Accessibility in Samsung Galaxy Xcover3

Friday, 23 October, 2015

Por Amóvil

The Samsung Galaxy Xcover3

Samsung Spain has lent us the Samsung Galaxy Xcover3 to review its accessibility. This is an ultra-rugged 4G smartphone that is resistant to water, dust, salt and shock. It is also accessible to people with low vision, profound hearing loss, poor manual dexterity and poor comprehension skills.

General features and specifications

The Xcover3 ships with Android 4.4 KitKat but can be upgraded to version 5.0. It also runs on a quad-core Marvell Armada processor at 1.2GHZ, and has a PLS TFT 4.5-inches display with 480 x 800 pixels resolution.

Regarding its design, it has a thick casing with reinforced corners, which measures 132.9 x 70.1 x 10 mm, and weighs 154 grams. The handset includes a programmable key on the side that can be configured to turn the flashlight on or as a camera shooter. Additionally, unlike other Galaxy models, it comes with three physical keys at the bottom of the display.

The device includes two cameras: One on the rear side with 5 mpx, autofocus and LED flash, and another one on the front with 2 mpx for videocalls.

The Xcover3 includes an altimeter, a digital compass and NFC. It is also both IP67 and MIL-STD 810G certified which guarantees its resistance to water up to one meter during 30 minutes and resistance to falls up to 1.2 meters, respectively.

Accessibility review

Users with disabilities will be able to configure accessibility setting right after turning the phone on for the first time by clicking on the provided shortcut. Although the menu layout and content are similar to the ones available on other Galaxy models, the Xcover3 does not include the Assistant menu, a function designed to improve access to people with dexterity disabilities.

Vision

The Galaxy Xcover3 ships with TalkBack preinstalled. However, we cannot recommend it to blind users because some elements on the display are not properly labelled.

However, this handset can be quite useful for users with low vision. The phone comes with a screen magnifier and allows changing both the size of the text and the screen brightness to improve legibility. It also includes a negative color function to reverse background and foreground colors.

Hearing

There is no information available on the hearing aid compatibility rating of this device, so we cannot recommend it to hearing aid or cochlear implant users. Nevertheless, it can be quite useful for the profoundly Deaf or hard of hearing users who do not wear hearing prosthetics, for it supports instant messaging and videocalls.

Dexterity

The Galaxy Xcover3 is accessible for users with mild to moderate dexterity skills. However those with very little or no dexterity skills will have a less than a satisfactory experience with this device. The main reason is that it cannot be used using writing sticks. In fact, as previously mentioned, Samsung did not include the Assistant Menu in this device, an option that provides a software alternative to side key functions.

In addition, and contrary to other Galaxy models, it does not include SVoice, Samsung’s personal assistant. However, it ships with a version of Google Now preinstalled that opens native apps, systems control and allows making phone calls with voice commands.

Comprehension

The Galaxy Xcover3 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.

Nevertheless, this handset does not include 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 Xcover3 accessibility features, please consult the full accessibility report.

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