This new model builds on the previous versions; better sound quality, non-memory susceptable batteries (still not the norm in this segment and VERY important), new features (mentioned before by other reviews i.e. ring tones for each handset and distributable phonebooks).

Overall I am quite pleased with my purchase. I do have a few negative notes which may help you make a final purchase decision:
1. the new digital system gives great sound BUT does not have increased distance capabilites versus previous 2.4ghz technology. In my house (heavy concrete/rebar construction) the phone performs more poorly than my previous 2.4 phone and will not reach certain rooms. clear line of sight distance seems about the same but beware if you have a the need to drive through walls.
2. no backlit keys, at night on my might table it would be a welcome feature that my previous panasonic had, you dont miss it till its gone.
3. change in interface and how some features are accessed. for those of you coming to panasonic for the first time this wont be an issue, but for those of us who learned to use previous models…why did they change? i.e. how to see missed calls.

Overall, this panasonic phone remains one of the best performing phones out there for the price. I would buy it again and probably will (once my kids kill the buttons again!). great quality construction, great feature set, great performance and those non-memory batteries, its a no-brainer buy.

Uses AAA size NiMh batteries.

Any handset can be used to retrieve voice mail from your phone company (I have voip, and it worked with that voice mail service) or the answering machine. Any handset can be used to edit/review caller id info (and the action is for all phones). All the functions are the same, start with Menu/OK, scroll to the function, Clear to delete or backspace. It’s easy to learn.

All settings transfer to the action of each phone, so if you select “Call Screening’ all the phones play the calls picked up by the answering machine. This might be a slight disadvantage if you don’t want to hear this all over the house. I recently found that you can press the OFF button to silence the playing of the answering machine’s message at *that* phone, but unfortunately you have to have to press OFF again to silence any message being recorded. OFF will also, silence the phone’s ringing for the call.

If you change one phone to “Message Alert On’ all the phones’ LED light blink for answering machine or voice mail messages - not for new caller id info. This includes, message viewing, caller id editing, so if you erase it or review it at one phone, it’s ‘done’ at all phones. The LCD will show ‘new message’ on the display’ even if the Message Alert is set to off.

A note on the LED. It’s BRIGHT, to me. I find that I have to clear out or /review all messages before going to bed (because I have the Message Alert set to On,), else that phone will be blinking all night. Also, when charging, the LED is always on. I sometimes find myself taking the phone out of the charger to turn it off, since it’s on the night table next to my bed. When the phone is out of the charger, and there is a call, it blinks and the LCD screen comes on, so you will find it in the dark.

Intercom, and Transfer require that you know the handset’s ID number. It’s on the handset display, but now you may need a list at each phone, and if you walk around with them, you must put them back in the assigned room.

Intercom function is nice feature. The kids will answer the phone and you don’t have to yell. However, you need to know where the other person is, there is *no* ‘call all’ function or ‘open all phones’ speakers’ function.

Phone notifies you when a second handset is picked up, Only three handsets can be on the same call.

Transfer function, call’s not for you, press the Transfer button and the number of the phone where you think the other person is. No call all, etc. I find however, that I miss my simpler, HOLD button. I also wish that when you have two calls (call waiting) that it would show the caller ID information when switching back and forth with the flash. It DOES show the second call’s caller ID when the call comes in.

Phonebook (50 entries) can be shared. However, you need to sit at one phone, put in as many as you use and then when completed, you can cause it to copy ALL entries to each phone but only one phone at a time from the Phonebook’s menu. It’s easy to use a caller id entry and edit/save it to phone book. Since each phone can have 50, you could have different numbers at each. You can also transfer single phone numbers to other handsets, but again, you have to do it for the number of phones you have if you want it to be all handsets (or know the ID of the phone that you do want to transfer it to).

The phone has 5 rings and 10 melodies. Rings are tinny and cheap electronic sounds very surprising that they didn’t include better sounding rings. Melodies tend to be bizzare, Nutcracker, jingle bells and such, including one that has birds chirping to classical music. Melodies and anything but the standard phone ring also suppress any special ring tones that your phone provider may have (VIP calling, second number/line, etc.)

Answering machine only has 16 minutes recording time. Calls can be limited to 1 minute or 3 minutes. Says ‘thank you for your call’ when it hangs up.

Base Unit CANNOT be used as a speaker phone, and phones DO NOT work when in chargers, so you can not press the ’speaker phone’ button the phone while in the charger or base unit. Phone does stand nicely on it’s own, upright, and the speaker phone functions very well.

No battery in master base unit. This is a disadvantage, IMO, since you now need battery backup to make units (with multi-day power supply) function. Note that while you can not use the phone without full power to the base, the phone’s settings and phonebooks are saved during power outages, so you will not have to do any additional setups. (Must have a capacitor in there somewhere feeding the RAM chip.)

I have not touched the master base unit since install, since I can do everything at the phone handset.

Base unit can be mounted to wall, but most kitchens with 5 ft high wall plate will now have this rather ODD shelf-like base station sticking out from the wall. If you have your kitchen wall plate mounted low this won’t be such an issue and you will be able to see the blinking light to tell you there is a message (turning on message alert at the handset will eliminate this need).

Each handset a headphone jack. Comes with belt clips which are worthless, IMO, since the prongs that hold them on are not long enough.