Emporia RL1 Review

Introduction:

Okay, before you start asking questions like “What is this phone doing here?” and the likes, keep in mind that there are people out there that do need a handset like the Emporia RL1. Offering nothing but the pure basics, the phone is meant to be as easy to use as possible and is designed with the elderly in mind. The Emporia RL1 has a big numeric keypad, a high contrast OLED display, a minimalistic user interface, an LED flashlight, and comes with a docking station out of the box.

Design:

With its crude looks and rough edges, the Emporia RL1 is surely not pretty, but then again, it was never meant to be.

Most of its front side is occupied by a huge, backlit numeric keypad, which is really convenient to operate by users of all ages. The 1.8 inch OLED display is very easily legible thanks to the high contrast levels that it provides. However, there is a constant flickering that becomes more and more noticeable by the minute, and while most users will not be bothered by it, others might find it annoying.



You can compare the Emporia RL1 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

On the phone's sides we see a dedicated flashlight button, a power button, a keyboard lock key, and a 2-button volume rocker. The volume rocker is very well exposed while the power, lock, and flashlight keys are extruded, which prevents accidental presses.

Overall, we are happy with the way the keypad and the buttons on the phone's sides have been designed. Sure, the Emporia RL1 will not win any beauty contests, but that is a disadvantage we can live with.

Interface and functionality:

The interface on the Emporia RL1 is as basic as it gets, and that is a great advantage considering the phone’s target audience. Making things even simpler are the help messages, which pop-up after a menu item is highlighted for several seconds.


Press the navigation key down and you are taken to the device's phone book, which you can search through by typing a contact's name. The results are conveniently displayed in real time, and it doesn't matter whether you search for a contact using their first or last name. Composing a text message is easy thanks to the phone's big keypad and the interface's large, legible font.

The rest of the phone's already short list of features includes a basic calculator, an alarm clock with one possible entry, speed dial for up to 5 numbers and the ability to set up reminders. You can also make a list of shortcuts for frequently used functions, which is accessible straight from the home screen.

Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks that we need to point out. First of all, there is no intuitive way of switching between normal, silent, and vibrate modes as the volume rocker only adjusts the earpiece volume during calls. Besides, the phone sometimes lags when you input text or phone numbers.

In a nutshell, the phone's interface is simplified as much possible making it very suitable for use by the elderly. Sure, it has a few flaws, but we do not consider them to be a deal breaker.

Performance:

The Emporia RL1 offers several sufficiently-loud polyphonic ringtones to choose from, yet the loudest one of them is set by default. Besides, the vibrating alert is easy to feel when the phone is in your pocket. When it comes to in-call audio quality, voices both in the earpiece and on the other side of the line sound loud and distinct, and the Handsfree mode is available for the times when needed.

The phone's 800 mAh battery is rated for 3 hours of talk time or 200 hours in stand-by mode, which are both nearly unacceptable figures nowadays. A solution to this would be having the phone constantly in its docking station when not in use, which, on the good side, would make it much more difficult for the user to lose the handset.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a phone that is as simple to use as possible, the Emporia RL1 would be a good choice as it has both a gigantic keypad and a simplified interface. However, before getting one for yourself, or for an elderly relative of yours, keep in mind that its battery life is way below par. Another thing that may make you search for an alternative would be its relatively high price of around $120 contract-free, which is enough cash to buy you at least two budget-friendly Nokia handsets.

Emporia RL1 Video Review: