The Best Cell Phones for Visually Impaired Seniors in 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Testing out the IRIS Easy Flip from Consumer Cellular

Consumer Cellular’s IRIS Easy Flip may not have the largest screen on this list (that honor is shared by the Apple iPhone 15 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S24+), but it has more than enough features to help seniors with poor vision. First, it has a giant 2.8-inch screen on the outside that displays the time, cellular signal strength, battery life, charging status, and notifications. The screen is larger and brighter than the external screens on most flip phones, so it’s a great way to get some basic information without even opening the phone!

» Learn More: Consumer Cellular IRIS Easy Flip Review

Once you open the phone, you’ve got a large old-school keypad that will be familiar to anyone who has owned a flip phone in the last three decades. The internal screen is also 2.8 inches, which is small compared to all of the smartphones on this list. However, we found it big enough to read and navigate menus with ease. The IRIS Easy Flip has an internet browser that can be used via cellular data or a WiFi connection, and it’s also Bluetooth-ready, putting it far ahead of many simpler flip phones.

Accessibility Features

The IRIS Easy Flip doesn’t boast the same advanced accessibility features as the iPhone 15 Plus, but it’s still highly accessible. The flip phone design will be familiar to most seniors, and we found the menu easy to read and navigate. The phone has M4/T4 hearing aid compatibility for those with hearing loss, which means it will work with most hearing aids on the market.

One thing to consider is that the Consumer Cellular IRIS Easy Flip is not the best phone for seniors who like to use the internet frequently. It has 4G LTE service and WiFi connectivity, but navigating the phone’s basic browser with just the keypad took some getting used to. Comparatively, using a smartphone like the Google Pixel 9a or Motorola G Play offers a much more fluid, responsive experience.

Like most modern phones, the IRIS Easy Flip also has built-in vibration that lets you know if you’re getting a call or text. It even vibrates when you plug in the charger, which I personally appreciate, as it lets me know that the charger is working correctly.

Charging the IRIS Easy Flip

Screen Size and Brightness

Even though the Consumer Cellular IRIS Easy Flip screen is substantially smaller than every other phone on this list, it was still easy to see. The external screen also looks particularly large, which makes it easy to quickly check the time or make sure you have a signal.

» Compare Providers: Consumer Cellular vs. AT&T

Both the internal and external screens are 2.8 inches, and the screen brightness for the internal screen can be adjusted from the menu. Even at moderate brightness, I found it easy to read average-sized text without needing to hold the phone close to my face.

Pricing

Consumer Cellular’s prices for the IRIS Easy Flip are extremely affordable. You can get this phone for $59 directly from Consumer Cellular or, if you choose to finance it, just $2 per month with an $11 payment on the date of purchase. This could potentially save you hundreds of dollars compared to other phones on this list, even the relatively affordable Motorola G Play ($129.99), as well as the much more advanced Google Pixel 9a ($499.99) or iPhone 15 Plus ($829.99).

» Also Check Out: 2025 Consumer Cellular cell review

Using the iPhone 15 Plus

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus earned our pick for the best Apple smartphone for visually impaired seniors. For an advanced smartphone, the user interface is straightforward. I found that setting up (and using) the iPhone was a stress-free experience, similar to Apple’s other models. The 15 Plus’ crystal-clear 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display, accessibility features, and integration with other Apple products make it a great choice for both newbie and tech-savvy smartphone users.

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Apple certainly has its finger on the pulse of individuals with vision loss. I found that the company has an impressive number of resources, including accessibility support communities, AppleVis (an online resource for blind and low-vision Apple users), and technical help dedicated to accessibility assistance. Apple guides users through customizing accessibility features based on their individual needs. Talk about top-notch customer service and support!

Accessibility Features

It’s hard to compete with Apple when it comes to accessibility features. In addition to a plethora of features for hearing-impaired adults, the iPhone 15 Plus offers many accessibility features for people with vision loss. I tested them out and found that they are easy to enable or disable right from the settings menu.

