Samsung phones seem to be pretty well-received and are among the most popular model. Aside from what I come across weekly while teaching assistive technology, Samsung is to Android as iPhone is to iOS. That’s just an assumption based on my small sample size who prefers Android to iOS.

As long as you’re running the latest version of TalkBack with an android version above Lollipop, you’ll experience a decent version of Android. I’d still recommend snagging something running the latest version of Android, though, which is Oreo right now.

Don’t bother with other screen readers aside from TalkBack. They’re a lesson in frustration. For example, Samsung phones come with a poorly named screen reader called “Voice Assistant”. It has similar gestures to iOS, and so many think it will be the best option for them until they try to access the internet and some other applications. Voice Assistant can’t focus on items in these windows and ends up being worthless. Suddenly they have to ignore all of the stuff they learned in Voice Assistant and learn the new gestures for Talkback. Just go with TalkBack.

In some cases, TalkBack isn’t installed when you get the phone. You can either get sighted help to grab it from the Play Store, or use another screen reader temporarily to snag it. There’s no telling if you’ll have it installed. I recently spent a day setting up four Samsung S8 phones and there was something different about each and every setup. Some had TalkBack installed, some did not. You can’t really generalize Android like you can with iOS. If i wanted to, I could pick up any iPhone with VoiceOver and hit the ground running. That’s not always the case with Android, though in 99% of cases, you could do the same with only a minute or two of getting up to speed.

When you have TalkBack, you can set it to be the accessibility Shortcut. Some Android models allow for more than one shortcut with different ways of activating them. Most common is to hold both volume buttons down for three seconds to toggle TalkBack on and off. Yeah, it’s really simple just like the triple click home button for VoiceOver.

No good podcasts for the screen reader that I know of, but there is a talk back tutorial that you can run through when you start VoiceOver that will teach you everything you need to know to get started. There is an adjustment period — especially coming from iOS, but if you spend an hour with the phone running TalkBack, you’ll be off and running.

A tip: Do not go into this comparing Android to iOS. You’ll just be disappointed. Think of it like this: you can use a screen reader to access text, or you could use braille to access text. There are people on both sides who say that one way is better or more efficient than the other way, but regardless of how you do it, you’re accessing the text. They are just two different tools to do the same thing. This is what it’s like comparing VoiceOver to TalkBack. Both are efficient enough, both are good tools, but that’s what they are: tools to complete a job. You can’t compare them apples to apples.

I use an iPhone 8 as my daily driver right now, but I use a Samsung S8 as my work phone. As a blind person, I can easily switch between them and I’m happy with both. If Apple doesn’t get it’s pricing situation and lack of innovative features to justify that price under control, I’ll be switching to Android full time. Apple might have an edge for new blind users who want a uniform experience across devices, but I’m not willing to continue paying astronomical prices for a phone that hasn’t changed much and still has the same accessibility bugs that it had a year ago. That’s just my two cents for your change jar.

You can check out the Inclusive Android site linked by another user, though it’s not exactly like Apple Vis. it is the best you’ll get, though. I think there’s a google group or mailing list for eyes free android, though, that would be much more helpful.
There’s also a book called “Getting Started with Android” from National Braille Press which offeres the book as a digital download in Word format. Written by blind people, for blind people. It’s a helpful read when you’re getting started.

Good luck; have fun!

Take a look at https://www.inclusiveandroid.com/

For question 4, that depends on which phone you have. The screen reader often used is TalkBack, which isn't always pre-installed (especially with some older or lower end Androids).

Apparently, Talkback is being changed over to "Android Accessibility Suite".

https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/06/21/google-android-talkback-app-android-accessibility-suite/

For question 5, probably best to stick to a Google phone or a big company like Samsung. Better support and better updates. I have some clients still using Android 4 phones :S