Up to this point, we have reviewed our phones, mainly the 7XX series, the design of which is made in the traditional design for IP phones. Today we take a look at the Snom D385 , the top model in our other line of phones, the 3XX series . A distinctive feature of this series is its design. It is made more in the style of traditional analog phones and thus provides the customer with a choice, if he prefers a "tube" design, to a newer one.
Before you start reading the text, you can watch a short video review of this model.
Unpacking and packaging
Despite the fact that the D385 has a rather wide body, the dimensions of the phone box do not differ from those of the D7xx line phones we reviewed earlier. It is very compact, which is nice when purchasing and / or storing large quantities of devices. The box contains:
- Telephone set
- Quick Start Guide
- Stand
- Category 5E Ethernet cable
- A tube and a twisted cord to connect it
Design
As mentioned above, the IP phone has a fairly wide body of 250 mm. This is done for the convenience of placing keys on it, both functional and keys with indication. The last phone has 12 physical and 4 pages for the meanings of these keys. The values are shown on a graphical display located on the lower right side of the case. The keys themselves are located on two sides of the display, 6 pieces to the right and left. In total, we have 48 values for BLF- keys, which is quite a lot. It should also be noted that the device has a separate physical key to turn pages, it is located slightly above the display, on the left. This allows you to use each of the BLF-keys for a specific function, without allocating some of them for turning pages, as is often the case with competitors.
The wide body made it possible not only to place BLF keys with a display, but also to group the rest of the function keys.
So, the volume control key, mute the microphone, speakerphone and turn on the headset are located just below and to the left of the main display, to the left of the navigation keys. Directly below the navigation keys, from top to bottom, are the DND function keys, the phone book and the main menu, and below them, with a small gap, transfer and call standby. The navigation keys themselves are made in the style characteristic of the updated models of the D7xx line, such as the D785 and D735 . The directional keys are made in the form of a metallized circle, which looks very impressive and makes you pay attention to this detail of the device. At the same time, the selection confirmation and cancellation keys are located to the right and left of the navigation keys, which is very convenient when navigating the phone menu.
Also, as with other 7XX and 3XX series models, you will not find a mechanical hang-up button, because it is electronic .
The main display of the device has a diagonal of 4.3 inches. It is large and bright, colorful, but you don't even pay attention to this in the first place, but the possibility of changing its angle of inclination relative to the phone body. On this device, such a possibility looks more than appropriate, and the display in any of the positions fits very harmoniously into the overall design concept of the IP-phone.
Software and customization
Let's take a look at the initial login to the web interface of our device. We enter its IP-address into the address bar of the browser and get to the next page:
As we can see, by default, no access passwords are set on the phone, which we are informed about by a notification on a red background. The inscription is interactive, and when you click on it, we will go to the page with settings, including authorization. Let's set a password for access via HTTP, using the fields at the bottom of the page:
When applying the settings, the previous inscription will disappear and will be replaced by the next one, with a request to set the administrator password. Naturally, both passwords can be set at once, but if this has not been done, set a password and enter its confirmation in the appropriate fields.
When applying these settings, you will need to go through authorization to enter the web interface.
We enter the HTTP access password and we see that security alerts no longer bother us.
The screenshots show the standard view of the phone's web interface, but its appearance can and should be flexibly customized, adjusting to the option convenient for you and your employees. We described how to do this in our articles .
Functionality and operation
Let's take a look at the additional screen and BLF keys of our device. Some of these keys are pre-configured, and if the "upper" keys are used by default to select a line, then the four lower keys of the first page are functional and configured for the following functions: Conference, Smart Transfer, Silent, Dialed numbers.
Let us remind you what these keys can be used for:
- — , . , . , , - .
- — – , . -, , , , , . , , , .
- — , . , . , , .
- — . , , . .
, - , . . BLF- .
Let's say a few words about the sound of the device. The Snom D385 has a slightly different form of speakerphone, but this does not in any way reduce the quality of the voice it reproduces. Speaking on the speakerphone is convenient and pleasant, and hands-free will allow you to continue your workflow while communicating with colleagues.
Naturally, the voice quality of the tube is also at its best, because all samples of our products are tested in our own acoustic laboratory .
Another thing you pay attention to when using the tube is its shape. The tube intentionally recreates the shape of a human hand wrapping around it by thickening in the middle. In practice, this creates, albeit somewhat unusual, but very pleasant feeling from working with the device.
Accessories
The hero of our review has a very large number of BLF keys, but even they are not enough if, for example, a secretary of a large company uses it. In this case, it is worth remembering the Snom D3 expansion panel . It will complement the keys of the device, adding 18 more buttons to them . If one panel is not enough, you can connect 2 more such panels to the phone .
The Snom D385 has a USB connector on the back of the case. It is used to connect a USB headset, flash drive, DECT dongle A230 , Wi-Fi module A210 and the above-mentioned expansion panel. DECT - the dongle will allow you to connect DECT headsets or an external mobile speaker Snom C52 SP to the device, providing the opportunity to negotiate with the interlocutors freely moving around the office and at the same time also be able to move the speaker to any place convenient at the moment within a radius of 25 meters.
And the A210 Wi-Fi module eliminates the need for Ethernet cables and makes your phone compatible with the company's WiFi networks, be it 2.4 or 5 GHz.
The model also has built-in Bluetooth on board , which allows you to move freely and free your hands by connecting your Bluetooth headset.
Summarize
Snom D385 is a device with an unusual appearance, ergonomic and well thought-out. This IP phone is highly functional and will help you and your employees accomplish little feats in your daily workflow.