» Useful Resource: Best cell phones for seniors with hearing loss

First, my grandma and I tried out the VoiceOver and Spoken Content screen readers. We were blown away by how well they worked. While my grandma doesn’t have significant vision loss, she does struggle to read smaller text on smartphone screens. With VoiceOver, every menu item she selected was spoken out loud through the iPhone’s speaker. There were also many additional accessibility settings to manage within VoiceOver. We could speed up or slow down the speech, change the pitch and style of the voice, customize pronunciation, enable image descriptions, and add multilingual speech.

Adjusting the iPhone's VoiceOver settings

Spoken Content worked similarly to VoiceOver but for general text content like articles or messages. I just had to enable the feature in the settings menu and select the text I wanted to hear. If I wanted to hear everything written on the screen, I swiped down from the top of the screen with two fingers. After a few tries, my grandma used Spoken Content with ease.

Using the iPhone's Spoken Content feature on SeniorLiving.org

The VoiceOver and Spoken Content features offered enough on their own to justify the iPhone 15 Plus’s price and make it one of the best smartphones for seniors with vision loss. But the features didn’t stop there. I could also enable a built-in Braille keyboard, automatic audio descriptions, increase the size of text, and zoom in on particular parts of the screen. We found all of these features very helpful and easy to use with a little practice.

» Plans For Couples: Best 2-line cell phone plans for seniors

Screen Size and Brightness

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus boasts a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display. Not only does it have a big screen with larger icons and imagery, but it’s also extremely clear and bright. The screen gets up to 820 nits (unit of brightness), which is roughly 64 percent brighter than the 500 nits of the Google Pixel 7a. My grandma and I found the colors were vibrant and the brightness was more than sufficient. Even when using the phone in direct sunlight, we experienced minimal glare.

Pricing

The biggest drawback to buying an iPhone is often the price. The Apple iPhone 15 Plus retails for $829.99 (Note: Apple’s retail price for this phone is $799.99, but cell phone carriers often sell it at a slightly higher price.), making it almost $700 more expensive than the Motorola G Play.

» Related Reading: AT&T cell phone plans for seniors 2025

This may be outside your budget. But, if you get your iPhone 15 Plus through T-Mobile, you can finance it for $34.59 per month for 24 months. Taking advantage of T-Mobile’s deals can help reduce the up-front cost. Plus, T-Mobile has a variety of competitively priced plans to choose from. The cheapest prepaid plan starts at just $40 per month, while no-contract unlimited plans start at $50 per month for one line.

» Also Check Out: Best senior unlimited cell phone plans

Motorola G Play

The Motorola G Play from Mint Mobile offers excellent value. This smartphone is just $129, making it the least expensive phone on our list. It’s a solid choice for older adults looking for accessibility features without breaking the bank. Don’t want to be locked into a cell phone contract? You’re in luck. The Motorola G Play is unlocked and can be set up with a plan from any major carrier. 

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During testing, I found that the ultra-wide 6.5-inch HD+ screen was easy on the eyes. It made reading texts, sending emails, and video chatting a breeze. I was impressed with the Motorola G Play’s intuitive design and built-in accessibility assistance. This Android phone comes with Google TalkBack, an accessibility feature with voice control and audio descriptions. Speaking of power, the Motorola G Play’s battery can go up to three days on a single charge! As someone who always forgets to plug in my phone, I’m a big fan of this long battery life.

One major drawback to the Motorola G Play is that it’s very slow. When I tapped an app or moved to a different screen, the phone’s response was sluggish and I often experienced lag. This was frustrating to me, as I’m used to the fast speeds of my iPhone. Still, if you’re looking for a cheap phone and you’re more patient than me, it’s worth considering.

