The Best Cell Phones for Visually Impaired Users in 2025

Price: $59 when purchased from Consumer Cellular

If budget is a huge concern of yours, let me introduce you to the Iris Easy Flip, sold for only $59 by Consumer Cellular. It has the benefits of being a flip phone with a tactile keyboard. Plus, it’s hearing aid compatible for those with both vision and hearing loss.

The Iris Easy Flip was as easy to use as the Jitterbug Flip2, being a flip phone. I had no issues making calls or sending texts on the internal screen. However, given that the screen is only 2.8 inches, this may not be so useful to someone with vision loss.

Now let’s talk about that tactile keyboard, an especially useful feature for someone with visual impairments. I liked the rubbery texture, which helped engage other senses in addition to vision. The keypad was backlit with big letters, which made texting a breeze.

Another useful feature was the ability to speed-dial my “favorites.” With the push of a single button, I could stay in contact with the most important people in my life — the primary purpose of having a cell phone in the first place.

All of Consumer Cellular’s plans include unlimited talk and text, cellular data, 5G access, and a mobile hot spot. The only difference among the plans is the amount of data you get each month: 1, 5, 10 or unlimited GBs, with a price range of $20 to $50 a month, pretty similar to Lively’s range.

You can get 5 percent off per month with an AARP membership, however, bringing costs down to between $19 and $47.50 per month. AT&T provides the network, and it’s the only option. About $50 a month is standard for unlimited data plans across major networks such as AT&T and Verizon.

>> Read more: Consumer Cellular Review

While the $59 price tag is nice (and the lowest price on this list), it also means I got less in terms of features, which is the case for any flip phone. For instance, the phone lacks a virtual assistant like the RAZ SmartVision 3’s Google Assistant, so I wasn’t able to control the phone using my voice alone.

Similar to the Jitterbug Flip2, the Iris Easy Flip is limited in terms of capabilities, although it has an operating system like that of a smartphone. I recommend this phone to a budget-conscious person who wants to use their phone primarily to talk and text.

To learn more about this phone, read our full Iris Easy Flip review.

Price: $79.99 when purchased through Lively

The Jitterbug Flip2 is an affordable flip phone with tactile buttons that will make it much easier for a visually impaired person to make calls and send texts. Plus, since the Flip2 is from Lively, you can sign up for additional safety features, such as an urgent-response button, which ensures that emergency services, friends and family are contacted if need be.

Remember when phones had buttons you could touch with your fingers? That’s still the case for the Jitterbug Flip2, an old-fashioned flip phone from Lively. Sometimes less is more, and I had no issue sending texts or making calls with the tactile keyboard.

Another feature someone with visual impairments may appreciate is that the phone comes with Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant. I was surprised to find a flip phone with Alexa, so I used it to send texts and make calls, which made up for the phone’s smaller screen.

The setup of the screen was very simple and easy for someone with visual impairments to navigate. When I opened the phone using the backlit keyboard, I saw a screen with a menu in the form of a list. It clearly listed “phone, text messages, contacts, Amazon Alexa, photos and videos.” Having to deal with the tiny icons of an iPhone, for example, is a lot more confusing than having clear black words on a bright white background. All in all, I thought this phone was easy to use.

With the Jitterbug Flip2, plans cost $14.99 to $49.99 per month (or $5 per month less if you participate in paperless billing). All plans include 300 minutes of talk and 300 texts per month, plus the ability to request a Lyft over the phone or ask a team member for directions, which is ideal for people with vision impairment.

The midtier $34.99 option adds an urgent-response team, and the phone can alert your friends and family if there’s an emergency. Finally, with the top-tier $44.99-per-month plan, you’ll have a nurse and doctor on call for medical advice over the phone, in addition to what the company calls a “care advocate,” someone who can help you meet your health goals.

For an additional $5 a month, you can get unlimited talk and text with any plan.

>> Read more: Lively Phone Plans for Seniors

Being a flip phone, the Flip2 lacks video chatting among several other smartphone features. Additionally, the charger is a regular USB port, which may be hard for some people to see. Compare that to the RAZ SmartVision 3, which has a wireless charging option, and you’ll understand why the Fiip2 costs only $79.99 and not $500 plus.

If you want a simple flip phone for only $79.99, the Jitterbug Flip2 is certainly the most straightforward option. However, it doesn’t include all of the bells and whistles of a smartphone like the RAZ SmartVision 3. Of course, the latter also has a much higher price tag, which is a significant consideration.

