product analyzed

Senior phone Maxcom Comfort MM426

Senior phone Maxcom Comfort MM426

Image showing an overview of the Maxcom Comfort MM426
Overall rating:
3/5
Technology:

Categories assigned to this product within the main category Technology.

Needs:

Categories assigned to this product within the main category Needs.

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Below is the video of the review.

What does it consist of:

The MM426 model, belonging to the COMFORT series of terminals, is one of the different telephones that the Polish company Maxcom has designed for the elderly thanks to its ergonomic design and simplified operation.

Among the most attractive aspects of the Maxcom MM426 we find its charging base, SOS emergency call button and function and various speed dial keys.

Weight and measurements  

Weight: 72 g

Size: 115 x 52 x 13 mm

Screen size: 1.77″

 

Image showing the Maxcom MM426 terminal from the front resting on its charging base.

Forms of acquisition:

Forms of acquisition

The Maxcom MM426 can be purchased in different specialized or general establishments. However, the easiest and fastest way to purchase it would be through one of the many online stores that offer the phone.

Below is a link to an online comparator that compares the selling price of the phone in the most popular online stores and establishments.

https://www.idealo.es/precios/200341449/maxcom-comfort-mm426.html

The price of the terminal during the period in which the analysis is being carried out, March 2022, is between 24 and 32 euros.

Likewise, there is the possibility of buying the MM426 model from the manufacturer's official website. However, this is not recommended because the payment currency to be used is the zloti (Polish currency) and also because the website is not well translated into Spanish or English. Even so, below is the link of the phone in the official Maxcom store as additional information about the product can be found:

https://es.maxcommobile.eu/es/comfort-telefonos-celulares-ergonomicos-con-teclado-tradicional/423-maxcom-comfort-mm426-5908235974507.html

The price marked by the store is 89 zlotys, which would be equivalent to about 19 euros. This price is only for the product and does not take into account the various additional costs.

Warranty and support

The only information provided by the manufacturer regarding the guarantee is a card that is included in the terminal box. In this lowercase letter card, the different conditions are described and it is mentioned that the guarantee period is 2 years.

These conditions are contradictory to the current law in Spain. This is due to the modification of the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users, which establishes that durable products, such as a mobile phone, must have a minimum guarantee of 3 years if they have been purchased after January 1, 2022. Therefore, the Maxcom MM426 is no exception.

This discrepancy in dates may be mainly due to the fact that the contents of the box were sealed before 2022. In addition, to counter all this information, an additional search on the manufacturer's website has been carried out without success.

On the other hand, if you want to contact the support service, they offer us several possibilities on their website. However, as Maxcom does not have a presence in Spain, this service is carried out from foreign soil.

The first way would be by calling the contact telephone number provided, +48 32 327 70 89. Polish phone number.

Another possible method available is to get in touch through one of the emails they provide.

Finally, there is the possibility of filling out a contact form at the following link:

https://es.maxcommobile.eu/es/contactenos

   

Technical assessment:

April 2022

The Maxcom MM426 model has been designed with the intention of satisfying the needs of people looking for a terminal with the most basic features accompanied by simple operation.

The box contents are standard for this type of phone and everything is packed very compactly. Inside you can find the terminal itself, the separate battery, the fixed charging station, a micro USB charging cable that can be connected to the phone or to the station, the operating manual and the warranty conditions.

An initial negative aspect, already recurrent in this type of device, is the difficulty of opening the back cover of the terminal to insert the battery and the SIM card. This is due to the fact that some force is necessary and also because the design of the opening slot does not facilitate the process. In addition, in the case of this terminal, placing the SIM card has been more complicated than normal due to how the slot is designed to place it.

Also, it is necessary to mention that, in case of inserting the SIM card incorrectly, the initial language of the terminal will be Portuguese and configuring it to change the language to Spanish can be somewhat complicated.

Another initial problem that was had was that the phone comes from the factory with the automatic key lock option activated. This blockage occurs when the phone is on the home screen and a few seconds pass without using the terminal. Therefore, when it was blocked for the first time, a brief moment of confusion was generated since, in addition, the terminal does not indicate very well what must be done to unblock it.

