guide the user, and options to make the text larger or smaller. The buttons were large and responsive if a bit plasticky, and on the side of the handset there are controls for volume and locking the keypad.

The 1.8in colour screen was bright and its contrast is adjustable. Although the display was rather blocky, text was still easy to read.

It doesn't do predictive text so entering messages was a chore, but it does have a blacklist – adding a number to the list causes any text messages from that number to be ignored, which is good for anyone suffering nuisance text messages.

Unfortunately the same isn't available for incoming calls but if you dial a new number, it does cleverly ask after the call is over whether you'd like to save it to the address book.

While there was a good choice of ringtones for calls (the ringer volume went loud and there's even a special maximum-volume ‘bus mode') there is only one tone for text messages, which wasn't loud enough. And the phone can't take or receive picture messages.

The Emporia RL1 isn't going to win any design awards, and for some reason the two lower corners are rounded, yet the upper ones are a bit square and sharp.

Unlike previous models this one comes with a charging cradle – a plastic mount into which the phone slots, making it easy to charge.

It's not a great looker and the price is a little high but the Emporia RL1, exclusive to Vodafone, is well-suited to first-time phone users or people who just want a simple mobile phone for calls – but fans of text messaging may find it too limiting.