Panasonic KX-TG9541 Cordless Phone with Link-to-Cell review

Who reading this doesn’t have a cell/smart phone? With mobile technology today, I would venture to guess a lot of our readers have done away with an old-fashioned line (landline or VOIP) in favor of cellular service. But, what if you have both a cell phone and a line service, or what if you just don’t like to carry your cell phone with you everywhere you go throughout the house? The Panasonic model KX-TG9541 Cordless Phone with Link-to-Cell can solve your home phone dilemmas.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

Maybe you’re like me and live in a household with one line and two cells phone. It is not fun always having to keep track of a cell phone and a regular line phone throughout the house. Like some other similar phone systems we have reviewed here, the Panasonic KX-TG9541 links to your cell phones using Bluetooth technology, so you can answer the cell through the Panasonic phone.

Some of the major listed features of the Panasonic KX-TG9541 are:

• Bluetooth connection for up to four cell phones
• Expandability up to 6 handsets
• DECT 6.0 Plus with range boost
• Noise reduction button on the handset
• Speaker phone
• Answering system with message forwarding
• Headset jacks on the base unit and the handset
• Wall mountable base unit
• Optional battery backup system

The Panasonic KX-TG9541 comes with the following:

• Base unit
• One handset
• An AC adapter
• A four-wire telephone line
• A two wire telephone line
• A desk/wall mounting adapter
• Rechargeable batteries for the handset
• A handset cover
• A belt clip

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let me start off by saying that we already own an older model of this phone unit, the Panasonic KX-TG7871 which we love, so having a chance to compare the newer model to the older one will be interesting. Here are a few differences that I have found. The newer KX-TG9541 has a larger base unit, screen, and push buttons than the older KX-TG7871. The KX-TG9541 supports up to four cell phones while the older KX-TG7871 will only support two. The KX-TG9541 has optional battery backup while the KX-TG7871 does not.

Basic set up on this system was easy using the included quick start guide: unpack the items from the box, plug the power adapter into the base unit and a power outlet, insert your line telephone cord (if you have one) into the base unit, set the date and time, install the supplied rechargeable batteries into the handset, and place the handset on the base unit to charge.

Pairing my iPhone 5 with the Panasonic KX-TG9541 was straightforward and simple. Once paired, you have the ability to transfer your cell phone contacts to the KX-TG9541. Another nice feature is that you can set the base unit of the KX-TG9541 to notify you if you get text messages. Although, you cannot read these messages from the phone, it is a nice feature to have. Calls made or received via the Bluetooth connection from my cell phone were clear and problem free. User experience could vary based on several factors, one of the main factors being your cell phone reception.

Making calls using the handset away from the base unit is just like any other phone, with the exception of being able to choose the line or cell connection. Answering is the same, but you will not have to choose between the connections, unless you have more than one call coming in at a time.

So what’s the bottom line on the Panasonic KX-TG9541? It’s good. If you have a landline and cells phones, it’s great; if you only have cell phones, it’s great. Over all I like this model over the previous one I owned because of the new screen design (bigger, bolder, and you can change the angle on it). Now for some bad news, I cannot find this phone listed anywhere in the US. I did manage to find a listing for one on a Quebec electronics store web site at $149. I did contact the Panasonic rep that sent us the unit to test, and she sent me a press release stating that the KX-TG-9541 would be available on their site in October, but at the time of this writing, I could not locate it at the provided link.