Accessibility Features

The Motorola G Play is a pretty basic smartphone, but it offers a surprisingly robust array of accessibility features. My personal favorite is Google TalkBack. When I had this feature enabled, my phone automatically highlighted different interactive items on the screen so that they were easier to see. It also provided audio that told me exactly what was on screen. This visual and audio system made it easier to use the Motorola G Play, even if you have limited experience with Android phones.

Using the Galaxy S24+'s TalkBack feature

The Motorola G Play has a built-in Braille keyboard. It offers a six-finger system so that people with little or no vision can type using Braille directly on their phones. This is a major step forward for Android phones and a feature that is surprising to see on such an affordable device.

» Related Reading: Best Android phones for seniors

While I didn’t need to use the Braille keyboard, I benefited from the magnification feature. It made it much easier to zoom in on anything. I used it to see images more closely and read fine print on web pages. I found the feature intuitive and a perfect fit for people with minor to moderate vision loss.

Screen Size and Brightness

The 6.5-inch screen on the Motorola G Play is a little bit smaller than the iPhone 15 Plus, but I didn’t notice a major difference. If anything, the smaller size made the Motorola G Play a little more comfortable to hold without taking away from the accessibility features. With a maximum of 442 nits, the Motorola G Play offers decent brightness, but it doesn’t perform as well in direct sunlight or similarly bright settings.

I struggled with glare when I tried to use the phone outside, so this phone might be better for seniors who mostly use the phone at home or in other controlled lighting environments. Moreover, it has a screen resolution of 1480 x 720, which means that the image quality is not quite as clear as it is on the Samsung Galaxy S24+. That said, I felt the screen brightness and overall image quality were more than sufficient for normal lighting environments.

Pricing

The Motorola G Play retails for $129, making it the most budget-friendly phone on this list. When you purchase the Motorola G Play through Mint Mobile, you can pair it with the Mint 55+ plan that starts at just $15 per month. If you’re looking for a smartphone with accessibility features that won’t cost a fortune, the Motorola G Play from Mint Mobile is a great choice.

» Dive Deeper: Mint Mobile review

While Mint Mobile doesn’t offer trade-in deals on phones, there are still ways to reduce the cost. You can save $50 by choosing a 12-month plan. Additionally, you can get zero-interest financing via a third-party app (Affirm) and pay as little as $11 per month for your Motorola G Play.

Google Pixel 7a

I awarded the Google Pixel 9a the best technology accolade for good reason. The Pixel 9a’s Gemini virtual assistant, screen reader, and adjustable font size make this phone excellent for visually impaired seniors. In an emergency, such as a fall, the Pixel can call for help automatically, record a video, or share your location. Those with low vision are twice as likely to experience a fall, so I’m a big fan of these emergency features. 2

» Fall Prevention Resource: A 2025 guide to medical alert systems

The Google Pixel 9a can also detect if you may have been in a car accident and call for help if you’re unable to respond.3 Those with vision loss are at a much higher risk of getting in a car accident, so this feature is essential.4 If you’re experiencing new or worsening vision loss, make sure to consult with your doctor before driving.

I found that the full-screen 6.3-inch FHD+ smooth display was large and minimized constant scrolling. Accidental cell phone drops happen to everyone (including me), so I’m a huge fan of the Pixel 7a’s scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. You also don’t have to worry about constantly charging your battery with this smartphone. It has a 30-hour-plus battery life that I could extend up to 100 hours by using “Extreme Battery Saver” mode.

Accessibility Features

Like the Motorola G Play, the Google Pixel 9a comes with Google TalkBack. I used this feature to highlight interactive elements and get audio descriptions of my screen at the same time. The Google Pixel 9a also comes with similar magnification features, which makes it easier to read small text. Even if I didn’t want to use the magnifier, I could easily adjust font sizes and my display to make every element on the screen easier to see.

