5 Best Cell Phone for Visually Impaired

While modern-day smartphones pack the greatest and latest hardware onboard, these phones aren’t suitable for people with visual impairment. Thankfully, there are several brands out there that offer smartphones for the visually impaired. For phones like these, accessibility features and a dedicated SOS button is recommended keeping the safety of the users in mind. While these phones may not aid blind users, it can certainly help those with visual impairment. So without waiting any further, let’s have a look at some of the best phones for the visually impaired.

5 Best Cell Phone for Visually Impaired

GreatCall Jitterbug

This is a touchscreen smartphone with a 5.5-inch display and large iconography. This allows users to view all the contents of the display, even if their eyesight is weak. It runs a custom operating system and not Android. This might seem like a disadvantage, although the manufacturer has made sure all the essential features are packed in here.

The phone also features a dedicated SOS button along with access to the 5Star app which gives immediate access to emergency services when required. There are subscription offerings as well, which allows you to get direct one-on-one support from the customer service team as well as emergency services as and when required. The phone comes with 8GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded with the help of a microSD card.

Customers of this smartphone are recommended to sign up with Greatcall for decent unlimited plans. Features like voice typing for text messages are also present on this phone. You can also capture photos on this handset using the 5MP camera on the back. Sharing the photos and videos you take is also possible thanks to data support. The phone is equipped with Wi-Fi as well.

Logic SR3

Unlike the phone we spoke about above, this isn’t a touchscreen smartphone. It has large buttons that make it easy to access each key when required, even if your eyesight is deficient. Given the nature of the device, it packs a smaller 1.8-inch display, although it’s more than handy for voice calling as well as texts. As you would imagine, the phone also has an SOS button which is located on the back under the rear camera. Speaking of which, the camera on the Logic SR3 is pretty decent as well and should be good enough for pictures and videos.

This phone is available in 2G only and 3G only models, with the latter offering support for three bands. This is a GSM handset, which means it will only work with the likes of AT&T, Cricket Wireless, H2O, etc. To ensure there are no accidental key presses, the phone has a dedicated keypad lock button. Other features like a flashlight, as well as an MP3 player and FM radio,  are also present here. The phone supports dual-SIM standby, and the manufacturer recommends using SIM Slot 1 for 3G connectivity on the device. The phone doesn’t have Wi-Fi, however.

USHINING Senior Flip Phone

This basic phone for the visually impaired comes with large buttons as well as 2G/3G connectivity.  The Big volume of the phone is rated to be pretty loud, which is one of the important features in a phone like this for easy hearing. Although the display is somewhat small 2.8′ LCD,  it supports large fonts and BIG keypads that make it easier to view for a majority of the users.

The special SOS feature here is very handy as well. When pressed, it will immediately sound an alarm to alert people around you. It will also send text messages to five of your preset emergency contacts and start calling them individually  (only takes 3 seconds to dial) before someone picks up, ensuring your safety at all times.

Other features of the phone includes camera, bluetooth, FM radio, mp3 player, alar, calculator, calendar and also support  memory card extension.  The phone comes with an 1200 mAh battery, which should offer decent battery backup for 200 hours standby and 300 minutes voice calls

BLU JOY

BLU makes some of the best budget-friendly smartphones in the market. The company also has a phone for the visually impaired or seniors, known as the BLU Joy. This phone is a standard keypad toting smartphone that has large buttons as well as a big font to help users navigate its features. The display here is slightly larger at 2.4-inches, while the keypad is also significantly bigger than most phones we’ve talked about today. This phone supports GSM quad-band networks which include the 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies.

Since this runs on 2G networks, its compatibility is limited to networks like T-Mobile, Straight Talk, Simple Mobile while the likes of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Boost or PagePlus are not compatible with this phone. The SOS button on the back allows you to place a call to the police, health services or firefighters for immediate help. The phone also has a VGA camera and a separately positioned flashlight.

DOT Braille Smartwatch

Our last pick for today isn’t a smartphone, but a smartwatch that can be suitable for the blind or visually impaired thanks to the use of Braille. This is possible with the refreshable Braille display that puts out information that’s relevant to you. It can tell you the date and time or even send notifications when you’re getting a call or text message. Given the limited resources it uses, this smartwatch boasts of impressive battery life. Customers who purchase this smartwatch will need to download the Dot Watch 2 companion app from the Play Store or App Store, which means the watch is compatible with Android and iOS devices.

However, it’s a companion device, which means you will require an Android device or an iPhone to use this. Despite its limitations as well as the steep price tag, we find this to be an excellent companion accessory for the visually impaired.