Binatone M250 Big Button GSM Updated for 2024

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1. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

   
   Impressive performance for a non-smart phone., 22 Mar. 2015

   By 

   Amazoniac (Norwich) –
   
     
   
     

   This review is from: Binatone M250 Big Button GSM (Electronics)

   Customer review from the Amazon Vine Programme (What’s this?)

   Impressive performance for a non-smart phone.
   The trend towards miniaturization in phones has always been a bit of a gripe with me. As I have aged my eyesight has got worse and my gnarly old fingers have found it ever more difficult to stab the right button on several tiny phones over the years!
   Since retiring I have also found that I actually use my phone for talking to people and sending texts, and that is about all. My need and desire for apps has dwindled to about zero.
   So, for a little while now I have been looking at a more simple (and cheap) alternative for my everyday phone use.
   I bought a Nokia 108, but I still found the keyboard too small to type without having to drag my specs out of my pocket. Then I was offered the chance to try out this phone from Binatone and, I have to say, overall I am pretty impressed.
   The Nokia has gone into the bin – which is something you can do with a 20 quid phone, and the Binatone has now become my normal every day companion.
   The keys on this phone are big – very big. I can hit them – spectacle free – without any bother. The keys are also back-lit which just makes it better still.
   The screen is nice and bright and just shows the basic stuff you need and displays a simple and easy to use menu system to get to all the (few) functions it has, and that you need.
   The battery life is just silly by smart phone standards, and I sometimes think the battery gauge on the front screen must have got jammed (like old fashioned car speedometers), but it is just that it draws so little from the battery, especially on standby, because there is nothing going on when you aren’t talking or sending a text.
   It is a quite a big phone, but nothing like many smart phones, so no worries that youngsters on the train will laugh at you or that you will need a special carrying strap.
   There is an emergency SMS button on the back of the phone, so you can send a message to anyone of a number of people, at the press of a single button. Not really something I think I will be needing anytime soon, but a useful feature for many of the 50 shades of grey that use phones these days, and might find themselves in need of a bit of help one day.
   It has the usual basic functions: a radio, calculator, alarm, clock and a torch built in!
   You can lock the keypad, so you don’t make calls from your handbag or pocket and it even has spoken numbers so you can hear what you just pressed, just to be sure. there is a speakerphone, so you can chat while you are doing something else.
   You even get a choice of ringtones.
   It is unlocked (or SIM free) so you can just take the card out of your fancy 2G smart phone and pop it into this one. It will carry your contacts across (well, mine did) and the simple fact that you get all this for less than twenty quid is what makes this a bargain.

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2. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

   
   All the basics for the user who just needs a phone, 11 Mar. 2015

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   Whitehatter “Roy Ellor” (Salford, United Kingdom) –
   
     

   This review is from: Binatone M250 Big Button GSM (Electronics)

   Customer review from the Amazon Vine Programme (What’s this?)

   Binatone have definitely designed a smart-looking phone at an excellent price.

   The phone comes in an easy to open box, however you will need to obtain a SIM card as there isn’t one enclosed. The device is designed to operate on the earlier 2G networks so 3 isn’t an available choice, however it will work fine with all the virtual networks. I tried it with a Tesco sim card and it accepted this with no issues. Definitely a plus point as it means the user can select their preferred carrier or even go for a cheap deal.

   Build quality is OK. The front has nicely finished backlit buttons and the various functions are easily accessed. The phone has a metal surround to absorb knocks. On the rear is a panic/emergency button, however I do think it’s a little too easy to accidentally push. The back panel could also do with maybe a better grade of plastic but then again at this price it’s a minor grumble. Various extras are in there, such as a torch facility and the somewhat odd radio feature that seems to be common in devices of this type. I really can’t see anyone using that.

   The only negative I would deduct a star for is the charger, which is a mains type included with the phone. It’s a jack type. I’d really prefer to see a stand of some kind and usage of the standardised micro-USB that all other phones seem to use these days. Definitely a stand of some kind or a docking station, even if it makes it a few pounds extra. Older users certainly would find that much more convenient.

   Overall it’s excellently priced and a nicely designed phone, ideal for the elderly or someone with poor sight. Not everyone wants or needs the latest Samsung or IPhone, just the basics.

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3. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

   
   Terrific Value for Money., 11 Mar. 2015

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   S. Broadbent “cyberspaceexpress” (Devon) –
   
     
   
     

   This review is from: Binatone M250 Big Button GSM (Electronics)

   Customer review from the Amazon Vine Programme (What’s this?)

   As my Mum’s only child it’s my pleasure to look after her now that she has reached her eighties and daily life can be a struggle.
   I insist that she always carries a mobile phone with her but most modern phones are really beyond her willingness to learn how to operate them.
   Two years ago I bought her a Doro that has now reached the end of its lifespan.
   Now she has the Binatone M250 big button phone.
   The Binatone is very easy to setup and once charged it is ready to go after a couple of minutes.
   The display is clear and comfortable to read.
   The buttons are a nice size and speak the number you have pressed which my Mum loves.
   To unlock the pad just press the hash key.
   Now the Binatone has a host of basic features like text messaging, radio, choice of ringtones, alarm and even a torch.
   My Mum just wants a phone that will make a call and the Binatone is easy to do that with.
   Now the SOS function is a must for me and this is how it works.
   You can program up to 5 numbers in the SOS memory.
   If my Mum has a problem whilst I am not with her she presses the big red button on the back for 1 second and the phone calls the SOS numbers in order, repeatedly until one number answers.
   It also sends a text message (which you can edit).
   The phone also makes a loud claxon like sound to attract attention when the button is activated.
   Now as mentioned earlier my Mum is hard on her mobiles.
   She is forever dropping her phone and her favourite pastime is sitting on it. This is why after just 2 years the Doro, which was well made, is now falling apart.
   I mention this because the Binatone build quality is not especially high and I am not confident as too how long it will survive my mother’s determined efforts.
   However the price is so reasonable you can probably afford to throw it away after a year and get another when it fails.
   Overall I am very pleased with this phone and more importantly my mum likes it, she is sitting on it again as I write, oh well!

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