They offer some advantages and disadvantages for people with hearing loss.

Advantages:
• They usually include caller-id
• Many are now Hearing Aid Compatible
• Many offer Short Text Messaging
• They are so portable you never need to worry about using pay phones or other phones which might not be Hearing Aid Compatible.
• They often have relatively clear sound (where normal telephones have limited high frequency response).
• Some have speaker phones that allow some people with hearing loss to hear better.
• Some are Bluetooth compatible and can provide wireless communication with some ALDs and hearing aids.
• All have a hands-free jack that lets you plug in home-made or commercially available couplings to your hearing aid (see HATIS).
• Some newer ones have Global Positioning Satellite support which allows the location of the phone to be determined when it's in use (good for emergencies).
• Some support limited web access and email.

Disadvantages:
• Some do not support 911 calls.
• Some are not only not Hearing Aid Compatible, they cause loud interference (buzzing sounds) in hearing aids.
• Although some are Hearing Aid Compatible, the strength of the magnetic signal varies (just like on some regular phones).