Image of the front view of the Maxcom MM426.

Buttons and physical appearance

The Maxcom MM426 features an alphanumeric keyboard with relatively large buttons and good contrast. To this, if we add that the keys are individual and that they have a good separation from each other, we have a keyboard that is quite easy to identify visually and with a design that tries to avoid wrong presses. In addition, the keys are also backlit which allows them to be seen in low light situations.

As for specific buttons designed to simplify the use of the phone for the elderly, we have an orange SOS button on the back of the phone, keys 2 to 9 can be configured to have the speed dial function and the 0 button that has the flashlight function. It is also important to note that this Maxcom model does not have buttons on the side, whether they are the typical ones for raising or lowering the volume.

As a negative point of the keyboard, it can be mentioned that the size of the letters can be somewhat small. Also, the buttons located at the bottom can be somewhat confusing due to the number of icons they have and alternative functions they have.

Close up image of the keyboard of the Maxcom MM426.

 

Menu and texts

In the case of the Maxcom MM426, simply press the lower part of the navigation key to access the main menu. Although it seems like a very simple process, it can be confusing for some people due to the lack of information on the screen.

The main menu design is quite basic and common. Each category has its own associated icon and page within the menu. The one that is divided into several pages facilitates the correct selection of the section that you want to use since it reduces the possibility of pressing errors and allows the icons to be larger. In general terms, the icons have a good size and have a simple design that is easy to identify and relate to.

The initial operation, as in most of these terminals, can give the feeling of being simple and intuitive. However, when you start browsing you realize that it is not as easy as it seems and that for many people it can be really confusing. This is because many section titles are too generic, making it difficult to choose the right options. To this, we must add that in the case of the Maxcom MM426, there are sections such as the settings in which we find that more than half of the available subsections are called configuration of "something" but since the screen cuts the full name, it gives the feeling that all subsections are the same.

On the other hand, it is also necessary to mention that in some configurations a security pin is requested. This pin comes from the factory and can only be found in the manual. In case of not having read the manual or in case of having some type of problem with it, situations of considerable confusion can arise. However, we believe that this pin could be the same for all terminals of the same model.

As for the text, the font size of the terminal is small, with dimensions very similar to that of an average smartphone. Also, it is not possible to increase the size through any phone settings.

Image showing the terminal menu.

SOS button

The SOS button is located on the back of the terminal just to the left of the speaker. Visually it is striking and easy to detect thanks to the good contrast that orange makes on black. In addition, its physical interaction is correct thanks to the difference in relief it has with respect to the lid.

This feature, now default on this type of phone, allows you to save up to five contact numbers in order of importance. The operation is very simple, just press the button for a few seconds to activate the process. From that moment on, an alarm tone is turned on at a high volume for a few seconds with the intention of attracting the attention of the people around. When the alarm ends, the phone turns on the "hands-free" and starts dialing one saved number after another until someone answers for as long as necessary and following the previously established priority.

Another function of the SOS button is the possibility of sending a personalized emergency SMS to the five contacts when pressing the button. This message will arrive before the call.

The configuration of the SOS button can be somewhat complex as it is necessary to activate several features beforehand. Additionally, the phone does not indicate very well what steps are necessary to follow to configure it in an optimal way.

Finally, it is important to mention that it is not recommended to put contacts with an answering machine because they stop the process.

speed dial buttons

As mentioned before, the Maxcom MM426 allows you to configure keys 2 through 9 to have the speed dial function.

For its operation, it is only necessary to keep the corresponding key pressed until the contact you want to call is marked. In case of not having any saved number, the phone will notify us by means of a message that will appear on the screen. It is also worth noting that speed dial is only available from the home screen.

The main negative point of this very useful feature is the configuration process. This is because the need to navigate various unintuitive menus can be difficult for some people.

Image showing the SOS button configuration menu.

Calls and SMS

The phone has good sound quality and allows you to hold calls at high volume. In addition, the terminal offers the user the possibility of activating the hands-free mode during the call in the options menu that can be opened during calls.

