With its brand new Zeus 4G Pro, the Spanish manufacturer SPC offers an affordable smartphone, equipped with an interface specially adapted to the needs of the elderly, who are not always comfortable with technology.
If digital has been a revolution for many people, this is not the case for the elderly. According to an INSEE study, 17% of the French population is illiterate, which represents around 9 million people. Among them, more than 65% concern the over 75s. Because, if the digital is omnipresent in our lives, it is sometimes too complex for those who discovered it late and who have difficulty assimilating its functioning. This generational and digital divide thus has serious consequences, which can go as far as the social death of an individual. Even more than the computer, the smartphone now plays a major role in everyday life, allowing you to keep in touch with family and friends but also to access many services. It is even becoming mandatory to carry out certain procedures, including administrative ones, which is regrettable… This is why companies have undertaken to implement solutions to simplify smartphones, and thus make life easier for seniors.
This is the case of start-ups like Coyali, which has developed an application of the same name – available on Android and iOS. This modifies the interface of the telephone in order to adapt it to seniors. It highlights the essential functions, enlarges the icons, accompanies the buttons with a text to transcribe their usefulness, makes the color codes more intuitive, and even offers the possibility of seeking help from relatives remotely. Manufacturers have gone even further by developing smartphones specially designed for the elderly – soberly baptized “senior smartphones. In addition to simplifying the interface, they have ergonomics and functions specific to the needs of this slice of life. This is particularly the case of the Spaniard SPC, which is making its debut in France with a new model.
SPC: debut on the French market for ambitious senior smartphones
Even if the smartphone market is extremely large, with models ranging from 150 to more than 2,000 euros, finding a device that suits an elderly person, and therefore not necessarily very comfortable with new technologies, is far from easy. be an easy task. Touch screen, multitude of applications and settings, absence of buttons… So many complicated – and sometimes expensive – features that can be deeply confusing! However, there are not a lot of players in this segment of the market in France, which is mainly dominated by Doro – even if a few other manufacturers such as Mobiho and SwissVoice are trying it. However, there are approximately 100,000 smartphones and 530,000 feature phones sold each year on the French senior market. The Spanish brand SPC intends to establish itself there and become a key player. With its number 1 position in Spain, it intends to do the same in France within two years – even if it also sells entry-level smartphones at less than 130 euros, often intended for young users as their first smartphone.
The purpose of its products is to offer an accessible means of communication to people who are not comfortable with technology, but also to help their loved ones watch over them. A wide range of its phones is already available in France in supermarkets, such as Carrefour, as well as on its website. In the coming months, other product categories, such as tablets and smart home devices, will be added to the brand’s range. For the moment, SPC is celebrating its arrival with a brand new model, the Zeus 4G Pro.
SPC Zeus 4G Pro: a simplified smartphone with adapted ergonomics
SPC launches the Zeus 4G Pro to bolster its line of smartphones for seniors. The phone opts for simplicity in form and substance. It takes the form of a classic smartphone, with thick edges and three buttons for essential shortcuts: call, home, return to the previous page. In terms of technical characteristics, it is quite basic. It has a 5.5-inch touchscreen with HD+ resolution (1,400 x 720 pixels) and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. It features a 2 GHz quad-core processor and an IMG GE8300 graphics card, associated to 32 GB of storage expandable by an additional 512 GB via a micro SD card. It has a single 13 megapixel sensor on the back and a 5 megapixel sensor on the front – not enough to make great souvenir photos, which can be a problem, seniors like to capture and share a lot their times of life. The 2400 mAh battery is recharged via a base, which allows you to keep your device in a defined place – a bit like the landline phones that sit in the living room or in the entrance – and to know when the battery is full thanks to an indicator light. A reversible USB Type-C connector also allows it to be recharged without having to carry the base permanently with you.
The Zeus 4G Pro relies above all on its ergonomics to seduce. It runs Android 11, but SPC has added an overlay – which is activated via Simplified mode – to provide some specifics, such as a simplified, readable menu with large icons – as well as physical keys. A shortcut allows you to control the parameters used most often and to save up to 6 favorite contacts with their photo/illustration – it is easier to identify the person. To watch over its user, it has an SOS button on the back to quickly notify a list of trusted contacts in the event of a problem – discomfort, fall, aggression, etc. – as well as a button to turn on the flashlight easily on the left. Of course, they were designed not to be activated accidentally. For added security, a notification is sent to loved ones in case of inactivity of the phone for 24 hours, multiple calls not answered or if the battery drops below 15%. The Smart Ring option increases the ring volume if the user does not answer a number that calls several times consecutively within a short period of time. As soon as the call is answered, the volume returns to normal. Finally, the smartphone can be configured remotely by a trusted contact from their own phone.
The Zeus 4G Pro is already available at a price of 180 euros in physical stores (Fnac, Darty, Système U…), at many online merchants such as Amazon and on the SPC website. The smartphone is supplied with its mains adapter, the maintenance/charging base and a transparent protective case.
