Panasonic GD52 Review

Overall Rating

Compact and light - 95g
Polyphonic ring tones
Recordable ringer
Speakerphone
Programmable switch on / switch off times
4 Alarms
One touch selection of vibrate mode
Calculator / Currency convertor
Personal dial button - for your most used number

Battery life - about 3 days
Small display
Polyphonic ring tones are quiet
Low battery warning - annoying
No covers / logos available
Only 2 animations

I bought the Panasonic GD52 mobile phone for only £50 on Cellnet Pay and Go. I was so impressed with it that the next day I went back and bought 2 more for my girlfriend and mother.

The first thing that impressed me was its light weight - only 95g, and compact size. You can put this phone in your pocket and not worry about it pulling you down.

When I started playing through the ringtones my jaw dropped. They are fantastic. Unlike other phones which play tunes as a series of beeps, this Panasonic gives you the full orchestra! The tunes are multi layered affairs complete with chords. They sound like they are being played on an electronic organ. One in the eye for the Nokia fans! The only downside is that they are a bit on the quiet side if you are in a noisy environment. Panasonic have thoughtfully included a selection of more traditional ringers which are much louder.

If that's not enough to satisfy you, there is the option of using the phones microphone to record 5 seconds of anything you like to be used as a ringer. So if you want your phone to speak to you when your receive a call, or bark like a dog, then this is the phone for you.

The next most useful feature is the easy to use vibrate function. By pressing and holding the # button, you instantly put the phone into silent vibrate mode. No messing about in menus, just one press and voila. If you so wish, you can then go and turn the ring volume back up and the phone will both ring and vibrate simultaneously. Great for noisy places.

If you press and hold the answer button when the phone is ringing it will answer the call in speakerphone mode. I have used this in the car and its very effective, no need to buy a handsfree kit. You can turn the speaker volume up and down whilst in the middle of a call and even revert to normal holding it to your ear mode.

There is a one button marked P which you can assign to your most used number. This saves you going into the phone book.

There is a clock,alarm, calculator, and currency convertor. No games though. A unique feature is the ability to set the phone to switch itself on and off at selected times. Mine automatically switches off at bedtime and then back on again in the morning.

You can set up to 4 seperate alarms either for one off events, or to repeat daily.

Finally, the battery is accessed by sliding the back case off. This means that there is enough space in the back of the phone to store extra sim cards, if you have more than one.

My only gripe with my little Panny is that the low battery warning is so annoying. Instead of beeping and then shutting up, it just keeps on beeping every 10 seconds, so much so that your only choice is to turn the phone off there and then.

Overall I have found this to be a very reliable phone with good useful features. OK so you can't change the covers or download Eminem logos, but if you want a phone for using, and not posing with, this one comes highly recommended.

Members' Comments onJohn.'s Review

• John Citizen. on 18th Dec 2001

  I agree with nearly everything in this review except battery life. I found it to be a fair bit longer. Interestingly, the phone REALLY sucks up a lot of power when it is searching for a network. I don't know if it is specific to this phone. Any comments?
  PS. Cant wait to try the GD75 :)

• nick. on 2nd Jan 2002

  I have this phone at home and use it all the time, it rocks!! But i find that mine dosent really use that much power at all, i barely even recharge it and you can also disable the warning tones in the menu. It also has the best menu system and i find it more customizeable then other phones.
  
  This phone is stylish, has more options than other phones and is easier to use, rock on panasonic

• Bogdan. on 4th Jan 2002

  The battery life in a 3 day average and yes it sucks up all the battery when searchin for network.too bad they did not put something in there to lower the consumption.All Panasonics are like that.

• Jeff. on 18th Jun 2003

  The Panasonic GD52 is a great little phone with lots of terrific features - especially the record your own ringtone function. (Many a meeting has erupted in laughter when my little neice's giggles start eminating from from telephone.) Another great feature is that if the alarm is set, the alarm will go off even if you have turned the phone off. There is only one gripe I have with the GD52 and that is that the phone gets a little screwy when the battery is nearing the end of its life.... The alarm function is not reliable until you get a new battery. Everything else about the phone is A1!