Panasonic KX-TG985 Expandable Cordless Phone System Link2Cell Bluetooth – 5 Handsets DECT 6.0 Bluetooth, Voice Assist, Low Battery Alert, Answering Machine, Call Blocking, Talking Caller ID, Black

A perfect home telephone system
Purchased the Panasonic DECT 6 telephone set to replace an aging Panasonic system. The new system has performed flawlessly in the month since we received it. Love the one-button caller blocking button. Voice reception is clear and perfect, and none of those we’ve talked to on the system have indicated any problem whatsoever in our voice quality. The system works great with our VOIP landline and connecting to our two cell phone lines. Caller ID and text message sender identification are clear and immediate. A perfect telephone system with 5 handsets, 3000 number phone directory capability, and 250 number caller blocking. We fully expect this quality system to serve us long and well, just as it’s predecessor did.

Blocks pesky calls
We bought these specifically for the Automated Call Block which works excellently to block robocalls; it was worth the money for this one feature even though our old Panasonic phones still worked flawlessly. It requires that a caller not programmed into your phone list enters a code which the phone reveals, humans can enter it but, robo callers can not (it will show up as a “missed call”). Also there is a Block button on the keypad which is convenient to block other pesky calls easily. While there are many neat features with this phone the one we use often is the Voice Paging (intercom) to communicate without walking all over the home to locate a family member. There are a couple of things about this phone I’d like to see Panasonic improve upon in the next version. 1. The “low battery” announcement is a loud announcement in the middle of the night that can’t be turned down, or off and only solutions are set it to max delay (6 hours) so it only wakes you up once in the night and you can ignore it or make sure to put it on the charger before going to bed. 2. The batteries typically only last three days, whereas the old Panasonics tended to last four to five days (with an average of two hours talk time). It’s no wonder Panasonic wants you to put the handset on the charger when not in use – but that kind of defeats having a “wireless handset” anywhere you go in the home. By-the-way, I’ve seen reviews that say the range is limited however, I have no problem using them anywhere on my 5600+ square foot lot so I’d say there may be something unusual in a building when a reviewer says they can’t use them everywhere inside their home (then again, maybe they live in a huge mansion). If I had it to do over I would buy them again, it’s so much more peaceful without the constant interruptions from robo callers.

With capabililty comes complexity
THe KX-TG985SK (released 2019) is the successor to the KX-TFG675 (suffix of s or b, for color) (released in 2014) in Panasonic’s premier residential HD Audio – Link2Cell – Bluetooth series. You won’t find “the KX-TG985 is the successor to the KX-TGF675” anywhere in Panasonic’s literature, perhaps because there plenty of the latter in warehouses. The former (2019 release) uses a different handset (KX-TGFA71, vs. KX-TGFA61 (2014 release). I own both (in different homes), and the only apparent difference is the button placement on the 2019 base station (KX-TGF780) and on the handset. The handset and base station reveal the “KX-TGF lineage” of the 2019 release. The manual for the 2014 release has vanished from Panasonic’s website, but you can use the operating manual for the 2019 release as a replacement. The layout of the 2019 base station is an improvement over the 2014 release… Call Block is now the largest button on the base station, and in a featured location (top, central) … Panasonic’s “kaizen” (continuous improvement) philosophy at work. I think the HD Audio models from Panasonic provide a discernibly better experience, esp., on speakerphone, than the non-HD models. Some BT headsets (e.g., Soundcore Q20) don’t have the BT profile Panasonic requires, and won’t pair… but Jabra BT headsets pair with the HD Audio base stations without problem. The Link2Cell systems earlier than the KX-TGF675 had unacceptable echo/Klingon/phasing effects over a mobile phone connection (C1 and C2, i.e., not using a landline to the Panasonic base station), but both the KX-TGF675 and KX-TG985 have very good duplex audio over C1 and C2 connections. I think the processor in the 2019 release is faster than that in the 2014 release… tasks complete faster, such calling over C1 or C2.For users unwilling to study the manual, and enter control codes from a handet, this is not the model for you, esp., if you only want a landline-only cordless phone. Search: panasonic cordless feature comparisonto sort through ~100 different Panasonic cordless phone models.