Selecting an iPhone for blind or low vision users

IMPORTANT - Apple Intelligence, a new feature which started to roll out to some iPhone models in late 2024 may be relevant to your choice of iPhone:

Apple began to roll out a set of AI-based features it calls Apple Intelligence in late 2024. Apple Intelligence is available only on phones with the A17 Pro processor or later,  that is the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and all the iPhone 16 and 17 models. Apple no longer sells the 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max. Apple Intelligence is also available on iPads and Macs with an M1 or later processor. 

Many blind and low vision users find it very convenient to use Siri, Apple's digital assistant, to control their iPhone with voice commands. Siri is great, but the current version is frustratingly low on features. Apple promises big changes to Siri which should allow us to do much more within apps using our voices. The new Siri will be available only on iPhones and iPads that support Apple Intelligence. The first major Siri update is now delayed due to engineering problems and an Apple spokesperson stated in early March 2025 that it will be released "during the coming year", a very disappointing delay. This upgrade should give Siri much more ability to conduct tasks within apps than it currently has. According to a leak published by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg in June 2025, Apple is targeting iOS 26.4 for the release of significant Siri enhancements. (Just to explain the 26, all the Apple operating systems released in September 2025 use a new year-based numbering system beginning at 26.) iOS 26.4 will probably be released in spring 2026.)

Although all the new iPhones and iPads now sold by Apple support Apple Intelligence older models will continue to be available both new and used for some time so please consider the likely value to you of Apple Intelligence and the promised major improvements to Siri before purchasing a phone or tablet that doesn't support it. The oldest iPhones to support Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 15 does not support Apple Intelligence. All iPhone 16 models and later support Apple Intelligence. Only iPads with an M1 chip or later support Apple Intelligence.

Some considerations before making a decision to buy an iPhone to be used by a visually im ppaired person

If you are planning to help someone who is blind or has low vision to select an iPhone or considering buying one yourself, before beginning to look at iPhone models it's important to ensure that the user will be able to use the phone effectively. iPhones can be fantastic tools for many visually impaired people, but people with little or no useful vision need to make a significant effort in learning to use the VoiceOver interface if they want to make full use of the phone. Less demanding blind users will get by with a combination of Siri and just a few simple VoiceOver gestures but it's still important to assess whether the user will be able to remember and perform these gestures. If the user has sufficient sight to read the phone screen, then they will probably be able to use the phone the way that fully sighted users do, with some minor adjustments to text sizes and other display changes that can be made in the Settings / Accessibility menu. If the user will need to use VoiceOver, it is important to assess their ability to learn and remember the gestures and also that they have the dexterity to perform the gestures.  VoiceOver gestures are not obvious and they will only be remembered if they are used frequently. It is usually vital for most VoiceOver users to have a need to use the phone frequently in order to retain VoiceOver skills. If that's not the case, then other, simpler solutions will be more appropriate for most people. 

Current iPhone models available from Apple

Apple usually announces new major iPhone models with performance improvements over the previous range every September and prices of the current phones, excluding the entry level "e" iPhone, usually fall as soon as the new phones are launched. Apple also stops selling some previous models, usually including the previous Pro and Pro Max iPhones and the oldest model it sold the previous year. Consequently, I don't recommend buying a major iPhone in late summer unless you are desperate. Updates to Apple's  more affordable iPhone, currently the iPhone 16e, have traditionally been less frequent, maybe two or three years in the spring. However, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, whose predictions are generally correct expects an iPhone 17e to be released in spring 2026. 

From 9 September 2025 Apple sells the iPhone models listed below - the price given here is for the smallest memory version); you may be able to find lower prices from other suppliers. If you require the full technical specifications of these phones do an internet search similar to "Apple Support iPhone 17 tech spec". There is also a very useful features comparison tool at apple.co.uk if you first click on iPhone at the top of the page.

iPhone 16e, introduced in February 2025;

£599 for 128 Gigabyte; A18 chip; 6.1 inch screen; Weight 167 grams. 

iPhone 16, introduced in September 2024;

£699 for 128 Gigabyte, A18 chip, 6.1 inch screen, 170 grams .
The iPhone 16 is now available from Apple only with 128 Gigabyte memory. The iPhone 16e has a 256 Gigabyte option.

iPhone 16 Plus, introduced in September 2024;

£799 for 128 Gigabyte, A18 chip, 6.7 inch screen, 199 grams .

iPhone 17, introduced in September 2025;

£799 for 256 Gigabyte, A19 chip, 6.3 inch screen, weight 177 grams.

iPhone Air, introduced in September 2025;

£999 for 256 Gigabyte, A19 Pro chip, 6.5 inch screen, weight 165 grams.

iPhone 17 Pro, introduced in September 2025;

£1,099 for 256 Gigabyte, A19 Pro chip, 6.3 inch screen, weight 204 grams.

iPhone 17 Pro Max, introduced in September 2025;

£1,199 for 256 Gigabyte, A19 Pro chip, 6.9 inch screen, weight 231 grams.

