Review: Gigaset Pro Maxwell 10

March 4, 2015November 12, 2022 Dominic Lill

Each month we give Channel 5’s The Gadget Show’s Ortis Deley a top piece of tech to review. This month he gets his hands on the fantastic Maxwell 10 from Gigaset.

PRICE: £499.99
AVAILABLE FROM: www.gigaset.com/en_UK

This was never going to be an easy sell for me, and when I received the box containing the Gigaset Pro Maxwell 10, I wasn’t sure my mind would be swayed to the positive. You see, I’m used to telecoms devices weighing next to nothing, and I struggled to carry this office phone comfortably home without a bag on the tube. However, always striving to be the professional, I wanted to let the tech do the talking; handy, what with it being a phone and all!

As I stated earlier, the Maxwell 10 is an office phone – with a difference: it comes with an android tablet attached. It can make DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) or corded calls over a landline, or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocols) calls, like Viber. Video conference calls can be made to similar office phones and conference devices, or you can just download apps like Skype, and make video calls.

Part of the winning is in the choices you have at call time: handset or hands free; video call or voice call; regular landline or VoIP call.

The Maxwell 10 is – by virtue of it having an android tablet attached – a customisable office phone. One which you can choose to interact with in your own unique manner and/or that which is ideal for your business, be it through how you handle your calls, or use any of the myriad business apps available through Google Play.

So, breaking down what the device comes with, we have:

10.1 HD touchscreen (1280×800 res)
Jelly Bean (android 4.2.2) customised for Gigaset phoning functionality
Gigaset apps, including Directory, Helper, and Programmable Keys
HD front-facing camera capable of 720p HD video and 1.2MP pics
2 tweeters, 1 bass speaker
Choice of handset colours
Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity
2 USB 2.0 ports, Micro SD (up to 32Gb) to expand memory

As an office phone/computer, there’s very little this gadget can’t do, and that’s what makes it such a nice bit of kit. The simple notion of combining two office must-haves and giving the result a world of connectivity options, goes a long way: external cameras, keyboards, mouse, and monitors are just some of the many bedfellows for the Maxwell 10. Or you can choose to just use it as it comes. It can also be wall mounted which, for me, makes it even sexier: I confess to having used the handset whilst sharing content from the tablet, and feeling quite epic at the time. I felt more streamlined in my productivity, and anyone I was video-conferencing with didn’t have to contend with me juggling too much tech whilst communicating with them.

VERDICT: So, my initial issue of weight was made into a molehill by virtue of how all-encompassing this device can be. I still prefer my tablets and phones a tad more mobile, but, as an office tool, it’ll be hard to compete with the Maxwell 10.
4/5