The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a mid-range Smartphone that combines elegance with several interesting features. This device is also very accessible and adequate for people with vision impairments, profound deafness, dexterity disabilities and limited comprehension skills. Amóvil was able to review this device thanks to a loan by Samsung Spain.

General features and specifications

The Galaxy A5 is housed in a unibody casing made of metal and glass with dimensions of 139.3 x 69.7 x 6.7 mm. At 123 grams, it is somewhat lighter than other models of the Galaxy Alpha range.

The device ships with Android 4.4 KitKat but can be upgraded to v5.0 Lollipop which will be available soon. In addition, it runs on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor at 1.2 GHz.

Its display is a 5 inches Super AMOLED panel with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It also has 16 GB storage capacity and 2 GB of RAM.

The handset is equipped with two cameras: one located on the rear side with 13 mpx, and another on the front with 5 mpx for selfies and videocalls. Regarding connectivity, it includes Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi support. Additionally, it comes with A-GPS and FM Radio. LTE models include NFC.

Accessibility review

When this Smartphone is powered up for the first time, a shortcut to the accessibility settings appears on the screen. Users can define the settings that better fit their needs and preferences. Another way to access the accessibility menu is by tapping on Settings, then on Accessibility under Personalization subcategory.

The Galaxy A5’s accessibility menu is very intuitive and is divided into four categories which are vision, hearing, dexterity and interaction, and more settings. The first one includes accessibility features designed to enhance visual interaction with the device; the second one improves access to audio content, and the third one contains features that facilitate physical interaction.

Under “More Setting” are additional features such as “Direct access” that allows users to open specific accessibility settings by pressing the Home key three times in quick succession, and “Manage accessibility” that facilitates importing and exporting their defined accessibility settings or share them with other devices.

Vision

The Galaxy A5 comes with TalkBack, the screen reader for Android, pre-installed. The version reviewed reads these users through the entire visual content. Voices and speed can be set up in the “Text to speech option” located at the end of the list.

However, a minor problem observed is that it fails to convert abbreviations into full words. Instead, it reads them as they are which may render the text confusing to some blind users.

Three additional features that can improve the experience of blind users are Dark Screen, Rapid Key Input and Speak Passwords. The first one keeps the screen turned off at all times for privacy or to preserve battery power and the second one allows entering a character by tapping on the keys once instead of twice when using the keyboard or the keypad. The third option, reads the characters aloud when entering the password.

The Galaxy A5 is also accessible to users with low vision. The text size feature works accordingly and all changes will appear in every available interface. The handset also has a screen magnifier (magnifying gestures) that zooms in and out the text with a triple tapping gesture. It must be enabled before using it.

Other options that can help these users, particularly, those with color blindness or sensitivity to light are negative colors that reverse background and foreground colors, and color adjustment that changes the colors of the display into more recognizable colors. For this feature to work users must take a short test after activating it in the accessibility menu. Depending on results, the device will decide whether the colors should be adjusted.

Hearing

Samsung provides no information on the Galaxy A5’s Hearing Aid Compatibility Rating, so Amóvil is unable to recommend it to hearing aid and cochlear implant users. However, it is suitable for Deaf or hard of hearing persons that do not wear hearing prosthetics. The smartphone supports instant messaging and videocalls.

The handset can be muted with one single tap and the camera flash can be set to blink when a new notification or call enter. These users will also be able to activate subtitles when watching videos, adjust the sound balance when using headphones and activate the auto haptic to set the phone to vibrate when listening to music, watching videos or playing games.

Dexterity

The Galaxy A5 is accessible to people with dexterity disabilities. Accessibility options for these users can be found under the category Dexterity and Interaction.

A feature designed to help these users is the assistant menu. When this feature is enabled a floating icon appears. It provides access to functions supported by external buttons. User can indicate their dominant hand and the icon will be situated either on the left or on the right to make interaction easier.

In addition, a cursor similar to those in computers can be enabled to improve interaction with the touchscreen. This cursor can be enlarged or reduced.

Furthermore, the Galaxy A5 is rather lightweight and easy to hold. Also, physical buttons are easy to press and cables can be plugged and unplugged without much effort. However, inserting the SIM and the SD card may be a task nearly impossible to do for some people, particularly those with tremors in the upper limbs or with vision impairments for it requires using a special tool that must be inserted into a tiny hole.

An app included in this device that can benefit users with dexterity disabilities is SVoice, Samsung’s personal assistant. With SVoice users can use voice commands to launch some system features and menus, such as Settings. However, they will not be able to control the device completely hands-free. For instance, launching specific accessibility options through S Voice is not possible.

Comprehension

The Galaxy A5 is accessible to people with limited comprehension skills and cognitive disabilities. Icons comply with accessibility standards. In addition, the device provides an option to simplify the Home screen by selecting the Easy mode. The screen will display a simpler layout and bigger icons.

People with concentration issues can enable the interaction control mode that turns off alerts, notifications and other inputs while using apps. However, the process to enable this option is not very intuitive.

Additionally, the A5 does not provide an assistant that will guide users through the configuration process and teach them how to make common gestures, such as swiping or sliding.

For more information on the Galaxy A5 accessibility features, please consult the full accessibility report.