The essence of the Essence

The Essence phone was our 84 year old tester's favourite phone. It's the phone she's currently using at home. And she'll keep using it until Optus 3G coverage is no longer available in her area.

The Essence made our shortlist as a reliable smartphone alternative for the elderly because of these features:

It has a familiar looking receiver. Often seniors (especially those with memory loss) can't work out how to answer a palm-sized mobile phone when it's ringing. But they can remember how to pick up and replace the receiver on a device that resembles a traditional landline from the 90's.

The 11 quick dial contacts buttons. The names of up to 11 preferred contacts can be written on the panel to the left of the quick dial buttons. The user manual gives instructions for programming these favourite numbers into the phone. Touching one button dials the favourite contact, making it easier for seniors to stay in touch with the important people in their lives. Our 84 year old tester has trialed both the Zigee and the Essence now for about 3 months. She prefers the Essence because it has the ability to store more quick dial contacts than the Zigee.

The "missed-a-call-from-a-favourite-contact" function. If the senior has missed an incoming call from any of their 11 favourite numbers, a light will start flashing beside their name. It's like a visible hint, nudging the senior to press that button and call that person back. Our 84 year old tester likes this feature.

The Essence uses a mobile phone sim. If the senior moves from their home into a granny flat or an aged cared facility they can take their Essence phone and their existing phone number with them. Note: The Essence only works with 3G Optus.

Why pay for something you don't use? Some Australian seniors are paying $70 per month for 50GB of data on their NBN plans and they don't use any data at all. If these seniors are on a budget then they're probably better off on a prepaid plan. The $15 Optus prepaid plan allows unlimited calls and sms during a 4 week period - that works out at just over 50c a day for unlimited, untimed phone calls and even includes calls to some overseas countries. The prepaid $15 plan from Optus also comes with a bonus 500MB of data - which is enough to download most updates.

Things to remember

The Essence will only work where there is Optus reception. Get a tech savvy member to check there is Optus 3G reception where you live or plan to live before purchasing the Essence.

The Optus 3G network will eventually be discontinued in Australia. Optus haven't said when they will be discontinuing it yet, although Telstra have said they will be phasing out their 3G some time after 2020. If you live in a major city of only have Telstra coverage the Essence may not be the ideal solution for you.

Concluding remarks

The Essence has ended up being the most suitable phone for our 84 year old tester. Marj found it the easiest to use out of all the phones she's tested for us, and this is her current phone.

The main drawback is the Essence won't work in 3-5 years when 3G is shut down. Marj says she'll swap to the Zigee if she's still around when 3G closes. If you'd prefer to invest in a device that will still work when 3G closes, the alternative is to buy a phone dock like the Zigee. Choose a USB Type-C adapter for the Zigee and an unlocked 4G phone that has a Type C charging port as your device. 4G and Type-C are likely to both be around for a few years.

TIPS for carers and family members

• Contacts and hotkeys can be managed on the Essence phone or in a browser through JabloTool cloud. We found this straightforward to use after registering the phone.

• The Essence can be set up to auto-dial just one pre-set number on handset lift. (Ask the phone distributor m2mconnectivity for more information about this feature.)

• Seniors using the Essence can take advantage of economical prepaid or long life Optus sim plans. Remember the Essence only works on Optus 3G. Check OzTowers for coverage at the address the phone is to be used at, if in doubt.

• The Essence user manual provides more information about the phone’s features.

• The Essence is intended to be a business phone - it has features someone who is not tech savvy is unlikely to use, so in that sense it's not the perfect senior's phone. However the Essence looks similar enough to a retro traditional desktop phone to make it suitable for senior citizens. It's the only desktop phone on the market that takes a mobile phone sim that we know of - which makes it one of the best mobile phones for seniors and the disabled in Australia (at the time of writing).

• Often "elderly aids" are only useful to the elderly. But the Essence has features which suit young and old. e.g. cloud based phone contacts, the option to make conference calls, use 3G for data services, email, sms; and the ability to remotely check phone messages.

• The silent profile button feature may cause issues. Try placing a sticker over buttons you don't want elderly users to touch. So far our tester has not had any issues with the silent profile button feature. The only issue she's had was she couldn't delete a sms. We logged in and deleted the sms remotely from our desktop at our home.

• Telstra have announced their intention to discontinue 3G some time after 2020 when they start rolling out their 5G network. At the time of writing Optus haven't made the same announcement about their 3G services. A Guesstimate? Because the Essence uses 3G it may only work for about 5 years before you'll need to find another alternative for the senior in your life. (As an aside the majority of pocket sized senior mobile phones currently on the market will also be obsolete because they are also 3G devices.) A phone alternative like the phone docks like the Zigee or Uniden may be more suitable as the handset itself doesn't change even if the phone is upgraded.

The Essence is available online from m2mconnectivity. Phone (03) 9696 3011

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