To learn more about our experience with this phone, read our full Jitterbug Flip2 review.

Price: $599 

If you want the best and most helpful features for a visually-impaired person and have more flexibility on price, consider the RAZ SmartVision 3. It’s the only phone on this list that’s a smartphone with tactile buttons — an almost unheard of combination ideal for someone with vision issues. Plus, because it has Google Assistant, I could control it with my voice completely, enlarge text, make calls, send texts and more.

When I opened the RAZ SmartVision 3, I saw a black screen with white text stating, “Phone, messages, people, email and applications.” Having the white text on a black background is certainly not the norm for cell phones, but this phone was designed specifically for people with visual impairments.

Making things even easier were the voice commands. All I had to do was push one button on the side of the phone, and I could have Google Assistant do my work for me: make calls, send texts and even open applications.

Of course, sometimes I want to read an email or even a book, and for that I used text magnification, which allowed me to customize the size, color and position of the text in a scrolling banner. I also appreciated the fact that this was the only smartphone I’ve come across with a tactile keyboard. The joystick in the middle made it easy to get back to the home screen when I didn’t feel like bossing around Google Assistant.

With the RAZ SmartVision 3, I had the following networks to choose from:

• Affinity Cellular
• Metro by T-Mobile
• Simple Mobile
• T-Mobile
• Ultra Mobile

I’ll refrain from covering all five options, but I recommend T-Mobile. If you’re over 55, one line costs $45 per month and two lines cost $30 per line per month. The good thing about RAZ Mobility is that they don’t make you pay any subscription fees in addition to data, unlike Lively’s Jitterbug Smart4 and Flip2.

>> Read more: T-Mobile Senior Plan Review

With a $599 price tag (at minimum), the RAZ SmartVision 3 is the second-most expensive phone on this list after the RealSAM Pocket, a phone also created specifically for those with visual impairments. Additionally, I wish the screen was bigger, as it’s only 3.5 inches — compare that to the Jitterbug Smart4, which is 6.75 inches. However, the text magnification made this less of a problem.

The RAZ SmartVision 3 has some of the most robust features for visually impaired people on the market right now. Its built-in apps like the book reader and banknote recognizer will help you navigate the real world, not just make calls and texts. If you can afford the $599 price tag, I recommend this phone.

To learn more about this phone, read our full RAZ SmartVision 3 review.

Price: $119.99 when purchased through Lively

Whether you’re using your phone to call, text, stream or read articles, a big screen is incredibly useful for someone with a visual impairment. The Jitterbug Smart4 offers the largest screen of any phone on this list, at 6.75 inches. Plus, you’ll get all the medical and safety features of the Flip2, like an emergency response button.

>> Read more: Jitterbug Phone Reviews

I spend a lot of time on my phone, whether it’s scrolling through Instagram, reading X (formerly known as Twitter), or watching videos on YouTube. If that sounds like you, you’ll appreciate the Jitterbug Smart4 for its 6.75-inch screen, the largest on this list. The home screen was clearly listed, with icons, buttons for the phone, text messages, camera, web browser, email and navigation. At the top was an urgent response button in red, which makes it eye-catching. If I had clicked on it, I would’ve been connected with an agent from Lively who would help me out and alert my friends and family.

Another feature I appreciated about the Smart4 is the voice typing feature. Because the phone lacks a tactile keyboard, typing might be a little hard for someone with visual impairments. But the voice-to-text feature allowed me to bypass using the keyboard.

With the Jitterbug Smart4, I used the Verizon network, the only one it works with. The price range was from $19.99 to $79.99 per month depending on how much data I got — either 1GB, 5GB or unlimited — and what features I wanted.

The benefit of Lively is that you have the option to get safety features. For example, the Basic plan, the most affordable, allowed me to call Lively to have them send a Lyft for me, which could be really useful for someone with visual problems who has trouble with ride-share apps. Upper-tier plans also offer a nurse you can call at any time, as well as an urgent response button to get connected to emergency services.

While the Jitterbug Smart4 has great safety and medical features, it lacks some of the vision-specific features I used with phones like the RealSAM Pocket, such as vision magnification and a virtual assistant. Of course, with such a large screen, text magnification is less necessary.

