Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsNot bad, but I think there are better options.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2022
I've been trying to help a friend replace her mobile as she now has some sight problems. We tried a no flip type first. This had the big buttons but screen display was not that clear and there were other issues like too prominent volume buttons on the side.
So I then tried a couple of flip type phones including this Uleway one (I say which one we chose at the end of the review).
Pros
• My friend liked the size and that it was reasonably hefty compared to the other slightly smaller one we tried.
• This has good big number buttons and the display of numbers on the screen when dialling is big and clear (if in quite an old-fashioned looking font compared to another we tried).
• The menus look fairly modern on the surface as they are simple big picture icons with one word (see pics)
• It comes with a charging cradle and the charger plug itself (the first phone we tried had cradle but no actual charger)
• It's easy to drop in the charger and there is an indicator light on the front showing it's charging. There is also one to show if you have received a text message (and I think missed calls)
• It can be set to answer when you open the 'phone (the other one we tried could as well) saving hunting for the answer key.
• Volume and call quality seemed fine but my friend does not have any hearing impairment (quite the opposite).
• Takes a full sized SIM, but comes with a handy adapter so should (not tried) be possible to use with other sized SIMs (micro and nano).
• Comes with a torch built in.
Cons
• Like most of these, it's only 2G - so it will stop working on Vodafone in 2025 and on all networks at some point between now and 2033.
• It feels a bit cheap and nasty compared to a similarly priced alternative.
• That wallpaper image of the palm trees and camper van is standard and makes it very difficult to read the words Menu and Contacts on the home screen (see picture). The wallpaper can be changed (there are small number included - none much better). After a quick look, I could not find an option to turn it off all together. I would have had to create a black or similar wallpaper and load it on to the phone to fix this.
• Dialling a contact takes one more step than another phone we tried. You go into Contacts (accessible from a button press when on the main screen) and scroll to a contact name. Then you have to select that contact, only then can you press the green dial button. On the alternative, you scroll to the name and press the green dial button. Doesn't sound like much, but is an unnecessary barrier to someone less used to technology and a new phone in particular. My friend is very switched on and independent despite being a bit older, but preferred the simpler operation of the other phone.
• The main controller for using the menus is, in my opinion, of poor design. You can see in the pics it has a chrome square around a black button. To use the menus (e.g. for going up and down names) you have to press that thin chrome edge at the top for up and bottom for down. The black button selects an option. That's more fiddly than needed making it more difficult for those with poorer eyes or less dexterity.
• The FM Radio produced nothing but static whatever we tried
• The charger has a fixed cable, so if the cable breaks, it's useless. Others use a standard USB cable so could be changed. This is not a big deal except that most of the instructions for these phones warn you only to use the charger that comes with the phone - even though it should not be an issue to use with any suitable USB charger.
We didn't try the SOS feature on this phone.
In the end we went for a TTfone Lunar 750. I'll write a review of that shortly. In brief, it has most of the pros of this, but is just that bit better in almost every way.