Emporia first came to light as a manufacturer of phones for the ‘silver generation’ – older users who, it assumed, had no interest in high-spec features and mobile internet. And while it had a good idea for a demographic that is often ignored by the industry, we felt the phone’s unattractive appearance may well put off potential users. With the Emporia ELEGANCE, though, Emporia has taken a new direction and produced a very handsome phone.

Style and handling for the Emporia ELEGANCE

This new direction has nothing to do with the phone’s features – it is still a basic talk-and-text phone – and everything to do with its looks. Its piano-black finish and smooth curved back are indeed elegant. There’s a metallic strip between the screen and the keyboard that houses the call and call end keys and two scrolling keys that you use to move between menu options. The keys on the keypad are large – a trait of Emporia phones – so accuracy is almost guaranteed.

The control keys are along the sides of the phone. On the right is a shortcut to your text functions: compose, check mail or send a contact. Under this sits the main menu key, leading to the phonebook (which can store up to 220 contacts), call log, text and phone settings. Below these keys is an alarm switch, which is almost too easy to activate: simply slide the switch to turn on the alarm then set the time you want it to go off. The alarm is a loud enough to wake you up without scaring you witless – unlike the ringtone, which is terrifyingly loud.

Above the text and menu keys sits the now familiar Emporia feature of a torch, which is sufficiently bright, and could well come in useful for locating your keyhole late at night.

Screen on the Emporia ELEGANCE

The screen is pretty small, at just 1.8 inches, but it’s not really a problem for the Emporia, which doesn’t accommodate internet surfing or media viewing. For its core function of calling and texting, the screen does just fine. It’s still not colour, although it is a turquoise shade, with crisp black text.

The verdict on the Emporia ELEGANCE

Emporia has positioned itself as a basic phone brand, and the Emporia ELEGANCE is another simple call and text phone. There are few features to speak of but its simplicity to use, large keys and the fact that it’s hearing-aid compatible are a sign of the phone’s target demographic. The Emporia ELEGANCE differs from its stablemates with its sleek, graceful appearance. To dismiss it as a pensioners’ phone is unfair – this is a capable, handsome basic handset.