I’d recommend the Jitterbug Smart4 if having a large screen is most important to you. This may be useful for visually impaired people who want to use their phones to read articles or stream movies or TV shows. Plus, at $119.99, it’s pretty affordable for a smartphone, considering that the RAZ SmartVision 3 costs $599.

To learn more about this phone, read our full Jitterbug Smart4 review.

Price: $349 when purchased from Raz

Although the RAZ Memory Cell Phone was designed for someone with dementia, many of its features would benefit someone with visual impairments, as well. The home screen, for instance, is six pictures of contacts with names, making it easy for someone with low vision to call their closest friends and family. The simplicity of the phone, which has only calling and emergency service, makes it easy for someone with low vision to use.

The thing that struck me the most about the RAZ Memory Cell Phone was how simple it was — which makes sense, as it was designed for someone with dementia. When I opened the phone, I saw black background with white text, similar to the SmartVision 3. The phone allowed me to choose six contacts who I communicate with the most to appear on the home screen, both their name and photo. This simple design made it really easy to make calls, one of the phone’s only capabilities.

But the thing I loved the most about the RAZ Memory Cell Phone was the low vision mode. This made those contact pictures even larger and let me choose from a wide range of colors. In this mode, I only had two contacts instead of six, simplifying the home screen even more. And with a bright red “hang up” button and a bright green “answer” button, this phone is incredibly helpful for someone with low vision.

I could choose from the following networks with the RAZ Memory Cell Phone:

• Affinity Cellular
• AT&T
• Consumer Cellular
• Cricket Wireless
• Google Fi
• Metro by T-Mobile
• Mint Mobile
• Red Pocket Mobile
• Simple Mobile
• Straight Talk
• T-Mobile
• TracFone
• US Cellular
• Verizon

You should be able to get unlimited data for around $50 per month, or less if you have multiple lines for each. Mint Mobile has extremely low prices (only $15 a month for those 55 and up if you sign up for three months), but you’ll only get 5GB of 5G/4G LTE data per month. This could be a good option for someone who doesn’t use their phone much.

Being a typical smartphone, the RAZ Memory Cell Phone lacks physical buttons, unlike the RAZ SmartVision 3. It also doesn’t have a virtual assistant, so I couldn’t command it using my voice. If you want a virtual assistant, choose the RAZ SmartVision 3, which has Google Assistant.

Like the Jitterbug Flip2 and Smart4, the Raz Memory Cell Phone’s emergency services will give you the peace of mind that if anything happens, the owner of the phone will be connected to help. This is an ideal phone for someone who only wants a phone for calling and safety reasons.

To learn more about this phone, read our RAZ Memory Cell Phone review.

Price: $1,399 when purchased from RealSAM

The RealSAM Pocket is the cream of the crop when it comes to features for visually-impaired people. With voice commands and the ability to read handwritten text out loud, it will help you navigate the real world, not just make calls or texts. If you can afford the $1,399 price tag, this is the most helpful option for those with visual impairments.

The RealSAM Pocket doesn’t have a physical keyboard, which you may see as a negative for someone with visual impairments. However, because I could control the phone using my voice, this didn’t matter to me. All I had to do was tap on the screen to tell my virtual assistant what to do. I had this digital creature call friends and family, tell me where I was, and send texts.

But what I was most impressed by was how much the RealSAM Pocket helped me navigate the real world. For example, I wrote out a grocery list and then took a picture of it, and had the phone read it out loud to me. It worked well, even on my less-than-stellar handwriting.

Not only can it read text out loud, but it can also describe objects or environments within a picture. To test it out, I took a picture of my living room, and it said out loud “fireplace, armchair, coffee table.”

The RealSAM Pocket works with any mobile carrier in the U.S., so you have your pick over the entire market. If you already have a cell phone and like your network, you can stick with the same network.

Much like the RAZ Memory Cell Phone and SmartVision 3, I didn’t have to pay for any additional subscriptions with the RealSAM Pocket.

With a price tag of $1,399, the RealSAM Pocket is the most expensive phone on this list. However, what you’re really paying for is the phone’s features built specifically for those with visual impairments.

Although the RealSAM Pocket is priced at nearly $1,400, it’s a fantastic option if money is no object. I was most impressed with how it helps people in the real world, reading handwritten text or describing your environment from a picture. One way to justify the price is the fact that I could pair the phone with a plan from any U.S. mobile carrier, so I could choose a lower-cost monthly plan.