Doro distinguishes itself from other smartphone manufacturers by targeting older phone users and those looking for a simple handset rather than one packed with complicated features.
Along with its smartphones, Doro manufactures security and health products like fall sensors and emergency notification wristbands designed to help the elderly continue to live independently in their own home.
What to consider when choosing a Doro phone
Doro phones are quite unlike your typical modern smartphone, and shopping for one requires a different perspective from the one needed when weighing up the latest iPhone. You need to be prepared for compromise in exchange for simplicity, especially in the following key areas:
The inbuilt storage on most Doro phones is minimal, with just enough space to accommodate the operating system and to store basic data like contact information and text messages. Some models come with as little as 128MB of internal storage, though most support expansion via microSD cards for those who want room to store photos and music. Support for large microSD cards isn't guaranteed, though, so be sure to check the specs when comparing different models.
Most Doro phones are modelled after handsets of the early 2000s, adopting flip-phone designs and full numeric keypads. This approach extends to their screens, which are typically around 2-3 inches and driven by physical menu buttons instead of a touch interface. Unsurprisingly, this makes Doro phones impractical for visually intricate activities like watching videos or navigating image-heavy websites. If you intend on reading more than the occasional text message or email, Doro is probably not for you.
Doro's streamlined focus serves it well on the price front. Most of its basic handsets retail for around $100-$150, making them suitable for pairing with a cheap prepaid SIM card. This is, in fact, the only way to purchase and use a Doro phone in Australia as no local mobile providers currently offer Doro handsets on contract.
In keeping with its retro aesthetic, Doro continues to include the 3.5mm headphone jack on its handsets. It also offers Bluetooth support, so you can use both traditional wired headphones and wireless headphones with your Doro phone as you please.
The barebones approach to phone design is both a boon and a burden for security on Doro's phones. Because most run Doro's proprietary operating system and don't support apps, automatic downloads or other features that expose your phone to third parties, there is far less chance for them to run afoul of malware or other malicious attacks. At the same time, Doro phones don't benefit from the steady stream of firmware updates that modern Android and iOS handsets do, so any security holes that might exist will likely remain open for the life of the phone. However, given Doro's target audience, the locked-down ecosystem provides plenty of security.
Put bluntly, the camera quality on Doro phones is dismal. Odds are, most Doro phone owners will never touch the camera at all, except maybe as a handy shortcut for remembering things rather than typing out a text note. For anything more than that, you'll want to use a dedicated digital camera instead.
While Doro phones can access the Internet, they're not built for anything more than the lightest of web browsing. This is evident in the fact that most handsets only support 3G networks rather than the common and much faster 4G networks. 3G coverage is available in more parts of Australia than 4G is, but Internet speeds are often many times slower. Once again, this is likely to be a minor issue for Doro's primary demographic.
Since both wireless charging and quick charging are features aimed at heavy smartphone users, it should come as no surprise that Doro's phones do not support either technology. Its handsets stick with traditional wired power chargers that can take multiple hours to juice a phone back up to full.
The batteries included in Doro's phones are just a fraction of the size most modern smartphones use, and in a traditional head-to-head test, this leads to battery life hours shorter than you'd see from the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S. Doro's phones aren't built for the same heavy use as an iPhone, though, and if you're only making the occasional phone call or text, a single charge can last you multiple weeks.
For as pared-back as Doro's phones are, they still suffer from the same weakness to water that most modern technology does. However, where recent smartphones are starting to feature waterproof designs, most Doro handsets include no official water resistance and are instead susceptible to damage from spilled drinks or sudden rain. If your Doro phone is going to be buried safely in your bag 99% of the time, this may not be a big issue, but it's worth keeping in mind all the same.
Doro makes its phones just as powerful as they need to be to handle calls and texts, and that's about it. Don't expect snappy menus, slick visual effects or fast photos; Doro's handsets use a stripped-back, 2000s-era operating system for a reason, and even then buttons and menus may respond slower than is optimal.
However, as with all the shortcomings of Doro phones, lacklustre performance is unlikely to be a major concern if you're only going to be using your phone for basic calling and texting.
Looking for a Doro Phone on a plan?
Because of Doro's low-cost nature, it doesn't really make sense to pair the phone with a mobile contract plan. Instead, you can pick it up cheaply and pair it with one of these prepaid mobile plans under $20 per month.
With a flip-phone design, easy-to-press buttons and a raft of accessibility features, the Doro 6520 is a simple alternative to the complexities of modern smartphones
Matt Sayer is a technology writer and editorial engineer for Finder, combining industry expertise with data-driven solutions to help people make better decisions. His extensive portfolio spans investigate reporting on the roll-out of 5G, statistical analysis on the legacy of E3 and guides for popular products like mobile phones and smart speakers. Matt has a Bachelor of Computer Science from RMIT University and is passionate about finding ways that technology can better our lives. See full bio
With a flip-phone design, easy-to-press buttons and a raft of accessibility features, the Doro 6520 is a simple alternative to the complexities of modern smartphones
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