If you are in a rush and just want to know what the best retro phone is, we recommend the Wild & Wolf's Retro 746 Rotary Phone as the best one. Another option would be the retro phone by TelPal.
Are you a fan of vintage telephones and their retro counterparts? Would you like to discover some interesting facts about vintage and retro phones? Do you find yourself shopping for a decent retro style phone? If you answered “YES” to the above questions, read this insightful article post covering some interesting facts about vintage and retro phones. On top of that, it takes a deep dive into the top ten best retro phones you can choose from:
Interesting Facts about Vintage and Retro Phones
Mechanical Ringers Vs. Electric Ringtones for Vintage and Retro Phones
A retro-style phone will have either a mechanical ringer or an electric ringtone as its alert system. A mechanical alert system works by employing a physical bell and a mechanical hammer to create a traditional clanging “ding-ding” sound. Early telephones used what’s called a “ringer box” for this purpose. An electric alert system simply uses electricity to create a digital sound.
Having said that, vintage style landline telephones with mechanical ringtones are considered to be more original than their counterparts with electric ringtones. That’s because the earliest telephones employed mechanical ringers as opposed to electric ringtones.
Purpose Variations for Retro Phones
Not all retro landline telephones serve the primary purpose of a telephone to make or receive calls. Some telephones are designed to mimic vintage telephones in every aspect, making them incompatible with modern technology. As such, they are more suitable for home or office decoration purposes or as collectibles. So pay close attention when selecting a retro phone you are eyeing. All of the phones on the list below are fully functioning.
Vintage Telephones Vs Retro Telephones
Vintage telephones are very old phones that were actually built between the 30s and 70s. As such, they are obsolete and may only serve decor purposes. On the other hand, though very similar to vintage phones in design and look, retro phones were built post that era. In other words, they are modern telephones that mimick older telephones even, but they have current features of today’s landline telephones.
To that effect, if you want to buy a telephone with an older look for telecommunicating, look for a retro telephone. But if you’re going to purchase one strictly for decoration purposes, you’d be better off looking for a vintage phone.
The “Ahoy” Greeting
How do you greet the person on the other end of the line when you receive a call on your retro style phone? “Hello,” I guess. If that’s right, you should be saying “Ahoy” instead. In the past decades, when vintage phones were still relevant, people received calls with them by saying that word, which was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
The Origin of the Phrase “To Put Someone On Hold”
The phrase ‘to put someone on hold’, which was commonly used by vintage telephone users, originated from Alexander Graham Bell who when handing over his telephone to his partner—Mr. Watson said; “here, hold this”.
The Retro 746 Rotary Telephone As One of The Most Popular Retro Phones
Wild & Wolf's Retro 746 Rotary telephone is a very popular vintage phone. That can be attributed to the look and feel of this British phone originally designed and rolled out by the General Post Office in 1967. Although the rotary dial system has been replaced by push buttons for ease of use, this phone is true to the original look. It’s actually the best retro phone choice for many.
The Top 10 Best Retro Phones You Can Buy Today
1.Wild and Wolf Rotary Design Retro Landline Phone
- Premium wood construction
- Push-button dialing
- Receiver volume control
- Ringer on/off switch
This Wild and Wolf Rotary and retro style phone brings back the 60s classic British landline telephone design to life. Besides the iconic classic look, it has a cute French Blue color that will add to your interior decor. Though it’s inspired by vintage design, it’s up to date with modern features, including push-button dialing, volume control, and many more. Measuring 8 x 6 x 6 inches weighing 3 pounds, it’s a portable, lightweight, and space-saving telephone. It’s ideal for home, office, and lounge uses or even as a memorable gift.
2. Cortelco Handset Landline Telephone
- Single-line operation
- 9-feet handset cord
- Hearing-aid compatible
- Ringer volume control
- Double-gong ringer
Measuring 7 x 7.5 x 5 inches and weighing 2.42 pounds, the Cortelco Handset Landline Telephone is a worthy choice. Built by Cortelco, it’s a solid phone with a comfortable receiver that fits in a cradle and four rubber corners to keep it really stable. You’ll definitely love the design.
It’s worth having two units for your home, one for your living room and one for your bedroom. It can also be used in the office. The style, function, durability, and service of this retro phone are all topnotch.
3. Wild And Wolf - 746 Copper Retro Landline Phone
- Premium wood construction
- Push-button dialing
- Classic design with a rotary look
- Receiver volume control
- Ringer on/off switch
- Beautiful copper look
This copper landline telephone by Wild Wood is inspired by the Folklore 746 telephone. This classic British retro telephone was a ’60s style icon. Measures 6 x 9 x 8.75 inches, this space-saving telephone perfectly suits your home or office space. Plus, it can be a perfect memorable gift with all the vintage style look and modern features of a landline telephone, including push-button dialing, receiver volume control, ringer on/off switch, and so on. Plus, it doesn’t weigh much, it weighs only 3.56 pounds.