As already mentioned, the terminal does not have a specific button to control the volume. However, this is not a problem since this function is adapted by the navigation buttons. These are responsible for controlling the volume during the call. Also, it would be appreciated if this function was indicated in some way on the phone as we realized after several tests. Although it is not indicated in the terminal, we have noticed that in the instruction manual, it is mentioned how to increase the volume of the call

The terminal also allows you to modify the ringtone, although it may be unintuitive. The problem arises when configuring the different parameters since it is necessary to open many menus and the phone does not provide much guidance on what process to follow. The values ​​that can be configured are the melody that sounds and the volume level. The maximum achievable volume is quite acceptable.

Sending and receiving SMS is simple and intuitive and is notified correctly both on screen and by sound.

Finally, it should be noted that the phone has two ways of notifying us if we have a missed call or an unread SMS. The first would be through a text message that will open on the home screen every time we turn on the phone. The other option is through a series of small but easy to understand icons that will appear on the home screen.

Image showing the agenda menu of the Maxcom MM426.

 

Connectivity

The Maxcom MM426 is dual SIM, that is, it allows you to use two phone numbers or SIM cards. This feature can be useful for those who want to share two different lines on the same terminal. Or also, it could be useful if you travel to another country and our SIM is not operational.

Of the two slots included in the phone, one is compatible with the standard SIM type and the other with the micro type.

On the other hand, this Maxcom model has a very basic version of Bluetooth. However, the terminal does not have the possibility of connecting to WI FI or the possibility of using mobile data.

Image showing the back of the SIM and SD slots

Camera

The phone, unlike very similar models, does not have a camera.

Manual

An operation manual is included in the phone box. Typically, these support manuals or brochures are translated into multiple languages. However, in our case we only received the manual in Portuguese. We do not know if the fact that it is not translated into Spanish is due to an error in the packaging process or if it is a consequence derived from the lack of presence of Maxcom in Spain.

To the latter, it must be added that a search has been carried out to find a copy of the operating instructions on the official website and on third-party pages and only a pdf with the manual in Polish has been obtained.

Even so, the manual gives us the feeling that it is quite complete, since it seems to explain most of the configurations that can be made and the different functionalities that the phone offers. Although the manual is not in Spanish, at least it is in a relatively similar language such as Portuguese, which allows us to understand some aspects and explanations.

FM radio and audio playback

The phone has a Jack output for the use of headphones at the bottom. Unlike similar models, it is not necessary to connect headphones to make use of both radio and audio playback.

Both to be able to use the radio and the audio player, it is necessary to previously access the multimedia section available in the main menu. In addition, its operation is very similar since both the volume control and the station or audio selection are the same for both functionalities. However, this does not mean that its operation is unintuitive at first, since it does not have buttons to increase the volume on the side, in this case, the sound level is controlled with the * and # keys.

The radio and audio player can be run in the background with factory settings. Although this mode can be attractive if you want to use other phone tools at the same time, it can be somewhat inconvenient to have to re-enter the radio menu to be able to modify the volume, change the station or turn it off. So for those people who don't want to have this mode active, there is an option to turn it off in the radio settings. To do this, you have to carry out a process that can be somewhat complex as it is not very well indicated.

Image showing the radio menu. The number of the station and the buttons to press in order to change the frequency appear.

Charging base

The terminal can be charged using a base connected to a micro USB charger or directly using only the charger cable. The charging station is a single position and has a correct fit. When the phone is successfully connected with either of the two possible options, a text will appear on the screen indicating that the charger has been connected successfully and the battery icon located in the upper left corner of the screen will start flashing.

On the other hand, it is necessary to point out two negative aspects of the charging process of the Maxcom MM426. The first would be that, while the terminal is charging, it is not possible to know what percentage of battery it has. The other point is that, unlike many similar models, there is no sound warning that the phone is charging correctly.

Battery

The Maxcom Comfort MM426 includes a battery with a capacity of 600mAh. This means, according to the manufacturer, an autonomy of 225 hours in standby and 3 hours in conversation.

Additional storage

The phone offers the option to add additional storage up to 32 GB via SD card. This possibility may be convenient for those who want to save or record audio without having to worry about filling up the internal memory of the device.