Using TalkBack to get audio descriptions

Select to Speak works a lot like Google TalkBack, which I loved. I just swiped two fingers up from the bottom of the screen and selected individual items on the screen to get audio descriptions. With Voice Access enabled, I could use voice commands to open apps, make calls, send text messages, and more. This was my favorite feature by far, as it felt more intuitive on the Google Pixel 9a’s fast operating system than on the Samsung Galaxy S24+.

Screen Size and Brightness

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Google Pixel 9a is the screen size. While it’s certainly not as small as a smartphone like the iPhone SE (4.7 inches), the 6.3-inch screen is smaller than any other phone on this list. Fortunately, I still felt that the screen was large enough to read text and watch videos without any issues. It’s also easy to forgive the size of the screen because it offers up to 2,700 nits of brightness and a fantastic 2424 x 1080 resolution. Despite some minor glare issues in brighter environments, the image quality on the Google Pixel 9a always looked superb.

Pricing

The Google Pixel 9a retails for $499.99, which puts it in the territory of a “mid-range” smartphone. Though this is certainly more expensive than the Motorola G Play, it costs far less than the iPhone 15 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S24+ ($999.99).

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You can even snag unlimited talk, text, and data with a Verizon 55+ Unlimited plan. Verizon is one of the largest wireless carriers, and it offers reliable network coverage. From my experience, Verizon offers service where many other carriers like AT&T don’t, especially in rural areas. You can learn more in our Verizon senior cell phone plan review.

Testing out the Samsung Galaxy s24+

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ from AT&T is an excellent choice for tech-savvy older adults with vision impairment who don’t mind splurging on a high-end smartphone. This Android device provides accessibility features and voice commands to help users with limited vision make the most out of their phone (just like the Motorola G Play).

Samsung’s Voice Assistant can act as your eyes when you’re using your phone. For example, it described what I touched, selected, and activated. I used the TalkBack screen reader to hear notifications, check my battery life, and receive texts. With lightning-fast charging (wireless and plug-in) and a large 6.7-inch infinity display screen, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ doesn’t disappoint.

Accessibility Features

As a high-end smartphone, you can expect a lot of extra perks that double as accessibility features for those with vision loss. I enjoyed using the built-in voice assistant to help with internet searches, general questions, and phone navigation. It also made it easier for my grandma, who didn’t feel as comfortable using the Samsung Galaxy’s system as she did using the iPhone 15 Plus or the Google Pixel 9a. Like the Motorola G Play, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ comes with Google TalkBack, which is one of the best all-around features for seniors with vision loss. And like the Google Pixel 9a and iPhone 15 Plus, the Samsung Galaxy 24+ comes with a built-in Braille keyboard.

The coolest feature my grandma and I discovered was the lookout camera identification. Using the phone’s camera, we could point the phone at different text, images, or objects. The phone used AI tech to help us identify what the phone was seeing. This could be extremely beneficial to seniors who want a second set of eyes to help identify things around them.

Screen Size and Brightness

At 6.7 inches, the Samsung Galaxy S24+’s screen is the same size as the iPhone 15 Plus. This means the phone can be a little bit bulky, but it has a large screen that is easy on the eyes. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ also has some of the best brightness specs of any phone on this list. Similar to the Google Pixel 9a, the screen offers 2,400 nits, which means you can crank up the brightness. I noticed a huge difference between the maximum brightness on the Galaxy S24+ and every other phone I tested. It was much easier to use in direct sunlight without glare, especially with excellent 2340 x 1080 resolution.

Pricing

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ costs $999.99. Needless to say, it’s still a lot to pay for a phone. If you get the phone through AT&T, you can get zero-interest financing for as little as $27.78 per month for 36 months (in addition to the cost of an AT&T plan). Fortunately, AT&T plans and pricing are competitive, with customer discounts and perks.

I’ve personally been an AT&T customer for years. I can attest that AT&T has affordable plans and perks, a wide variety of cell phone models, and a smooth buying experience. AT&T also offers an unlimited 55+ plan, which is fairly affordable, starting at $40 per month for one line.