4. Corded Phone - Senior Landline Phones for Home –
- Large backlit keypad
- Targeted voice amplification
- Plastic construction
- Ring alert strobe light
- Lightweight and easy to hold design
Built by iSoHo Phones, this corded landline telephone is designed with the exact special features essential for the elderly and vision-impaired people. It’s made for hearing and vision impaired individuals or those with low speech and limited mobility with reliable features such as large, backlit, easy-to-see buttons, ring alert strobe light, targeted voice amplification, and more. Plus, it comes with a loud ringer with 3 volume settings i.e high, medium, and low. On top of that, it weighs less(only 1.06 pounds) hence light enough for elderly users to lift.
5. Crosley 1950's Payphone
- Push-button technology
- Resin construction
- Integrated coin bank
- Pulse/Tone switch and ringer volume On/Off switch
- Wall mountable design
- Earpiece volume control
The Crosley CR56-BK 1950’s payphone is arguably the best retro phone on this list. This landline telephone looks sleek with a couple of unique features you’ll definitely love. These include an integrated coin bank, earpiece volume control, and tone/pulse switch. The rotary style dial creates a real vintage look, while the push-button technology makes the phone easy to use.
This Crosley phone works excellent with an absolutely cool ringer. Plus, it looks great in the room, not to mention that it can be bought for home, office or business uses. And even though the payphone is built from resin, you wouldn’t tell that by merely looking at it. It’s a high-quality plastic that looks like metal and weighs less, making the phone easy to hang on the wall.
6. EC VISION Rotary Phones for Landline
- Speaker function
- Mechanical ringer
- High-quality plastic and metal construction
- Battery-powered design
- Hands-free and redial function
EC Vision’s rotary phone features vintage and luxurious inspired design you’ll ever come across. This retro landline phone comes with a traditional chime mechanical ringer just like the past eras’ landline phones. Plus, it’s battery-powered, which means you don’t have to worry about AC or DC power supply. It’s very convenient, thanks to the speaker function, among other notable features. Finally, this phone is quite durable due to its premium quality construction. Unfortunately, it lacks a volume control function.
7. Sangyn Old Style Retro Wall Phone with Handset
- Built from metal
- Handset volume control
- Twice button injection
- Indicating light flash
- polycarbonate hook switch
Made by Sangyn, the Sangyn old-style retro wall phone with a handset works great and serves users longer. This vintage landline telephone is amazingly easy to use and operates with a convenient keypad with raised buttons for hassle-free dialing of numbers and a polycarbonate hook switch. It produces crystal clear voice quality, ensuring high-quality calls. Even people with poor hearing will find great value in this phone. What you may not be impressed with is the dark, dull look of it.
8. Crosley Wall Phone with Push Button Technology, Red
- Rotary dial fashion plate with push-button technology
- Single-line operation
- Flash/Redial function
- Earpiece volume control
- Pulse/Tone switch and ringer volume On/Off switch
- Wall-mountable design
The Crosley wall phone is an amazing landline telephone designed from the vintage style of the 1950s. This telephone is a perfect way to receive or make a phone call the old-fashion way. It works great and has a long service life, providing absolute value for money. It adds a bit of fun to your home or office with a mid-century style. Unfortunately, you can’t change out the handset cord on this phone, as it’s permanently wired into the handset.
9. Crosley Kettle Classic Desk Phone
- Push-button technology
- Digital answering system
- Single-line operation
- A real mechanical bell
Available in brushed chrome or classic black, the Crosley Kettle classic desk phone is one whose design is inspired by the 1930s landline telephone design. Though this telephone set mimics the landline telephone sets of a very old era, it comes with modern features such as flash and redial. Other features include a digital answering system, earpiece volume control, and push-button technology. Plus, it’s a portable and lightweight choice measuring 6 x 6 x 5 inches and weighing 0.25 pounds.
10. TelPal Antique Phones Corded Landline
- High quality plastic construction.
- Battery-powered design.
- Rotary dial keys.
- FSK/DTMF compatibilities
- Auto checking functionality
The TelPal retro phone is a working phone and a perfect recreation of the classic telephones of the 1930s. This battery-powered telephone can be a beautiful decoration for home and office setups because of its iconic vintage style. You can also present it as a well thought out gift to an antique fan. It’s built from premium quality plastic with durability, lightweight and environmental benefits. Plus, the fact that this retro phone is battery-powered means that you can have it without worrying about AC or DC power supply.
Final Thoughts
Vintage phones are timeless devices that remain relevant today, even though the technology behind them is currently obsolete. Many people use these retro phones for home and office decor purposes. The best retro phones fit the bill for those who want vintage phones that can be used for telecommunication purposes. These phones totally resemble vintage phones yet they are still useful, at least as far as making or receiving calls goes. If you are shopping for one the list of the best retro phones above are some of the best choices you can pick.