So, how to select your ideal iPhone?

Advice for low vision users

Many low vision users prefer phones with larger screens which let them view larger amounts of text at large font sizes and maybe view photos and videos more clearly. iPhones with larger screens, with the exception of the iPhone Air, tend to be heavy and also may be difficult for some people to handle. There's no substitute for checking out your phones shortlist in an Apple Store or other retailer with helpful staff. Larger screens also tend to imply larger prices of course. An excellent value for money choice is he iPhone 16 Plus with its 6.7 inch screen; this was given a price reduction of £100 to £799 in September 2025; you could buy this new or maybe save a little money by buying used from a reliable second hand seller such as Cex. in the UK. The iPhone Air with its 6.5 inch screen has 10% less battery life than the iPhone 17 and a more basic camera system. Unlike all other iPhones it has only one speaker, the earpiece speaker. Reviews suggest that the design compromises are acceptable so if the Air is your perfect combination of screen size and weight and you can accept the compromises and can afford the price tag then its the iPhone made for you. The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro both have 6.3 inch screens and would be excellent choices if their size and price suit you. All the iPhone 17 models start at 256 Gigabyte of memory compared to 128 Gigabyte in the iPhone 16 range. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is essentially a larger and heavier iPhone 17 Pro with significantly longer battery life and a huge 6.9 inch screen. If nothing currently sold by Apple meets your size requirements within budget consider buying earlier used Plus models. They won't support Apple Intelligence but if you don't plan to use Siri much that shouldn't be a problem. Consider the section on Apple's support of older iPhone models before you decide to buy, though.
If you are interested in photography then the better camera systems in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max may be of interest.  There may also be benefits for low vision users who use the phone's camera as a visual aid.

Apple has set 256 Gigabytes as the lowest memory size available on all the iPhone 17 models. The iPhone 16 range starts with 128 Gigabytes. The memory size you need will depend on your use of the phone and whether you wish to carry large quantities of media on the phone. 128 Gigabytes will be ample for basic users. However, if you wish to carry media like a large music library or many videos on your phone then you will probably need larger memory.

Advice for people with severe sight impairment

Now let's look at recommendations for people with severe sight loss who mainly use VoiceOver and Siri and probably don't need large screens. The iPhone 16 is a great 6.1 inch screen phone with a few refinements over the iPhone 16e at a relatively affordable price of £699 after a £100 cut on September 9. The iPhone 16e at £599 is a great value for money phone with an extremely good specification; there are very few compromises over the iPhone 16 that would be importnt to many users. In fact the iPhone 16e even has better battery life than the iPhone 16. I've written an FAQ outlining the differences between the iPhone 16 and 16e. All of the iPhone 17 range would be great choices for severely sight impaired users. You can check how the 17 differs from the 16 using the comparison tool at apple.co.uk. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models have better camera systems than the iPhone Air and iPhone 17. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max also incorporate LIDAR, a technology used in driverless cars, which enables a few additional features to describe their surroundings more accurately to blind users. For example, Apple's Live Recognition feature can help locate and describe doors and furniture only on Pro models. I think it's unlikely that these LIDAR features are currently sufficient to justify the additional cost of a Pro model. If you are interested, try them for yourself at an Apple Store or other good retailer.  My personal view is that features like this are more useful in wearables and now that affordable wearables such as the Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta smart glasses are available I'd recommend spending the cash you might have spent on a Pro iPhone on the smart glasses instead. To be fair, the smart glasses don't have LIDAR but they do a great job without it. 

Apple has set 256 Gigabytes as the lowest memory size available on all the iPhone 17 models. The iPhone 16 range starts with 128 Gigabytes. The memory size you need will depend on your use of the phone and whether you wish to carry large quantities of media on the phone. 128 Gigabytes will be ample for basic users. However, if you wish to carry media like a large music library or many videos on your phone then you will probably need larger memory.

Apple's support of older iPhone models

Apple usually continues to provide iOS software updates for its iPhones for at least 5 years after introduction. The oldest iPhone range now being supported by Apple is the iPhone 11, introduced in 2019. Support for the iPhone 11 range may cease in September 2026. When iOS updates cease, the phone will continue to operate but eventually, some apps will either not operate correctly or may become unavailable for old iOS versions. Also, when iOS updates cease, the phone is no longer receiving security updates.  You should bear this in mind when purchasing older iPhone models either used or new.

Want to know more about using iPhones and iPads with visual impairment?

If you'd like to receive occasional hints and tips for blind and low vision users of iPhones and iPads in your inbox please send an email to blindiosuk@gmail.com asking to be placed on my learners mailing list. 

Please take a look at the rest of this website to learn more about the excellent accessibility features built in to iPhones and iPads. I try to give sufficient detail throughout to enable all users, including novice users, to follow step by step instructions where appropriate.

Back to home page