The Motorola Moto X is an affordable high-end smartphone which packs an interesting set of state-of-the art features. This is a very user friendly device that is suitable for the blind and the hearing impaired. Amóvil was able to review it thanks to a loan by Orange.

The Moto X comes out of the box with Android 4.2 but can be readily upgraded to v4.4.2 (KitKat). Measuring 129.3x65.3x10.4 mm, it has an overall design that reminds the Google Nexus series. It also weighs 130 grams.

The phone includes a very sharp 4.7-inch AMOLED display with 720x1280 pixels resolution. In addition, it comes with a primary 10 megapixels (MP) camera and a secondary 2 MP camera for videocalls. Regarding connectivity, it supports NFC, wifi and Bluetooth among others.

Accessibility review

Vision

The Moto X comes with an inbuilt version of TalkBack, the screen reader for Android that read blind users through most of the available visual content. 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.

However, there are a few shortcomings worth mentioning. On one hand there are a few elements in the calendar app that are not properly labeled, so the screen reader is unable to identify them. On the other, TalkBack users who write in languages other than English may not be able to use special characters such as letters with accent marks.

Users with low vision, on the other hand, may not be able to enjoy this phone to its fullest. Although it has an inbuilt screen magnifier and allows enlarging the size of the text, it is not possible to customize the font type. Additionally, color blind users will not be able to reverse background and foreground colors to improve visibility.

Hearing

This handset 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.

Dexterity

The Moto X is unsuitable for people with dexterity disabilities. The voice recognition feature doesn’t open native apps such as Settings or send emails. 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 in order to control this device will have to download a third party app that offers this service. The Moto X does not provide an option that would enable these users control side buttons, such as the power button, from the display.

Comprehension

Because the Moto X includes a mix of custom and standard icons, 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.

Notwithstanding, there are a few features built-in that may be able to enhance the experience of these users. On one hand, the phonebook is easy to customize. Users can add pictures to each contact and pin the most frequent ones in the home page using the Contact widget provided. On the other, it includes a help native app that guides users through the configuration process.

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