Flashlight, calendar and other extras

The phone includes some extra features that can be useful for our day to day. All of them can be found in the tools section within the main menu of the device.

The first to be mentioned is the flashlight. This can be turned on from the tools section or by holding down the 0 key on the home screen. The light it transmits is enough to fulfill its function and can be used in the background. The only inconvenience that may arise is the fact that it can only be turned off from the main screen or from its corresponding section.

The next feature would be the calculator. It is easy to use and intuitive and allows you to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Image showing the calculator of the Maxcom MM426.

The phone also offers the ability to set alarms. These are easy to program and we have the option to set the alarm tone we want.

The last extra functionality included in the Maxcom MM436 is the calendar.

Games

The phone does not have the possibility to download games of any kind and does not offer any information about it.

Accessibility

The Maxcom MM426 does not have the ability to increase the text size. Although the dimensions of the text leave something to be desired, the contrast it presents is good.

The charging base is practical and easy to use. However, if the terminal is compared with similar models, some type of sound warning is missing.

The phone has a series of messages that appear on the screen in case you are carrying out an erroneous operation or if something is not configured correctly.

It does not have any screen reader features like iOS or Android mobiles. It also does not have a key reader when dialing as if they have some similar models.

There is no information on its compatibility with hearing aids.

Conclusions

The Maxcom MM426 is an interesting phone for those who are looking for a light and small terminal at the expense of a smaller screen. In addition, it has a simple and easy to identify alphanumeric keyboard thanks to its good size and separation keys.

In general terms, the terminal fulfills its main purpose, although it is also true that it does not represent any improvement over other similar models. In addition, the most attractive features that it includes, the SOS button or the speed dial keys, are already included in the vast majority of this type of phone.

The main problem with the MM426 is the lack of information both within the terminal and on the manufacturer's official website. On many occasions, the situation can arise in which it is not known which key to press to carry out some type of operation. Also, we have noticed some factory settings of the phone unexpectedly. Also, the menus can be somewhat confusing due to the generic and repetitive terms used.

As for the website, it should be noted that it is not well translated into Spanish or English, and it is very common to find entire sections only available in Polish. Also, in the case of our model it has been impossible to find a copy of the manual in any language other than Polish.

Highlights

  • The keys are large and have a good spacing.
  • Maximum volume levels are high
  • The terminal has an SOS button that is easy to use and configure.
  • The charging base is single position and has a simple fit.
  • The battery has a great autonomy and its charging time is reduced.
  • The phone has eight speed dial keys.

Improvement points

  • The speed of movement of the text when it does not fit on the screen is somewhat slow and cannot be configured.
  • Many menu items are named too similarly.
  • Most key functions are not indicated on the phone.
  • There is no audible warning that the phone is charging.
  • There is no side button to control the volume. It is necessary to open different menus to level it.
  • Where volume can be set using buttons, it is done using separate keys in most cases.
  • The manufacturer's website leaves a lot to be desired.
  • The automatic key lock is enabled at the factory which can cause some confusion.
  • Does not include manual in Spanish.

 

 

Technical evaluation scores.

Design and manufacturing:
3/5
This section refers to the physical aspects and details of the manufacturing of the technological product
Technical benefits:
3/5
Description of the quality of the technical specifications of the technological solution
User experience:
2/5
This criterion is linked to the user's assessment when relating to the technical product or application.
Accessibility:
3/5
It is the degree to which people can use or access a product, technological solution or service, regardless of their technical, cognitive or physical abilities

Social valuation:

Social valuation scores.

Impact and utility:
This item has not been rated/5
Describes to what extent the functionalities of the product are useful and impact on improving the life of the user
Design and Ergonomics:
This item has not been rated/5
Assessment of how the design of the technological solution adapts to the person to achieve greater comfort and efficiency when using it
Usability and accessibility:
This item has not been rated/5
Possibility of the device to be used, understood and taken advantage of under equal conditions for anyone
Ease of acquisition:
This item has not been rated/5
It refers to the possibilities of accessing and acquiring a technological solution by the user.

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