The Moto G is a high-performance and powerful smartphone running on Android 4.4 (KitKat), sold at a very reasonable price. The device, that Amóvil reviewed thanks to a loan by Orange, accommodate the needs of people with visual and hearing disabilities. However, users with dexterity disabilities or limited comprehension skills may have some difficulties using this device.

The handset features a simple and minimalist design that reminds Google’s Nexus series. It measures 129.9x65.9x11.6 mm and weighs 146 grams. It also has a sharp 4.5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels that reproduces true colors. In addition, it comes with s a 5MP rear-side camera with autofocus and LED flash complete with touch focus, and a front side camera for videocalls. The Moto G also includes NFC.

Accessibility review

Vision

The Moto G includes a very improved version of TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, which allows gesture navigation. Blind users can navigate around the screen, activate items, and even jump to various screens using gestures such as one finger drag, one or two fingers swipe, or double taps.

The handset also includes a built-in screen magnifier that is activated with a simple one finger triple tapping gesture and, an option to increase the font size. However, it may still be uncomfortable for some of these users as it lacks a high contrast theme and a mechanism to invert colors.

Hearing

The Moto G has a Hearing Aid Compatibility Rating of M3/T3 and allows text messaging either via SMS or chat applications such as Google Hangouts. It also allows making videocalls. However, it does not include LED lights so deaf users may have a hard time getting notified about emails, messages or events communicated by the device.

Dexterity

This smartphone is not very suitable for people with dexterity disabilities. Although it includes several features that may improve these users’ experience such as a voice recognition system, the auto answer feature is not supported by this device. Also, the touch or hit area of icons may be insufficient to enable an easy and precise hit. In addition, users who require assistive technologies such as joysticks or headwands will have to download a third party app that offers this service. The Moto G does not offer an option to reproduce the functions of side buttons, such as the power button, from the display.

Comprehension

The Moto G includes a mix of custom and standard icons, so people with limited comprehension skills may have a difficult time understanding how to use this handset. For this reason alone, Amóvil is unable to recommend this device to these users.

However, it is worth mentioning that the Moto G’s user manual, available online in PDF format, includes a section devoted exclusively to accessibility. However, it is not properly labeled, so users relying on screen readers will have no access to the information it provides.

For more information about the accessibility features included in this device, please see Amóvil’s full accessibility report.